Things are about to get real sexy on Showtime this Sunday (September 29) on the network's newest drama, "Masters of Sex." And yes, as the title implies, things can get pretty racy on the show, but most of the time it's all for the sake of science.

The show is about the real-life science team of Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), who pioneered sex research in the 1950s. The series is based on Thomas Maier's book "Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson." Basically, this show will do for psychology and science what "Mad Men" did for advertising.

And co-star Nicholas D'Agosto, who plays Masters' protégé Ethan Haas on the series, explained to MTV News that while the sex scenes may raise eyebrows, it's not for the reasons you might suspect.

"I think probably what's shocking, what will be the most shocking, is the clinicality of the sex," he said ahead of Sunday's premiere. "I think the sex in the exam rooms is always a little jarring because it's strange to watch people watch people having sex."

He added, "It's one thing to be in your home and watch people have sex when they think they're alone, but these people are very clearly aware they're being watched and there's something very strange and voyeuristic about that."

But, he explains, it's not as weird as it sounds. "And I think that's exciting and I think what's great about that is that it's not a gimmick for our show. It's what happened. It's really what people did. This was how they started breaking ground and experimenting with what would inevitably be all of these wonderful new ways of looking at sexuality, which we're all the descendants of."

In addition to all the sexy experiments, there are also a lot of interpersonal relationships between the characters on the show. Not only do they form romantic relationships with one another, which do lead to other kinds of sex, but they also keep plenty of secrets.

"You don't have to make two-dimensional characters [on Showtime]. Everyone has their own responsibilities and their own failings and that's the great joy of doing shows where you can write [whole] people, which we all have all these things," D'Agosto said.

The actor also has the utmost respect for the show's stars, Caplan and Sheen, who are as "passionate" about the project as he is.

"I mean they're both incredibly funny and witty and charming people, but they're also really dedicated, hardworking actors," he shared.

"Masters of Sex" premieres Sunday, September 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.