9-10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9
HBO

Commitments, as HBO's "Tell Me You Love Me" demonstrates, often are hard to make. Even so, it's imperative to make one to this series because it doesn't really find itself until the second and third episodes. That's when you feel and recognize the beauty and the pain that Cynthia Mort smartly and sensitively portrays in her fiercely honest examination of sex in relationships.

The early buzz on this series largely was based on the first episode, which tends to use sex the way a carnival barker uses a spiel: to get you into the tent. Mort is so eager to show how sex is both vital and corrosive that initially she goes overboard. Graphic scenes of sex in the premiere rival those in soft porn, and the visual shock distracts from the larger theme.

But stick around, and what starts as a modest character study punctuated by holy-cow nudity turns into a brilliant depiction of sexual conflict, frustration and dysfunction. Jane Alex-ander, who plays couples counselor May Foster, constantly reminds us that sexual problems have solutions. Still, it's a little scary to realize that sexual harmony, like in Foster's own marriage, might not be attained until one's senior years.

The series splits its time among three couples (four, if you count the Fosters), each separated by a half-dozen years or so and each in need of sexual healing. Their situations are unique and yet eerily common enough to radiate chills of recognition.

Dave (Tim DeKay) and Katie (Ally Walker) are terrific parents to their young children, but he is no longer interested in having sex, and she doesn't know what to make of it or how to deal with it. Palek (Adam Scott) and Carolyn (Sonya Walger) are newlywed yuppies. They have been trying unsuccessfully to have a baby, and now recriminations are setting in.

Then there's Hugo (Luke Farrell Kirby) and Jamie (Michelle Borth), whose wedding plans get derailed because of his doubts about monogamy and her uncontrollable jealousy.

A broadcast network, were it ever to tackle this topic, would not only eliminate most of the nudity but also find a way for these couples to regularly interact. Instead, writer-creator Mort keeps each couple in their own world, the better to hone in on the intimate details.

What's more, it's a real tribute to her writing skills and sharp insight that, despite the common problems of her lead characters, neither the dialogue nor the story become cliche.

It's a demanding production from a technical standpoint. Cameras work at discreet angles in a seemingly endless number of locations. At the same time, director Patricia Rozema does the series no favors with long scenes of sexual activity. We get it. It's pay cable, and there's sex. But don't make the mistake of thinking this is the Kama Sutra and fast-forward until you get to the good parts. Yes, the cast is attractive, but the most powerful and beautiful moments occur when everyone has their clothes on.

TELL ME YOU LOVE ME
HBO
HBO Entertainment in association with Pariah and O&M/ANN SJM Production
Credits:
Executive producers: Cynthia Mort, Gavin Polone
Co-executive producer: Vivian Cannon
Produced by: Lori-Etta Taub
Producers: Ray Sager, Kathy Landsberg
Director: Patricia Rozema
Teleplay-creator: Cynthia Mort
Directors of photography: Steve Cosens, Alan Caso
Production designers: Peter Cosco, Pipo Winter
Editor: Michael Ruscio
Set designer: Friday Meyers
Casting: Wendy O'Brien
Cast:
May Foster: Jane Alexander
Jamie: Michelle Borth
Hugo: Luke Farrell Kirby
Palek: Adam Scott
Carolyn: Sonya Walger
Dave: Tim DeKay
Katie: Ally Walker
Isabella: Aislinn Paul