Masters of Sex Ends After Four Seasons

After four seasons on the air, Masters of Sex has come to an end. The show’s fourth season wrapped in mid-November, and it has not been picked up for a fifth season by Showtime. Adapted for television by Michelle Ashford, Masters of Sex is originally based on Thomas Maier’s biography of sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson.

The fourth season ended aptly, with Masters and Johnson getting married, and THR reports that “Showtime, producers and the cast decided that they have told a complete story and opted to not move forward with a fifth season.” The show began its run as a prestige drama, but it’s never been a ratings juggernaut. The show averaged 800,000 viewers during its fourth season, less than half the number its lead-in Ray Donovan pulled.

In its early seasons, the show earned Emmy nominations, and a win for Allison Janney’s guest role, but the later seasons drew criticism for being unfocused. The show starred Michael Sheen and Lizzie Caplan as Masters and Johnson, respectively. Hey, Hollywood: If you’re listening, please hire them both. Read Paste’s 2013 interview with the two stars here.