“Dying for Sex,” Starring Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate

“Dying for Sex,” a comedy/drama miniseries loosely based on the true story of Molly Kochan, is about a woman who leaves her husband in order to explore her sexual desires after being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate bring to life a friendship that’s as hilarious as it is heartbreaking, showing how surreal it can feel to navigate some of the decisions that become necessary when someone receives a terminal diagnosis. Together, the pair face hard truths and bizarre mishaps, reminding viewers that in the face of serious illness, friendship can be one of the most tender parts of the journey. 

How Molly Kochan Documented Her Final Days

The television adaptation of “Dying for Sex” is based on the hit podcast by the same title, created by best friends Nikki Boyer and Kochan in the final months of Kochan’s life. According to an article in People, the podcast came about as Kochan related stories of her sexual adventures to Boyer, and the two decided that it was entertainment at its finest.

Friends Nikki Boyer and Molly Kochan.
Photo Courtesy of Nikki Boyer via Yahoo!

The show draws on the podcast, consulting with Boyer, as well as details shared in Kochan’s memoir, “Screw Cancer: Becoming Whole,” which she wrote as her health declined and she entered hospice. 

As the show relates, Kochan used her terminal diagnosis as the catalyst for her quest to experience sexual revelations, which was aided by the fact that her treatments dramatically boosted her libido. She left her struggling marriage in order to fall in love, according to her memoir, but over the course of her sexual escapades, she found ways to fall in love with herself, instead.

How “Dying for Sex” Hits All The Right Notes, Most of the Time

Whether or not you enjoy “Dying for Sex” will probably come down to what you’re looking for it to be: If you’re watching because you enjoy sexually fueled, raunchy comedy, you can’t get much better than Slate. If you’re hoping to see a thoroughly feminist endeavor to depict female friendship through an inescapably sad story, you’ll get that, as well. For some, though, the two genres are at odds, with the sexcapades feeling like an unnecessary distraction to the tender scenes and vice versa.

That said, many who have supported people through terminal illness and hospice care will find that “Dying for Sex’s” unflinching narratives are nuanced and thoughtfully presented (the boggling amount of male genitalia notwithstanding). Hopefully, if you’re looking for a show that fearlessly tackles some topics many in Hollywood wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole, you’ll come away feeling satisfied.