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The Tudors: More Sex, Fewer Treaties

May 14, 2007

I admit that I've grown desensitized to sex on television -- I grew up with it. I come from the era of high school boys who discovered the "Red Shoe Diaries" on Cinemax, which also places me squarely in the demographic for the soft-core history lessons that have been cropping up on pay cable. "Rome," "Carnivale," "Deadwood," "The L Word," or the grandpappy of needless nudity and sexual encounters, "Queer as Folk" -- these are the order of the day.

Which is why I'm confused by Showtime's latest offering. More than halfway through "The Tudors" -- the ten-episode original series hailed as fun, sexy, and scandalous, I'm starting to wonder who's doing the hailing and how much they're getting paid to do it. Don't get me wrong: the series isn't exactly bad, it's just so damn squeaky-clean that I often find myself wanting a little more, well, fun, sex, and scandal.

After a half-dozen episodes, viewers can count on one hand all the bare backsides, bosoms, and bits from this all-star cast of hotties. On the other hand, if ratified treaties, princely edicts, and trials for high treason really do it for you, look no further; "The Tudors" is a XXX-throwdown for that kind of thing.

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