The Reel: HBO’s ‘Mrs. Fletcher’ explores a midlife sexual awakening

An empty nest and a midlife sexual awakening do not seem like things that normally go hand in hand. But that is the launching point for “Mrs. Fletcher,” the Tom Perrotta novel that’s now been adapted into a new limited HBO series, starring “Transparent’s” Kathryn Hahn. Perrotta, who is also the showrunner and executive producer for the series, tells host Mark Olsen that the seed for the story came to him seven years ago, when he dropped his daughter off at college. “Mrs. Fletcher” also follows the experiences of the title character’s college freshman son. Young, white, straight and self-centered, he finds out the hard way how his sense of entitlement collides with campus culture and sexual identity politics. Perrotta has had several novels adapted for the screen, including HBO’s “The Leftovers”; the Oscar-nominated “Election” starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon; and the Oscar-nominated “Little Children,” starring Kate Winslet. Also in this episode, as the heated competition in the video subscription world gets underway, Olsen talks with the Times’ TV editor Matt Brennan about the streaming wars. And in the “Glenn Whipp Awards Minute,” entertainment columnist Whipp discusses this year’s honorary Oscar winners who will be recognized this Sunday at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards.