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The Sex Lives of College GirlsBingeNew episodes Thursdays

Its OK. You dont need to skulk off to a darkened room to watch The Sex Lives of College Girls; despite the title, its not that kind of show. Yes, theres sex, but its more talked about than shown, and more often than not its used for comic effect.

Co-created by Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever) and Justin Noble (a veteran of Brooklyn Nine-Nines writers room), College Girls is basically an American campus comedy told from the female perspective.

Renee Rapp as Leighton, the spoiled rich kid with a secret life in The Sex Lives of College Girls.Credit:Binge

Its as if wed picked up the story of the girls from Booksmart or Blockers in their first year at university. Or its as if wed travelled back in time to find the women from Sex and the City forging their friendship in the crucible of a shared dorm room.

The 10-part series (mostly half-hour episodes, though the first clocks in at 49 minutes) is fresh and funny without quite being revolutionary. And while they thrum with authenticity, theres also an element of the stock character about our four leads.

Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet, sister of Timothee) is the scholarship girl from humble origins, having to work her way through college and suddenly realising that her class-topping French is no match for an accent honed on the ski fields of Chamonix. Alyah Chanelle Scotts Whitney is the soccer-playing daughter of a Republican senator, and Amrit Kaurs Bela is an aspiring comedian who sees college as an opportunity to shake off the shackles of her Indian heritage and dive into the deep end of the sex pool.

Alyah Chanelle Scott as Whitney, the soccer-playing daughter of a senator.Credit:Binge

As Leighton, Renee Rapp is an upper-class snob hiding her sexuality. That might sound like just another poor-rich-kid storyline in the mode of Gossip Girl et al, but its handled with a winning mix of comedy and empathy and is one of the strongest strands in the seven episodes available for preview.

Each of these young women is, to a degree, a projection of their parents fantasies, memories, desires and needs, at least until they can wriggle their way free of them and forge their identities.

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Never mind the title. The Sex Lives of College Girls is a guilt-free pleasure - The Sydney Morning Herald