Skincest is Best (For Ratings) on the Boob Tube This Year

TV writers are always looking for edgy, attention grabbing material, and it appears that this year they've settled on incest as the shock tactic du jour.

After an exceptionally incestuous first season of Game of Thrones, where Lena Headley and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau play identical twins with a twincestuous bent (seen in action at left) and a nude Emilia Clarke was presented to her brother for skinspection in the first episode, cable's been exploding with incest storylines.

[WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD] This season Jimmy (Michael Pitt)'s twisted relationship with his mom Gillian (Gretchen Mol) on Boardwalk Empire was revealed to be the result of mother-son sex, and Bored to Death closed its season with star Jason Schwartzman finding out his new lover Isla Fisher is also his half-sister...and continuing to date her anyway. Throw in Deb (Jennifer Carpenter)'s dirty dream about her (adopted) brother Dexter (Michael C. Hall) on this week's Dexter, and you've got a regular orgy of familial fornication.

So what's behind the incest trend? Creators and executives say there's been little moral outcry from viewers, and HBO exec Michael Lombardo tells The New York Times it's just the last taboo to titillate an increasingly jaded audience:

“[HBO's writers] are interested in exploring the outer reaches of human experience and how it affects the way we live.” he says, adding: “I think they’re going to be drawn to areas that are rife with conflict and drama.”

Skinterestingly, Lombardo adds that he didn't notice the connection until it was pointed out by reporters, saying:“I have to start scratching my head and going, ‘Wow, how did I miss that?' I’m so cynical, nothing shocks me now.”

Mr. Skin members can see more from provocative pay-cable series like Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Bored to Death and Dexter right here at MrSkin.com!