(Photo by Starz)

62 of TV’s Sexiest Shows

New Starz series Dangerous Liaisons offers a new look at the characters in Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ ridicule of pre-French Revolution Parisian aristocracy, Les Liaisons dangereuses. The show is an origin story to the characters made famous to modern audiences through the 1988 film adaptation of the book or the campy 1999 teen-focused Cruel Intentions. And this bodice-ripping period drama wouldn’t live up to its predecessors if it didn’t have some steamy scenes beneath the sheets.

It’s the latest example of a show that requires intimacy coordinators, creative camera angles, and pasties.

We’ve compiled a list of shows past and present, TV and streaming that turn up the heat. Some, like Hulu’s Normal People or Apple TV+’s Dickinson were infamous for their sensual sex scenes. Others, like Netflix’s Bridgerton and HBO’s Game of Thrones, walked the line between sexy sex scenes and more controversial ones (while Kit Harington’s Jon Snow did know at least one thing, not every character on that show was a compassionate lover). There are also series — like classic broadcast fare Moonlighting or teen-targeted Riverdale — that are sexy thanks to the on-screen energy of their characters even if the actual love-making isn’t explicit (or there at all).

We’ll update this list as more series become available. In the meantime, if you’re hot and bothered that your favorite isn’t on our list, recommend your picks in the comments section.

#1

The Affair
86% 77%

#1

Synopsis: "The Affair" explores the emotional/psychological effects of two affairs. Young diner waitress Alison and her husband, rancher Cole, are struggling [More]

Starring: Dominic West , Ruth Wilson , Maura Tierney , Joshua Jackson

#2

The Borgias
85% 85%

#2

Synopsis: The Borgias, led by patriarch Rodrigo, are a family of outsiders from Spain who try to take over control of [More]

Starring: Jeremy Irons , François Arnaud , David Oakes , Holliday Grainger

#3

Black Sails
81% 83%

#3

Synopsis: A prequel to the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel "Treasure Island," "Black Sails" is a pirate adventure that centers on [More]

Starring: Toby Stephens , Hannah New , Luke Arnold , Jessica Parker Kennedy

#4

Bridgerton
84% 74%

#4

Synopsis: Bridgerton follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family as she makes her debut onto [More]

Starring: Nicola Coughlan , Luke Newton , Claudia Jessie , Luke Thompson

#5

Californication
57% 78%

#5

Synopsis: David Duchovny returns to series television in this adult sitcom as Hank Moody, an alcoholic, womanizing novelist struggling to help [More]

Starring: David Duchovny , Natascha McElhone , Madeleine Martin , Evan Handler

#6

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
82% 72%

#6

Synopsis: This adaptation of the "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" tale is a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror and the [More]

Starring: Kiernan Shipka , Ross Lynch , Lucy Davis , Chance Perdomo

#7

Conversations with Friends
61% 63%

#7

Synopsis: Two Dublin college students, Frances and Bobbi, and the strange and unexpected connection they forge with married couple, Melissa and [More]

Starring: Alison Oliver , Joe Alwyn , Sasha Lane , Jemima Kirke

#8

La cocinera de Castamar
- - 82%

#8

Synopsis: In 1720 Madrid, a talented cook catches the eye of a widowed duke just as he returns to aristocratic society. [More]

Starring: Michelle Jenner , Roberto Enríquez , Hugo Silva , Maxi Iglesias

#9

Dangerous Liaisons
47% 75%

#9

Synopsis: Origin story and early years of narcissistic rivals and ex-lovers, Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, who use [More]

Starring: Nicholas Denton , Lesley Manville , Alice Englert , Kosar Ali

#10

Dark Desire
60% 87%

#10

Synopsis: A married woman spends a fateful weekend away from home that ignites passion but ends in tragedy, causing her to [More]

Starring: Maite Perroni , Alejandro Speitzer , Erik Hayser , María Fernanda Yepes

#11

Da Vinci's Demons
75% 82%

#11

Synopsis: Eventually he becomes the most famous artist of all time -- a mythic figure in history -- but the path [More]

Starring: Tom Riley , Laura Haddock , Elliot Cowan , Lara Pulver

#12

Desperate Housewives
72% 89%

#12

Synopsis: Behind the facade of a postcard-perfect subdivision live four women whose lives are anything but idyllic. Klutzy Susan is divorced [More]

Starring: Teri Hatcher , Felicity Huffman , Marcia Cross , Eva Longoria

#13

Dickinson
92% 92%

#13

Synopsis: Emily Dickinson, poet, daughter, and total rebel; in this coming-of-age story, Emily is determined to become the world's greatest poet. [More]

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld , Toby Huss , Jane Krakowski , Adrian Enscoe

#14

Dynasty
- - - -

#14

Synopsis: One of the quintessential 1980s prime-time soaps, "Dynasty" follows the gloriously over-the-top trials and tribulations of the fabulously wealthy and [More]

