In a recent red-carpet appearance at the Annual Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, UT (the last at that location), Olivia Wilde, film actor/director, was asked about the rising discontent with sex scenes in TV shows and movies. Her answer was surprisingly out of touch. She offered: “Maybe they’re just not that realistic”. Now, that statement in itself is not wrong. But I do not think that is what is turning people off. It may have more to do with time and place.

With the decline in movie theater attendance, I think Hollywood may have lost touch with the new rules around screen time and content. Most houses have upwards of three screens. The single people have the TV in the living room, the tablet and phone screen. Those who are fancy and well-off may even have one in the bathroom and bedroom for extra measure and convenience. But the average family home has one in the living room, parents’ bedroom, kids’ rooms, basement and guest room. Add to that, the family members with smartphones and tablets. With that in place, people watch different types of content on each of these screens. This is where things get interesting. See, Gen Z are not just a bunch of prudes when it comes to sex or sexual content. Unlike Gen X and millennials, they have never had to stay up late or twist the antenna on the living room TV or fiddle with the cable box to get access to adult content. A lot of them can go right on their phones in the privacy of their rooms, bathroom or wherever they can find privacy, put on their headphones and go to town. They can minimize the chance of having an American Pie moment because they can shut off their phone screens at a touch as supposed to diving for the remote on the other side of the bed. Most adult content does not need a 50+ inch TV to serve its purpose. Thus, the understanding is, phone and tablet are for private time, whilst the TV screen 50 inch and above are for company.

Hollywood needs to understand, if it is going on the 50 inch plus TV, there is going to be company which means immediate family or friends. Contrary to popular belief, Netflix & chill does not need the assist. If that is going down, believe me, a rerun of Seinfeld or Friends will do the trick. Most people of dating age who are sexually active do not seek stimulation from mainstream TV shows. They already know where to look if they need ideas. But the other part about the family room TV is that PEOPLE DO NOT WATCH X-RATED MATERIAL WITH THEIR FAMILIES. Much of Gen Z is dealing with what used to be called “Failure to Launch”. It was coined by our boomer parents (now grandparents) as a term of derision to young people (particularly men) who did not move out of their parents’ home to start a family and get on with adulthood. Today there are very valid economic factors that lead to this that I would refrain from mocking Gen Z in this current job market. But the status quo is such that, a lot of folks are still living at home with their parents and sometimes grandparents. Never mind the occasional newly divorced or displaced family member with a niece or nephew. All this to say, the average household in America today is multigenerational. We have single people in studios, young couples in city apartments and condos but the family life is in multigenerational housing. So, it matters what plays on the living room TV. That is the space where you play the most rated G material, regardless of what people are watching on their phones.

So, for Hollywood producers who keep thinking they need to churn out actors and actresses that can keep pace with the performers on adult content websites in terms of nudity and penetration, someone needs to tell them, audiences (particularly Gen Z) have arrived at saturation. Most homes view Hollywood as the source of content for the living room TV. I would caution making an hourlong series with tons of nudity and graphic content on a Hollywood budget is a waste of money and talent. Hollywood is better off focusing on the aspects that adult platforms do not provide or care to: cinematography, emotional depth, stakes and plot lines with a solid payoff. Throw in cultural or political context for good measure.

Hollywood needs to understand that their audience is not pack of prudes who need to be converted out of their sexless ways. Rather, we are so comfortable with it we do not need to have it come up on every show we click on. Perhaps Hollywood should consider they are making content for people who have already “taken care of business” before the show they sat down to watch. And as I mentioned earlier, they do not need the assist.

Julian Michael Yong