Sexy Thrillers for Middle-Aged Women Rediscovering Their Sexuality (but for when you're 30 during the pandemic)

It’s been a long dry-spell since the dawn of COVID-19. I deleted all the apps. Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid… and the many other relics from my pre-COVID dating life. My dating life was truly brought to a halt when NYC Health released a “Safer Sex and COVID-19” article offering the simple advice:

“You are your safest sex partner. Masturbation will not spread COVID-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex.”

And then the drought began. Unlike previous dating dry spells, under COVID-19 restrictions, I’m not even allowed a night out with friends that’d perhaps lead to spontaneous flirtations at a random bar. New York City was closed. This left me with only one reliable outlet: living vicariously through fictional characters. Obviously.

I certainly was not alone in my search to satisfy an unquenchable thirst when the Polish erotic drama 365 Days made Netflix’s top three most viewed item in a lot of countries. Comfortably sitting at the #1 spot for about 10 days, I was among many to thirst-watch this very lusty, yet very problematic drama. While 365 Days definitely stirred my libido from a pandemic slumber, any brain power devoted to the plot quickly revealed its many issues. From its questionable decision to have the male lead, an Italian mafioso boss (Michele Morrone as Don Massimo Torricelli), kidnap his female co-star (Anna-Maria Sieklucka as Laura Biel) to the intense sex scenes on top of a yacht that people swore were real, 365 Days made a big splash in many bedrooms.

Since that self-loving day, Netflix has kindly suggested a number of other similarly lusty dramas for my enjoyment and I watched plenty to make a few suggestions here.

Oscuro Deseo

The first sexy drama thriller on the list is the Mexican series Dark Desire (Spanish: Oscuro deseo), which was the most-watched debut season of a non-English show ever on Netflix. Following Alma (Maite Perroni), a law professor who is 40-something but sure as hell could pass for a 20-something, investigates the murder of her sexually promiscuous bestie. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s also trying to conceal her affair with a younger man named Darío (Alejandro Speitzer) who may not be what he appears to be. The leads are attractive with great sexual chemistry and there’s an increasingly convoluted murder mystery devolving into a conclusion you probably won’t see coming. Although not as problematic as 365 Days, you may find yourself disappointed in its messaging but at least you can delight in passionate love-making scenes featuring nearly every main character introduced. Yes, it gets that messy.

Doctor Foster

In a similar vein of exploring themes around infidelity, Netflix didn’t take long in suggesting Doctor Foster. Suranne Jones plays the titular character Doctor Gemma Foster, the general practitioner of a fictional English village, who suspects her husband Simon (Bertie Carvel) of having an affair. Despite not having a murder plot at the center of its story, the English drama promises to be a wild ride.

Doctor Foster starts out as any other story about a woman unraveling after discovering a husband’s many deceits, but Gemma proves to be an embodiment of ‘I am not the one’. You may not even approve of all the actions she takes, but it’s all part of the adventure. Delight in watching a middle-aged woman reclaiming the cheating spouse narrative even if it makes you utter “Gemma, what is you doing?” far more than you’re used to in its 10-episode run.

Penny Dreadful

My last suggestion is actually an old favorite, but one of the best recommendations I can make for thirsty women in their 30s. Part horror, part sex drama, part Victorian Gothic love story, Penny Dreadful is the best mix of all my favorite genres while satisfying the COVID-19 thirst. Starring the sensual Eva Green as Vanessa Ives, a powerful medium who embraces a bit of her dark side to battle against the forces of evil, this British-American series does not shy away from its own dark side to tell an interesting story.

Continually at odds with her own sexual desires, Vanessa is a character you can really relate to if you’re trying to manage your raging impatience for physical intimacy. Dash some supernatural elements in with some acting favorites, such as the always appreciated Josh Hartnett, and you have yourself an excitingly dark, sensual self-loving evening to look forward to.

Hopefully we won’t have to be deprived for too much longer, but even so there is plenty of quenching content out there just waiting to be added to your algorithm. Don’t be afraid to try new things, because you never know what you’ll enjoy. Trying times call for some creative leaps in how we are going to keep ourselves sane and physically satisfied without putting ourselves in physical jeopardy.