Tell Me You Love Me: The Complete First Season

With juggernauts Six Feet Under and The Sopranos only a memory, American cable network HBO is in need of some new (and good) dramatic blood. Which is why the somewhat surprising renewal of the very low-rated Tell Me You Love Me was actually a very good idea. If you’ve heard of Love Me, it’s probably from the press it received during its first season, regarding its explicit sexual content, particularly a sex scene between a late 60s shrink, Dr. May Foster (Jane Alexander), and her husband. But despite loads of sex (and even more talk about it), Sex and the City this isn’t. Love Me revolves around three couples dealing with issues darker and chillier than anything Carrie Bradshaw could have grasped. Fidelity and other prenuptial concerns are the (initial) problem of the 20-something couple; the 30-something couple are failing to get pregnant and questioning their love for each other; while the 40-something couple have no issues regarding their devotion, if only said devotion would translate into sex more than once a year. The couples’ only narrative connection is Dr. Foster, who is their therapist. A simple enough premise, yes, but it becomes so much more than that mainly because creator Cynthia Mort has obviously done her homework. The series maps out these characters’ development and avoids dragging their problems through sentimental or obvious hills and valleys. On DVD, this becomes even clearer, as the series gets progressively better and more addictive as the episodes continue and the characters begin to assume their full form. Mort also provides insightful commentary (with much of the cast) on four episodes. An honest and compelling examination of the many intricacies of sex and relationships, Love Me might never become a juggernaut but it will certainly quench the dramatic thirst of anyone who manages to see it.