Some of the reviews reveal much more about the reviewer's attitudes toward issues like age, sex, and gender than they do about the series.
From what I've read, quite sadly, I would have to agree.
But thankfully that is not the case with all reviewers. TV Guide's Matt Roush hasn't published his review yet, but if the preview he provided in his Ask Matt column (
Tell Me You Love Me's Sexy Debut...) this past Friday is any indication, it will be favorable and appreciative of the issues the series is highlighting. Here are a few excerpts from his remarks:
The magazine review goes out next week, but this gives me an opportunity to weigh in a few days early, and I'm happy to, because I think Tell Me You Love Me signals HBO getting back on track after John from Cincinnati (which I did feel was dull and pretentious) with a powerful, demanding and at times excruciatingly painful drama about authentic characters in extreme emotional crises. I found myself thinking of the great Herskovitz-Zwick shows, because I was often both deeply moved and deeply exasperated by some of the characters
The bedroom scenes are about as raw and graphic as anything HBO has produced outside the Real Sex franchise. But this is anti-porn, sex intentionally deglamorized. This is not a show where people have sex to candlelight. If anything, you may wish they'd turn the lights out more often. But the most affecting couple, played beautifully by Tim DeKay and Ally Walker in performances worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Once and Again, are long-marrieds who haven't had sex in a year, though they love each other deeply, and their desire to reconnect while fearing becoming one of those "couples with problems" is pretty searing stuff.
I expect Tell Me You Love Me to be polarizing, but it gets richer as it goes on (I've seen all 10 hours)