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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = 
| caption              = 
| genre                = [[Erotica]], [[Documentary]]
| creator              = Sheila Nevins
| developer            = 
| writer               = 
| director             = Patti Kaplan
| creative_director    = 
| presenter            = 
| starring             = 
| judges               = 
| voices               = 
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = "Perfidia" by Mambo All-Stars
| endtheme             = "[[Patricia (Perez Prado song)|Patricia]]" by [[Perez Prado]]
| composer             = Perez Prado
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = <!-- or num_series -->
| num_episodes         = 33
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = 
| editor               = 
| location             = 
| cinematography       = 
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 
| company              = HBO Studios Productions
| first_aired          = {{start date|1990|6}}
| last_aired           = {{end date|2009|12}}
| related              = 
| channel              = [[HBO]]
}}

'''''Real Sex''''' was a [[documentary]] television series produced by [[Home Box Office|HBO]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/#/schedule/series/REAL+SEX/PMRS161 |title=HBO|access-date=8 August 2015}}</ref> ''Real Sex'' was a sexually explicit "magazine" which "explores sex '90s style."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/real-sex/ |title=Real Sex|publisher=TV.com|date=2012-12-19|access-date=2013-10-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movieweb.com/tv/TV2BK775lM3B54 |title=HBO Real Sex|publisher=Movieweb.com|access-date=2013-10-06}}</ref> Created by [[Sheila Nevins]] and produced by Patti Kaplan, the series was originally meant to be a single 60-minute special about sexuality, largely in response to the cultural attitudes surrounding sex in the wake of the [[AIDS epidemic]] of the 1980's.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Langmuir |first=Molly |date=2013-07-30 |title=Masturbation, Nudists, and Street Interviews: An Oral History of HBO's Real Sex |url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/07/hbo-real-sex-oral-history-masturbation-nudists-street-interviews.html |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref> The series was female-run, and segments were largely directed by women.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Langmuir |first=Molly |date=2013-07-30 |title=Masturbation, Nudists, and Street Interviews: An Oral History of HBO's Real Sex |url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/07/hbo-real-sex-oral-history-masturbation-nudists-street-interviews.html |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref>

''Real Sex'' explores [[human sexuality]]. Gary R. Edgerton and [[Jeffrey P. Jones]] described the fare in ''The Essential HBO Reader'' as "a peek into the diversity of sexual activities...with an emphasis that ranges from the unusual to the bizarre."  The show typically explores three to four topics each episode. Segments are separated by street interviews with random people, relating to the episode's topics.<ref>''The Essential HBO Reader'', Gary R. Edgerton and Jeffrey P. Jones, University Press of Kentucky, July 2013</ref>

In 2018, HBO began removing the show from its streaming services [[HBO Go|HBO GO]] and [[HBO Now]], along with similar series ''[[Cathouse: The Series|Cathouse]]'' and ''[[Taxicab Confessions]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Dalton |last2=Lealos |first2=Shawn S. |date=2023-10-07 |title=Why HBO Pulled Real Sex, Cathouse & More From Its Streaming Service |url=https://screenrant.com/hbo-real-sex-cathouse-pulled-streaming-service/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> making them largely [[Lost media|unavailable to the public.]]

It spawned a spin-off series called ''[[Pornucopia]]''.

==Subsequent release history==

While a hit show for HBO during its original run in the 90s (with HBO rerunning the series and compiling "best of" episodes to air late night until the final 2009 episode), HBO has declined to include it in any of its various streaming services such as HBO Go and HBO Max/Max.<ref>{{cite web |date=7 October 2023 |title=Why HBO Pulled Real Sex, Cathouse & More from Its Streaming Service |url=https://screenrant.com/hbo-real-sex-cathouse-pulled-streaming-service/#:~:text=Summary,lineup%20due%20to%20waning%20popularity |website=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> In the Vice documentary series "Sex Before The Internet", series creator Sheila Nevins lamented the show's lost media status; stating that HBO largely disowned the series after finding mainstream critical success with shows like "The Sopranos" and "The Wire" and considers the series and other sexually explicit shows such as "The Cathouse", as old shames. HBO's response in the documentary is that "there hasn't been a strong demand for this kind of adult programming, perhaps because it's easily available elsewhere."<ref>{{Citation |last=Vice Acquisition Media |title=Sex Before the Internet--Seasons 1 & 2 |date=2023 |url=http://archive.org/details/sbti-season-1-2 |access-date=2025-06-05 |language=English}}</ref>

