What would you do if your days in this flesh-bound realm were numbered, cut short by your own body’s betrayal? Would you give in to indulgence? Drink all day, dance all night, make every meal a Sizzler’s all-you-can-eat special? Would you finally live the life you only dreamed of from a distance, no matter the cost? Such is the case for Molly in FX’s Dying for Sex, a limited series inspired by Nikki Boyer’s hit Wondery podcast.
Facing Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, Molly (played by the remarkable Michelle Williams) chooses to embrace her urges and explore her sexuality — one freaky experience at a time — before she shuffles off this mortal coil. Leaving her milquetoast husband (Jay Duplass), who is unwilling or unable to satisfy her, she decides to stop sleepwalking through her marriage and chase the thrill of the unknown. With her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate) as her ride-or-die and confidant, she uses the time she has left to delve into her innermost desires and discover herself.
Plunging headfirst into the dating world, Molly is hit with the full spectrum of modern romance: dating apps, one-night stands, dick pics, catfishers, mutual masturbation, the illicit joys of the movie Speed, etc. But as anyone who’s explored the messier corners of sexuality can attest, the path to fulfillment is lined with more than just orgasms. Along the way, Molly uncovers parts of herself she didn’t know were buried — trauma hidden beneath fear, routine, and repression. In seeking pleasure, she finds something deeper: pieces of herself she never expected to reclaim.
Award-winning actress Michelle Williams first impacted audiences back when she was making goo-goo eyes at Dawson Leery. Since then, she’s spent the last several decades establishing herself as one of the premier actresses of her generation. Williams brings her formidable skills to the FX limited series as Molly — a woman who might not know what she needs, but knows what she doesn’t want from a world that has turned sex into a “one hour or it’s free” delivery service for the impatient and horny: to die unsatisfied and unfulfilled.
Dying for Sex is packed with talent, with each actor bringing their own vibrant, off-kilter energy that gives Williams plenty to play off. The show’s unique concept and delightfully bizarre tone create a space where the absurd humor doesn’t just entertain but also makes room for deeper emotional notes to surface. Beneath the laughs, the characters slowly tap into something more raw: anger, regret, and ultimately, grief.
This darkly witty series digs deep to unearth humor and sexiness in a subject matter that is overtly neither. Thanks to the acting chops of both Williams and Slate, Dying is quite comically entertaining and witty in even its darkest moments while surprisingly erotic and provocative. Williams delivers some of her sharpest comedic work as Molly — a modern-day Miss Jones who is driven by her own devil, in this case, a cancerous growth that becomes both her curse and her catalyst.
With its unapologetic adult themes (and no shortage of nudity), Dying for Sex isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a grimly funny tragedy, anchored by Michelle Williams’ magnetic performance. The series leans hard into gallows humor, using its macabre wit to underscore a deeper message: life can be messy, horrible, and wildly inappropriate — but it’s still worth celebrating. And, like Molly, it’s never too late to become an active participant in your own life story. Don’t be surprised when awards season circles back to recognize Williams for this fearless turn. ❖