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Although Sexual Healing did not resolve their issues, it did present several images of gay relationships that have rarely, if ever, been seen on television. When Robert and Jeremy are shown tenderly holding one another on a bed, it is more shocking than the blood-soaked violence typically found on television's police dramas every night of the week. What that says about our society is both controversial and a bit terrifying.

“We don't have a template for it,” Dr. Berman explains, referring to the shock some people might feel in watching Jeremy and Robert. Most television programs about gay characters that have been praised as groundbreaking simply place those gay characters in hetero-friendly story lines that have been whitewashed of true intimacy. “There aren't enough … healthy images in the media of gay men,” Dr. Berman says.

In Sexual Healing, the comfort of others is thrown out the window. Straight couples, gay couples, couples engaging in S/M, and foot fetishists all get respect — and are treated as a completely normal part of the human condition. “They are normal,” Dr. Berman says. “Everyone has a story like this.”

Jeremy and Robert's problems are the problems of all couples with intimacy issues. The only difference is their sexual orientation and, in the end, the fact that they are gay doesn't seem to have much to do with the cause of their relationship's demise.

While Sexual Healing is to be commended for showing a gay couple trying to make things work, it unfortunately is just not as entertaining as other sex talk shows. Granted, the viewer is watching a therapy session with Dr. Berman. There isn't room for levity, and that might just be the problem. While interesting and informative at points, it's kind of like sitting in a lecture hall in college. We know we're supposed to learn something, but we keep nodding off.

In comparison, Loveline is just a lot funnier. The callers' problems are often so obscure and shocking that it's impossible not to be hooked. And Loveline also approaches gay sexuality with the same accepting shrug, as if to say, “It's all human.”

Sue Johanson of Oxygen's Sex Talk is another show that tackles gay couples' issues on a regular basis and does so in an easy, mom-explaining-the-birds-and-bees way. Johanson is a gay advocate, and on her website, talksexwithsue.com, says that “Homosexuality just is.” On her show, Johanson lets the viewer know the ins and outs of safe sex without being judgmental. She's eminently watchable.

Sadly, Dr. Berman doesn't have that quality. She comes off as dry and emotionless. The value of the program lies in her progressive and enlightened views on sexuality, specifically homosexuality. It's uncertain if the show can really work in the long run, which is unfortunate because it raises important issues about sexuality and celebrates how similar we are even in our differences.

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