==Episode guide==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Episode #<ref>{{Citation |title=Real Sex (HBO Series: 1990 - 2009) - 30 Episodes |date=1990-11-13 |url=http://archive.org/details/hborealsex |access-date=2025-06-05}}</ref>
!Original Air Date
!Episode title (when applicable)!! Segment title !! Description
|-
| rowspan="7" |Episode 01
| rowspan="7" |November 13, 1990<ref>[http://www.vulture.com/2013/07/hbo-real-sex-oral-history-masturbation-nudists-street-interviews.html ''Masturbation, Nudists, and Street Interviews: An Oral History of HBO's Real Sex'' (''Vulture'' July 30, 2013)]</ref>
| rowspan="7" | || "How to Strip (for your man)" || A striptease class taught by LaGioconda (a.k.a. Lisa Suarez).
|-
| "A Family Business" || A husband and wife strip couple filmed at Big Al's in Peoria, IL.
|-
| Sex by Telephone || A brief segment about phone sex which grossed $400 million last year (1989?). A vast majority of callers are male and earn more than $30,000/yr. The average caller spends $45 for 30 minutes.
|-
| "Portrait of a Virgin" || A 31-year-old virgin talks about her chaste lifestyle, and how she plans to wait to have sex until she is married.
|-
| "Homemade Home Video" || A kinky homemade video of a couple jumping into bed filmed by Adam Crown.
|-
| "Sex for One" || A masturbation class for women taught by [[Betty Dodson| Betty Dodson, Ph.D.]]
|-
| "An Actress Turns Director" || Erotic films for women directed by [[Candida Royalle]] and [[Femme Productions]].
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 02
| rowspan="5" | 
| rowspan="5" | || "Stripper with a Difference" || Jane Jones strip show and exotic circus includes a 600&nbsp;lb. Siberian tiger named Qadesh, a Burmese python, and a topless saxophone performance.
|-
| "Sex Under Glass" || [[Carol queen|Carol Queen's]] peep show.
|-
| "The HOW-TO-MAKE-LOVE Couple" || Married couple Donna and Gary filming Videos for Lovers for the Better Sex Institute.
|-
| "The Madam and The Prostitute" || Madam Beverly Harrell of the [[Cottontail Ranch]]
|-
| "Annie Sprinkle's Sluts and Goddesses" || Women dressing up in [[Annie Sprinkle|Annie Sprinkle's]] clothes and acting out slut and goddess fantasies.
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 03
| rowspan="5" | 
| rowspan="5" | || "Cherokee Sex Workshop" ||
|-
| "A Stimulating Collection" ||
|-
| "The Honorable Cicciolina" ||
|-
| "Mister Madam" ||
|-
| "Auntie Maim's House Of Domination" ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 04
| rowspan="5" |August 13, 1992
| rowspan="5" | || "Annie Sprinkle's One Woman Show" || [[Annie Sprinkle|Annie Sprinkle's]] show about her sexual evolution from a shy teenager to porn star and exhibitionist.
|-
| "The Agony & The Ecstasy" || 1991 Miss Nude World pageant organized by Samantha Jones.
|-
| "Deutschland's Top Quiz Show" || German game show called [[Tutti Frutti (1990 TV series)|Tutti Frutti]] where contestants removed various items of clothing.
|-
| "Tell Me Your Fantasy" || Live tele-fantasy New York public access show called Voyeurvision hosted by Lynn Muscarella.
|-
| "Riding the Orgasmic Wave" || Oceanic Tantra workshop where the couples undulate like dolphins through the waters of Maui.
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 05
| rowspan="5" |August 13, 1992
| rowspan="5" |
| "Introducing Venus De Light" || Lynn Chase's exotic [[Burlesque|burlesque dance]] and animal show. She boxes for stress relief.
|-
| "Of Human Bondage" || Frank and [[Ona Zee]] show home spanking and bondage play.
|-
| "Doctor/Director Frank Sommers M.D." || Dr Frank Sommers, M.D. makes short sex education films for women.
|-
| "Susanne Bartsch's Girls Girls Girls" || [[Susanne Bartsch]] throws a drag queen show (including [[RuPaul]]).
|-
| "Sex Shop Granny" || [[Beate Uhse]] talks about her well-known German [[Beate Uhse AG|sex store]].
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 06 (1993)
