What’s The Deal With All The Semen On Television?

Here’s a fun question: Have you noticed that there’s been a lot more semen on television lately? Typically a full-on ejaculation scene only happens on TV once, maybe twice a year. However, it’s only October and we’ve already seen several prominent shows dive into this sticky phenomenon. So what gives?

In his article for Mic, titled “Why Is There Suddenly So Much Semen On Television?”, writer Kenny Herzog tries to address the answer to this question while questioning how this trend can affect the future of television. Herzog points to several big-name ejaculation scenes — Adam Driver’s chest focused finishing move on Girls, Issa Rae’s freak out in Insecure, Maggie Gyllenhaal suffering through potato soup in The Deuce, and the more outlandish elements of The Girlfriend Experience and Big Mouth. Out of those five shows, four of them premiered their semen scene this year. So what’s up with all the jizz?

In his argument, Herzog posits that showing semen is one of the last taboos of television. Not only that, but he points to the fact that most of these shows were either created by or are predominantly written by women. Because of this, these scenes can be seen as a calculated inverse of the typical objectification of women.

For the piece, Herzog interviewed Beth Johnson, an associate professor in Film and Media at the University of Leeds in the U.K. as well as co-editor of Television, Sex and Society: Analyzing Contemporary Representations. Of Adam Driver’s semen scene in the Girls episode “On All Fours,” Johnson said:

“The male climax in Girls could be understood as an equaling up, the same sort of exposure that women’s bodies have been subjected to for years. Or it could be argued that [it’s] used to show its viewers that they are trusted to see such sights in the context of a complex narrative.”

Herzog also examines ejaculation from a competitive angle. In a world where HBO has found some of its fiercest prestige TV competition with AMC and FX, what’s the best way to differentiate? By pushing the boundaries traditional advertisers won’t allow, of course. It’s an incredibly interesting article that’s worth checking out.