Did Netflix really introduce a ‘skip the foreplay’ feature?

A viral social media post claiming that Netflix has introduced a feature that eliminates sex scenes has duped thousands of fans.

Last week, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan revealed that she had a PG cut of the racy regency drama made specifically for her parents to watch.

On Sunday (7 April), content creator Soren Iverson shared to X/Twitter an edited photo that seemed to announce the rollout of a similar feature for all other viewers.

The image shows a still from the second season of the Shonda Rhimes-produced show, in which Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) emerges from a lake having fallen in fully clothed.

“Skip the foreplay, literally,” the text under the image read. “Make family movie night less awkward by deleting naughty scenes from this show.”

Iverson added the caption: “Netflix ‘skip the foreplay’ feature removes naughty scenes to make family movie night less awkward.”

At the time of writing, the post has been viewed more than 18 million times, with thousands of people commenting their relief at the feature.

“This would be such a dope feature hey? I think a lot of people would appreciate it,” reads one response.

Another person responded: “There is hope for us prudes after all.”

However, viewers hoping to avoid the awkwardness of watching sex scenes in familial company will have to continue scrolling through them at double speed, or simply grit their teeth as the moment passes – as the feature is nothing more than an imagined concept created by Iverson.

Derry Girls and Big Mood star Coughlan has long noted her reluctance at having her parents watch her perform in intimate scenes. Ahead of her leading the forthcoming season of Bridgerton, the Irish actor revealed that she’s taken precautions even further by making the availability of a PG version a non-negotiable.

“It’s literally written into my contract,” she said on SiriusXM Hits 1 on Thursday (4 April). “People think I’m like saying it as a joke. I just don’t want to. I grew up Irish Catholic. That’s just not how we vibe.”

The actor also recalled her mother’s reaction to the abundance of nudity in season one. “When she first saw Bridgerton, she didn’t know it was gonna be so saucy,” Coughlan recalled.

“And then you get a bottom, Jonathan Bailey’s lovely bottom, about two minutes into the first episode ever. And she was like, ‘What is this?’ But then, now she thinks it’s fantastic and really funny, and she keeps talking about bottoms.”

Season three of Bridgerton will be released in two parts. Part one will be available on Netflix from Thursday 16 May, with part two to follow on Thursday 13 June.