| rowspan="5" |August 5, 1993
| rowspan="5" | || "Cyber-Sex Game" || [[Mike Saenz]] creates an early adult interactive video games called [[Virtual Valerie 2|Virtual Valerie]].
|-
| "The Royal Sex Maniacs' Ball" || [[Tuppy Owens]] creates the anything goes Sex Maniacs Ball to raise funds for disabled people. It includes an early view of virtual reality sex.
|-
| "A Filmmaker's Fetish Fantasy" || [[Eric Kroll]] takes fetish photos of 3 women wearing girdles.
|-
| "Adam's Whips & Gillian's Toys" || A couple makes sensual whips and toys.
|-
| "Pleasure Bus of Brazil" || An exotic play called Soltando a Franga by Sady Cinema which loosely translates to "Release the Inhibitions". The driver is [[:pt:Sady Baby|Sady Baby]] (a.k.a. Sady Plauth) an infamous actor and filmmaker
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 07
| rowspan="5" |November 11, 1993
| rowspan="5" | || "Naked City" || Photographer takes quirky fine art black-and-white nudes of his friends on the streets of New York.
|-
| "For Women Only" || Michelle's XXX Revue is a Los Angeles lesbian and bisexual strip club founded by promoter Michelle Levy.
|-
| "From Russia With Love" || Russian men's magazine Andrei[sp].
|-
| "Libido" || The couple behind Libido The Journal of Sex and Sensibility shoot a nude layout for the magazine.
|-
| "The Master of Non-Ejaculation" || A virile Chinese senior citizen.
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 08
| rowspan="5" |March 17, 1994
| rowspan="5" | || "Moscow's School of Striptizi" || Alla Maximova (Алла Максимова) striptease school for the "new" Russian woman
|-
| "Members Only" || Male sexual seminar, men only
|-
| "Lady & Lord K of RIO" || Sexy male and female 'rock stars' in Rio perform in the nude "they practice what they preach"
|-
| "How to read a Dirty Movie" || Porn critic and sex educator [[Susie Bright]] gives seminar on 'how to read a dirty movie'
|-
| "The Exotic Erotic Ball" || [[Exotic Erotic Ball]] was held up through 2009 at various locations throughout California; the 2010 ball was cancelled the day before the show, and no ball was scheduled in 2011
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 09
| rowspan="5" |August 13, 1994
| rowspan="5" | || "A Thousand and one Nights with Ylva" || Ylva Maria Thompson's wild late night Swedish TV show. "Tusen & en natt"
|-
| "Body, Heart and Soul" || 5 day Love, Sex and Sensuality workshop in Hawaii with Alan Lowen
|-
| "Girls will be Boys" || Drag king show mixed with strip show, to show how fluid sexuality is.
|-
| "CYBORGASM The Making of a XXX-rated CD" || An erotic party that is recorded to create an adult audio CD Lisa Palac and M. Gantt
|-
| "Bare & Bold" || Mr Nude Universe
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 10
| rowspan="5" | 
| rowspan="5" | || "Pins & Needles" ||
|-
| "Paris After Dark" ||
|-
| "Interactive Fantasies" ||
|-
| "Cross Dress For Success" ||
|-
| "Valeria: Queen Of Carnival" ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 11
| rowspan="5" | July 1, 1995
| rowspan="5" | || "Call-In Love Radio" ||
|-
| "The Ultimate Orgasm" ||
|-
| "Doris Does Dungeons" ||
|-
| "Pajama Party Live (Behind The Scenes)"||
|-
| "London's Rubber Ball" ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 12
| rowspan="5" | July 1, 1995
| rowspan="5" | || "Getting Off On-Line" ||
|-
| "The Black Orchid" ||
|-
| "Truck Stop On Highway 93" ||
|-
| "Video Erotique Avec Laetitia" ||
|-
| "Taking Care Of Business" ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 13
| rowspan="5" | 
| rowspan="5" | || "Electric Sex With Dante Amore" ||
|-
| "Jocelyn Taylor's Lesbian Erotica" ||
|-
| "Whiplash" ||
|-
| "A Tight Squeeze" ||
|-
| "Golden Oldies" ||
|-
| Episode 14 
| 
| || "Wild Cards Special"|| Annie Sprinkle with Lily Braindrop Borana, Jennifer Einstein, Dominique D'Anthony, Danielle Willis & Jennifer Blowdryer 
|-
| rowspan="5" |Episode 15
| rowspan="5" |August 14, 1996
| rowspan="5" | || "Heather Takes Off" ||
