Yahoo Lifestyle The true story behind 'Dying for Sex', the heart-wrenching new TV series
There has been a glut of excellent television for us to binge on over the last few months; while we may lament the third season of The White Lotus coming to an end, there’s still plenty of exciting shows to watch or catch up on (period drama fans should check out Dope Girls on BBC iPlayer, or A Cruel Love over on ITVX).
One new series that is certain to entice and enthral in equal measure is Dying for Sex, Disney Plus’ latest must-see comedy-drama, which looks set to enter the prestige TV series canon. Starring the five-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, the eight-part show follows Molly, who is diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer with just months left to live. The news galvanises her to leave her husband of 15 years in order to explore her sexual desires. She is supported by her best friend Nikki (played by Jenny Slate) and the pair document Molly’s sexual odyssey.
Dying for Sex is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name, which became a huge hit thanks to Molly’s no-holds-barred approach to her sexual encounters, and serves as the basis of this heartbreaking true story.
Here are the true events behind Dying for Sex, the series that is essential to put on your must-watch list.
Is Dying for Sex based on a true story?
While Dying for Sex explores the journey of sensuality Molly chooses to embark on, the true heart of the series is her close friendship with Nikki.
The pair became friends in 2000, when they both lived in Los Angeles and attended the same drama school. While they were initially very different (Molly was a ‘wallflower’ while Nikki ‘was vying for attention’), the pair’s friendship blossomed after their drama teacher partnered them together. “[If that hadn’t happened] I don’t know if Molly and I would have found each other’s friendship,” the real Nikki Boyer, who also serves as executive producer on the series, told The Times.
Boyer was there when Molly met her husband, who she was subsequently with for 15 years. In the series he is played by Jay Duplass and called Steve, but this is not his real name, with Boyer opting to keep his identity anonymous.
Molly found a lump in her breast in 2005, but because she was just 33, her doctor said he was doubtful it could be cancerous. Six years later, when she finally received her diagnosis, the cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes – Molly then had to undergo chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
Molly had previously told Boyer that she and her husband were having difficulties in the bedroom, but the treatment she underwent for cancer effectively wiped out any hopes of rekindling a spark. In 2015, when she started experiencing hip pain, Molly was informed that her cancer had spread to her bones – and that her diagnosis was now terminal.
Boyer explains that Molly’s hormone treatment increased her sex drive – and she made the decision to leave her husband of 15 years to experiment before she died.
Screw Cancer: Becoming Whole - Molly Kochan
The idea for the podcast came to Boyer when she met Molly for lunch in 2018. While Boyer was in a happy long-term relationship, she was thrilled to hear about Molly’s sexual escapades. Just that morning, Molly had been on two dates and passionately kissed another man at a donut store.
The podcast, called Dying for Sex, was recorded before she was hospitalised in late 2018. The encounters discussed were often hilarious and unexpected, with Molly acknowledging that she did sometimes put herself at risk with her laissez-faire attitude to casual sex. “What are [they] going to do to me? Kill me?” she said in one episode. “I’m dying.”
Boyer spent hours in hospital with Molly, and held her hand when she died in March 2019. Despite being bed-bound at that point, Molly was still keen to tell her story. She wrote her memoir Screw Cancer: Becoming Whole while in hospital. It was released posthumously, alongside the Dying for Sex podcast. It proved to be a huge success – the six-part podcast show was downloaded more than five million times. Celebrities also embraced the series; New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether worked alongside Boyer in adapting the podcast into the TV series.
Boyer explains that putting podcast together helped her with her grief. “It delayed some of my grief,” she says. “I was still working with her voice. I felt she was guiding me.”
And Michelle Williams, who stars as Molly, says she was blown away by her character’s life-affirming spirit. “Molly changed the rules,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in an exclusive interview. “I like to remember [her] bravery as a daily practice.”
'Dying for Sex' will premiere on Disney+ on 4 April.
You Might Also Like
