Why IS television so obsessed with incest? As White Lotus shocks viewers, experts reveal why the 'last taboo' has become mainstream

It was once considered an unspeakable taboo, but incest storylines now make for commonplace viewing in mainstream TV. This week, White Lotus viewers were left 'creeped out' by such scenes - as Lochlan (Sam Nivola) was seen longingly staring at his elder brother Saxon's (Patrick Schwarzenegger) nude body when he went to masturbate in the bathroom.

Though the trope is widely considered depraved by society, the HBO series is not the only one to have incorporated major plotlines featuring often graphic depictions of incest in recent years. Game Of Thrones, along with its spin-off House Of The Dragon, has attracted much attention for its outrageous and graphic incest scenes, which see most of the Targaryen family end up marrying each other.

Other recent examples include furore over Netflix's incest scene between the Menendez brothers in Ryan Murphy's show Monsters, and Prime Video's recent revamp of cult film Cruel Intentions, which notably amped up the taboo from the 1990s version. Incest - defined as 'sexual relationships between two people classed as being too closely related to marry each other' - is often thought of as the 'last true taboo', despite having ancient roots in classical literature and the Bible.

And in recent years it seems to have turned into more than a hushed subject mentioned in passing - with incestuous romps becoming a regular feature on mainstream television. In addition to the shock factor caused by transgressing societal expectations, experts have revealed that film directors do have reasons for including the scenes, which many have lambasted as 'unnecessary'.

This week, White Lotus viewers were left 'creeped out' by depictions of incestuous scenes - but it's not the only series to have jumped on the trope. Dr Beth Johnson, a Professor of and Media at the University of Leeds told the Standard that incest is now seen as the 'ultimate taboo' and remains a rare way to shock audiences who have become inured to depictions of murder and violence.

She said: 'Storytelling is absolutely bound to transgressions and breaking boundaries, and [TV] offers a safe way of doing that. 'I think it is the absolute ultimate taboo. We see so much murder and violence on screens, to an extent that's not shocking. But this is shocking.'.

Meanwhile, Oona Chaplin, who played Robb Stark's doomed wife Talisa in Game Of Thrones, previously gave her take on why TV is 'so obsessed' with incest. The actress, who also played Tom Hardy's character's married half sister Zilpha in the 2017 series Taboo, said it's the 'only interesting' part of sex that remains.

She told Vanity Fair at the time: 'There's a sexual libertarianism right now. Girls are walking around with their asses hanging out, and guys are just as much. 'Sex has become a very public-display type of thing, so there's very few things that have remained taboo. Where does the taboo lie now? I think it's in incest.

'Until we make it normal that brothers and sisters can f***, I think that'll still be the only interesting aspect of sex that remains. Maybe. I don't know. I've never tried it - yet.'. Show creator Ryan Murphy was forced to address why he included incest scenes in Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.

Cece Carroway (Sara Silva), Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook), Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess) in Prime Video's Cruel Intentions. A-listers have regularly featured in the shocking scenes, as Jessica Biel in 2017's The Sinner in 2017 kissed her on-screen sister.

After his series Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story was lambasted by critics for including depictions of incest, show creator Ryan Murphy was forced to justify his reasoning. Viewers claimed the 'sick' creator had 'made up' the incestuous storyline in the nine-part drama, which focuses on the real life 1989 murders of José and Kitty Menéndez who were killed by their sons, Erik and Lyle.

In the show's second episode, titled Spree, creator Murphy hinted the brothers had a romantic relationship as Lyle (played by Nicholas Chavez) kisses his brother (Cooper Koch) after encouraging him to live a lavish lifestyle while they await to hear whether they've been included in their late parents' will.

Explaining the reason for the scenes, Murphy said he felt it was important to 'present the points of view and theories from so many people who were involved in the case' - even as some question whether they actually happened. He noted that journalist Dominick Dunne, played by Nathan Lane in the series, 'wrote several articles talking about that theory' at the time the brothers' murder trials were capturing national attention in 1996.

'We are presenting (Dunne's) point of view. And we had an obligation to show all of that and we did,' Murphy told Entertainment Tonight. Incest is an age-old theme, and is more commonly shown in popular media than one may think. The 'final great taboo' features in classical plays such as Sophocles' classic tale Oedipus Rex, as well as tales in the Bible.