|-
| "Homemade Love Movies" ||
|-
| "Hot Shots In Rio" ||
|-
| "Folsom Street Fair" ||
|-
| "A Family Tradition" ||
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 16
| rowspan="4" |January 17, 1996
| rowspan="4" | || "Miss Black Nude" ||
|-
| "For Swingers Only" ||
|-
| "Passion Food" ||
|-
| "Supermarket Du Sex" ||
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 17
| rowspan="4" |January 14, 1997
| rowspan="4" | || "Nudes-A-Poppin'" ||
|-
| "Out To Africa With Photographer Uwe Ommer" ||
|-
| "Fun House" ||
|-
| "Yoyogi-San Master Of Orgasm" ||
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 18
| rowspan="4" |March 14, 1997
| rowspan="4" | || "Wild Anna Malle" ||
|-
| "Through The Looking Glass" ||
|-
| "Secrets Of Nina's Boudoir" ||
|-
| "Erotic Art Auction" ||
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 19
| rowspan="4" |February 7, 1998
| rowspan="4" | || "Down 'N Dirty" || A group gets together to play in the mud in the desert.
|-
| "Miss Black nude: Going Tropical" || Club 55 in Washington DC (closed in 2008) and [[Hedonism II]] sponsored beauty pageant for black women.
|-
| "Male-Order Fantasies" ||
|-
| "Doktor Hirschfeld's Museum Of Sexologoy" ||
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 20
| rowspan="4" |May 2, 1998
| rowspan="4" | || "The Barest In The Land" || Miss nude world 1998 exotic dancer competition at the "pink pony club" in Atlanta GA. Won by "Holly Montana"
|-
| "Ladies' Night" || Monthly Male exotic dancer show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Arranged by Lady Simzie
|-
| "Polyamory" || Deborah Annapol workshop on polyamory and relationships.
|-
| "Naked Art" || a Nude art exhibition in New York City 'Natasha VonRosenchilde' is the artist.
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 21
| rowspan="4" |September 5, 1998
| rowspan="4" | || "The Feel of Real" || The making of realistic sex toys from capture of porn stars' "parts" to manufacturing
|-
| "Voyeur's Vacation" || Oakland, CA's Edgewater West Hotel (now closed)
|-
| "Doris Wishman: Queen of Sexploitation" || Old-Fashioned Erotica
|-
| "An Art Gallery Exhibition(ist)" || the production of a [[lesbianism]]-themed art exhibition called "Women Loving Women," which included live lesbian sex performances by porn star Missy and other women in the gallery, with some of the female patrons participating
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 22
| rowspan="4" |February 20, 1999
| rowspan="4" | || "Real Dolls" || Making of and playing with realistic ($6,000) female [[RealDoll]]s from Abyss Creations
|-
| "Tantric Sex: Riding the Orgasm" || workshop on full-body orgasms
|-
| "Fun 4 Two" || European Sex Club for Couples, Holland farmhouse where couples live out their fantasies
|-
| "Exotic Erotic Wedding" || Performers '13' and 'Princess' of the 'Impotent Sea Snakes' get married at San Francisco's [[Exotic Erotic Ball]]
|-
| rowspan="3" |Episode 23
| rowspan="3" |May 8, 1999
| rowspan="3" | || "Rumpshakers"|| arousing African-American dancers
|-
| "Masturbation Club"|| "Club Relate", the only heterosexual masturbation club in America
|-
| "Annie Sprinkle: Coming Again"|| an adult-film star-turned-performance artist
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 24
| rowspan="4" |February 26, 2000
| rowspan="4" | || "How to please a penis" || Suburban housewives learn new oral and tactile techniques at a home party
|-
| "Punany Poets" || Exotic Performers read erotic poetry they've written as part of their show
|-
| "Tootsie Roles" || [[Foot fetish]]ists
|-
| "[[Sploshing]]" || British specialty that features arousal by playing in a variety of sloppy foods.
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 25
| rowspan="4" |June 17, 2000
| rowspan="4" |Real Sex: 25|| "Strut Your Strap On" || featuring [[Tristan Taormino]]
|-
| "Texas Flirt Fest" ||
|-
| "Blue Angel Cabaret" ||
|-
| "Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy" || featuring [[Susan Block]]
