Wild new docuseries Sex Diaries is about to become your next TV obsession: ‘I’m open to all possibilities’

Inspired by New York Magazine’s popular sex and dating column, HBO’s eye-opening new docuseries Sex Diaries looks set to put the spotlight on LGBTQ+ relationships.

Described as a “contemporary look at a search for connection”, the four-part series will chronicle the lives of eight people through video diary entries as they navigate sex and dating on the streets of New York City.

Along the way, they’ll check in with the editor of the column, Alyssa Shelasky, and recount the ups and downs of their experiences as they tap into issues surrounding sex, intimacy, relationships and love with uncensored and honest brutality.

The column, which started life in 2007 and was revived by Shelasky in 2015, has now accumulated over 700 fascinating entries documenting the sex lives of anonymous New Yorkers, and attracted a cult following of readers.

While the anonymity will be lifted in the new docuseries, the new trailer shows that tales of tragic romance, hilarious sexual antics and touching journey’s of self-discovery will still remain at the heart. 

Having now run for several years, the series has become known for getting to the core of human connection and giving insights into how truly diverse love can be. 

In the run-up to the launch of the series, New York Magazine shared some of the column’s most popular stories, including a single mum with both a boyfriend and girlfriend, a yoga teacher with a food fetish and a married couple documenting their experiences at a sex party.

The trailer for the series is a reflection of this diversity, with a refreshing number of LGBTQ+ individuals front and centre.

Speaking about her casting decisions, Shelasky explained in New York Magazine how she had “revisited thousands of diarists” she worked anonymously with over the years with little success. 

“I frantically called friends of friends who had cousins with roommates who were polyamorous, slut-positive, or simply lovestruck.

“I tracked down New Yorkers who belonged to sex clubs, posted provocative hashtags, or showed any sign that they were creative souls or open books. Our dream was for the cast to mirror an NYC subway car in terms of diversity.”

From casual sex addicts and TikTok hook-ups to those in pursuit of true love – there’s something for everyone to connect to in the upcoming series.

In the trailer, we see one person open about about their polyamory, another gay man talking about being a “sucker for romance” and a pair of best friends reflecting on their “flirtatious friendship”. 

With the promise of many more romantic misadventures, the trailer ends on an uplifting note: “The important thing is that I’m open to all possibilities. I am who I’m supposed to be.”

The first two episodes of Sex Diaries air 16 December on HBO and HBO Max in the US and Sky and Now in the UK, with the following two episodes airing on 23 December.