In what will certainly prove to be a tough blow for the world of nostalgic masturbation, HBO has announced today that it’s removing its storied collection of softcore erotica and sexually explicit documentaries from its roster of content. According to The L.A. Times, the decision—which covers such “Aw, gee, Mom, we just left the TV on after Beetlejuice” classics as Real Sex, Taxicab Confessions, and Cathouse—was prompted at least in part by the network’s recent acquisition by those notorious phone-loving prudes at AT&T.
To be fair, HBO hasn’t produced any new episodes of any of these shows in years, at least in part because, well, the internet exists. But the network still periodically ran them during late-night programming hours, and most of them were available on its various streaming offerings, too, under the “Late-Night” tab. But no more: The network issued a statement this week, noting that, “Over the past several years HBO has been winding down its late-night adult fare. While we’re greatly ramping up our other original program offerings, there hasn’t been a strong demand for this kind of adult programming, perhaps because it’s easily available elsewhere.”
And while those looking for breasts on the Home Box Office are going to be just fine—looking at you, Game Of Thrones and Westworld (although, again, not too closely, because who knows when our dad might walk in)—it’s worth noting that while shows like Real Sex existed first and foremost to give people something to self-pleasure to without having to have the Playboy Channel on their cable bill, they were also legitimately interested in working in some real conversations about human sexuality alongside all the smut. As such, their disappearance from easy availability is a small but sad loss for real discussions about the interesting, weirder edges of sex on TV.