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 26
| rowspan="4" |April 7, 2001
| rowspan="4" |"Lessons in Love & Lust"|| "Clit Tricks"|| [[Cunnilingus]] workshop
|-
| "Swingstock " || Swingstock '99{{snd}} [[Swinging (sexual practice)|Swingers]] camping convention in Rural Minnesota
|-
| "how to be Miss Florida" || Florida Exotic Dancer competition
|-
| "Latex Sex" || The joys of latex{{snd}} from paint-on liquid latex to being vacuum sealed between sheets of latex
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 27
| rowspan="4" |June 2, 2001
| rowspan="4" | || "Underwater Erotica" ||
|-
| "Voyeur Dorm" || Nine college girls live in a house filled with 55 cameras
|-
| "Lick It" || Exotic Dancer with very long tongue
|-
| "Sex Odyssey" || Sex toys made of Pyrex
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 28
| rowspan="4" |October 27, 2001
| rowspan="4" |"Bedroom Tricks & Treats"|| "Ride Pony Ride" || Women who enjoy playing as horses
|-
| "Much Ado about Nothing" || Exotic dancers get around local laws by performing MacBeth in the nude
|-
| "Boy Toy" || Making of and playing with realistic (US$6,000) Male Love Dolls from realdolls.com
|-
| "Bring Back Burlesque" || Modern exotic dancers learn the fine art of classic burlesque dancers
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 29
| rowspan="4" |April 6, 2002
| rowspan="4" |"Let it All Hang Out"|| "Santa Fe Wrestling Asylum" || [[Oil wrestling]]
|-
| "Penis Puppeteers" || Off-Broadway show: [[Puppetry of the Penis]]
|-
| "Ms Nude Great Plains" || Exotic Dancer Competition that includes nude horseback riding in Topeka, Kansas
|-
| "Secrets of the Kama Sutra" || Couples' [[Kama Sutra]] workshop
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 30
| rowspan="4" |August 3, 2002
| rowspan="4" |"Down and Dirty"|| "Sex Machines.cum" || High-tech sex toys including [[Violet wand]] and [[Sybian]]
|-
| "London's Erotic Oscars" || [[Erotic Oscars]]
|-
| "Lights, Camera, Fantasy!" || Company that provides professional video services for couples that wish to act out their fantasy
|-
| "Cirque du Sex" || Kinky Circus
|-
| rowspan="4" |Episode 31
| rowspan="4" |November 22, 2003
| rowspan="4" |Am I Good in Bed?
| "Bottoms up" || Anal 101 featuring [[Tristan Taormino]]
|-
| "The Suicide Girls" || Punk Pinups 
featuring [[SuicideGirls]]
|-
| "Ay! Papi Chulo! Hot Latin Daddy Revue" || Latin Lovers
|-
| "Sexual Soiree" || Sex Party
|-
| rowspan="4" | Episode 32 
| rowspan="4" |2005
| rowspan="4" |"Some Like it Hot"|| "All Fired Up"|| Explores the world of erotic [[Fire performance|fire dancers]]
|-
| "They Came for a Cause"|| [[Toys in babeland|Toys in Babeland]]'s annual [[Masturbate-a-thon]]
|-
| "Masked for Action"|| Mask.tv's custom pornography
|-
| Happy Birthday Baby|| The world of [[Adult Babies]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | Episode 33 
| rowspan="3" |2009
| rowspan="3" |"Stocks Down, Sex Up"|| "Save the Last Lap for Me"|| Produced in late 2009, this almost standalone episode looks at how sex workers are adjusting during the economic downturn of the year before.
|-
|"Flog Away"
|
|-
|"Madison's Avenues
|
|}

==See also==
* [[Sexcetera]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2013/07/hbo-real-sex-oral-history-masturbation-nudists-street-interviews.html|title= Masturbation, Nudists, and Street Interviews: An Oral History of HBO's ''Real Sex''|last1=Langmuir|first1=Molly|date= 2013-07-30|website=Vulture|publisher=[[New York (magazine)|New York Media]]|access-date=December 22, 2013}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|tt0421356}}

{{HBONetwork Shows}}

[[Category:1990s American documentary television series]]
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[[Category:Documentary films about sexuality]]
[[Category:Nudity in television]]
[[Category:Erotic television series]]
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