Two years after her 2023 Oscar nomination for Best Actress in The Fabelmans, Michelle Williams makes a welcome return to our screens in Disney Plus series Dying for Sex, a comedy drama inspired by the liberating final years of New Yorker Molly Kochan and the unconditional support of her closest friend Nikki Boyer.
In the opening episode of the eight-parter, based on a podcast of the same name, Molly walks out of her sexless marriage to Steve (Industry’s Jay Duplass) when she discovers she has Stage VI metastatic breast cancer.
Her first port of call is to Nikki (Parks and Recreation’s Jenny Slate), who gives her a bed while she sets in motion her time-sensitive quest for sexual fulfilment before she dies.
“It’s a story about a woman who’s going through a sexual awakening just as she’s faced with terminal cancer, but it’s more than that,” shares Jenny Slate when she joins What To Watch for an interview from LA.
“It’s also about the friendship of these two women; when the other one is in the room, everything is better, more sturdy, fun and filled with promise.”
Final fantasy
Molly wastes no time downloading dating apps, receiving saucy photos and embarking on sexcapades. Meanwhile, chaotic aspiring actor Nikki takes on the often-overwhelming task of organising her friend’s palliative care.
“In the time she has left, Molly wants to live a life that, in many ways, she has denied herself and was ripped from her because of an experience in her childhood,” explains Jenny, as the show candidly explores Molly’s experimentation with S&M and role-play alongside the life-long shadow of repressed trauma and sexual assault. “The strength of the humour and the beautiful way sexuality is explored is gorgeous.”
Written by Liz Meriwether (The Dropout) and Kim Rosenstock (Only Murders in the Building) the programme also shines a light on Nikki’s struggles to juggle Molly’s medical and emotional needs with her career commitments and new relationship with musician Noah (Kelvin Yu), all while grappling with grief.
“In the show, Nikki expresses her anger in really punchy explosions while trying not to overtake Molly’s experience,” says Jenny, who starred in Girls and It Ends with Us. “Nothing about the material made me feel frightened to perform it, but I did often feel deeply affected by it, and I think that's a really good thing.”
Casting light
The cast includes Succession’s David Rasche as Molly’s conservative oncologist Dr Pankowitz, who is visibly uncomfortable with his unconventional patient and her pal. State of the Union's Esco Jouley stars as Sonya, Molly's compassionate palliative care social worker. While Catastrophe’s Rob Delaney is introduced as Molly’s repulsive yet intriguing new neighbour when she moves into her own apartment.
A scene-stealing Sissy Spacek appears later in the series as Molly’s guilt-stricken mum Gail, as she makes the journey to New York to spend time with her dying daughter. Meanwhile, the real Nikki Boyer who, alongside Williams, is an executive producer on the show, makes a cameo as Molly’s cousin Sheila.
“The complexity of the themes were a huge and exciting draw for me. At this point in my work it’s what I'm looking for,” says Jenny.
“I felt a large sense of gratitude that Molly [who died in 2019] and Nikki shared their story and let us step inside that inner sanctum. I made sure that the real Nikki knew that I cared deeply that this was her life.”
A perfect match
Although Michelle and Jenny both appeared in 2018’s Venom, they didn’t share any scenes in the superhero movie, so this marks their first time working together.
“Michelle is one of the many reasons why this project was so attractive. She is so open, sensitive and vulnerable. For me it was a delight to have such an incredible scene partner,” shares Jenny. “Dying for Sex is funny, provocative, warm and honest. It’s an innovative and beautiful take on what it means not just to face death, but to really live a life.”
Dying for Sex release date
With a strong female-led perspective and a darkly comic tone all of its own, Dying for Sex is both a compelling and dextrously told story about life, liberation, friendship and letting go. The series is available to watch on Disney Plus from Friday, April 4, 2025.
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