Rapid Insights: ‘Dying for Sex’ Flips Cancer Tropes Into Bold Wish Fulfillment

Who’s been watching this unique new show?
We’re seeing an audience that leans somewhat toward women (59%) and is heavily aged 30+ (71%)–a notably different viewership profile than other series that deal frankly with sex. Female-fronted sex dramedies like Sex Education, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Grace and Frankie, Fleabag, Girls, and Shrill as a category tend to appeal much more strongly to women (62-73%) and generally skew younger (45-68% aged 30+).

Why are viewers tuning in?
For the ride-or-die Female Friendship (160) at the show’s center. Dying for Sex’s beating heart comes from the incredibly tightknit bond between struggling cancer patient Molly and her brash BFF (160) Nikki, who vows to support her friend through the end of her life after she leaves her unfulfilling marriage. This Supportive Relationship (145) forms the emotional backbone of the show, infusing it with both humor (Awkward & Funny Moments, 133) and pathos as Molly–and the audience–grapple with her terminal diagnosis.

What type of viewing experience are audiences looking for?
One with great emotional depth. The series echoes Molly’s journey through grief, discovery, and revelation, taking viewers through the same richly complex highs and lows as the protagonist and her loved ones. From Anger (139), Fear (134), and Sadness (132) to Awe (139), Joy (136), and Love (120), Dying for Sex covers the full range of human experience under the shadow of our mortality.

What’s making the show so bingeworthy?
Molly’s journey of self-discovery. Her diagnosis-spurred drive to experience all variations of Sexual Activity (120)–along with the awkward Sexual Humor (111) that accompanies it–is what’s keeping audiences glued to their seats as they come along for the ride of her intense sexual awakening. Molly’s sexual bucket list also makes the show feel quite unique, as it puts a very different spin on the Dying Protagonist (119) theme; other shows centered around terminal cancer (e.g. New Amsterdam, Breaking Bad, Red Band Society) tend to choose very different routes.

How is the show’s social buzz?
Strong. After the trailer spiked into “promising” range (peaking at 118), the April 4 release of the full first season shot to the top of our buzz meter (at 160) and stuck there for a solid week. Though online activity has since dropped off a bit, it still remains in “outstanding” territory (at 128), suggesting that the show will continue to have legs. Viewers are primarily tweeting and posting about Molly’s Life Changing Decision (147) to abandon her 15-year marriage in order to pursue a sexual journey and rely on her best friend for support.