Starring: John Forsythe , Linda Evans , Joan Collins , Heather Locklear

#15

Easy
90% 85%

#15

Synopsis: From director and creator Joe Swanberg, this Netflix-original comedy anthology series explores diverse Chicago characters, modern romance technology and culture. [More]

Starring: Zazie Beetz , Mauricio Ochmann , Aislinn Derbez , Elizabeth Reaser

#16

Elite
71% 65%

#16

Synopsis: When three working-class teens enroll in an exclusive private school in Spain, the clash between them and the wealthy students [More]

Starring: André Lamoglia , Valentina Zenere , Omar Ayuso , Carmen Arrufat

#17

The Expanse
95% 88%

#17

Synopsis: Hundreds of years in the future, things are different than what humanity is used to after humans have colonized the [More]

Starring: Steven Strait , Dominique Tipper , Wes Chatham , Shohreh Aghdashloo

#18

Fishbowl Wives
- - 67%

#18

Synopsis: In a luxury apartment building, six women in unhappy marriages end up crossing the line into infidelity. [More]

Starring: Ryôko Shinohara , Takanori Iwata , Masanobu Andô

#19

Fleabag
100% 93%

#19

Synopsis: A dry-witted woman, known only as Fleabag, has no filter as she navigates life and love in London while trying [More]

Starring: Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Ben Aldridge , Sian Clifford , Bill Paterson

#20

Game of Thrones
89% 85%

#20

Synopsis: George R.R. Martin's best-selling book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" is brought to the screen as HBO sinks [More]

Starring: Peter Dinklage , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Lena Headey , Emilia Clarke

#21

Gossip Girl
84% 80%

#21

Synopsis: High school is over for the privileged former students at an exclusive prep school on Manhattan's Upper East Side, but [More]

Starring: Blake Lively , Leighton Meester , Penn Badgley , Chace Crawford

#22

The Great
96% 85%

#22

Synopsis: A genre-bending, anti-historical ride through 18th-century Russia following the wildly comedic rise of Catherine the Nothing to Catherine the Great. [More]

Starring: Elle Fanning , Nicholas Hoult , Phoebe Fox , Adam Godley

#23

Harlots
97% 90%

#23

Synopsis: In this drama set in 18th century London, Samantha Morton stars as Margaret Wells, a brothel owner and mother to [More]

Starring: Samantha Morton , Lesley Manville , Jessica Brown Findlay , Liv Tyler

#24

House of the Dragon
86% 78%

#24

Synopsis: The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to popular HBO series "Game of Thrones;" based on George R.R. [More]

Starring: Paddy Considine , Matt Smith , Olivia Cooke , Emma D'Arcy

#25

I Love Dick
87% 73%

#25

Synopsis: Set in a colorful academic community in Texas, this series follows a frustrated filmmaker named Chris and a writer, Sylvere, [More]

Starring: Kevin Bacon , Kathryn Hahn , Griffin Dunne , Roberta Colindrez

#26

Industry
90% 69%

#26

Synopsis: Graduates from all walks of life compete for a limited number of available full-time employment opportunities at Pierpoint, a top [More]

Starring: Myha'la Herrold , Marisa Abela , Harry Lawtey , David Jonsson

#27

Interview With the Vampire
98% 77%

#27

Synopsis: In the year 2022, the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac lives in Dubai and seeks to tell the story [More]

Starring: Jacob Anderson , Sam Reid , Delainey Hayles , Eric Bogosian

#28

Killing Eve
80% 73%

#28

Synopsis: Eve's life as a spy is not adding up to what she had hoped it would be when she started. [More]

Starring: Sandra Oh , Jodie Comer , Fiona Shaw , Kim Bodnia

#29

Lip Service
- - - -

#29

Synopsis: Following the interwoven love lives of three gay women living in Glasgow. [More]

Starring: Laura Fraser , Ruta Gedmintas , Fiona Button

#30

Losing Alice
78% 74%

#30

Synopsis: In this neo-noir, Alice is a middle-aged film director who feels lost since raising her family; But a chance meeting [More]

Starring: Ayelet Zurer , Lihi Kornowski , Gal Toren , Shai Avivi

#31

Looking
90% 93%

#31

Synopsis: Three best friends living in San Francisco share the nuances and complexities of contemporary gay relationships as they explore a [More]

Starring: Jonathan Groff , Frankie J. Alvarez , Murray Bartlett , Lauren Weedman

#32

The L Word
57% 77%

#32

Synopsis: This long-running Showtime series features intertwined stories about the lives and loves of a group of lesbians and bisexuals in [More]

Starring: Jennifer Beals , Laurel Holloman , Mia Kirshner , Katherine Moennig

#33

Mad Men
94% 96%

#33

Synopsis: In 1960s New York, alpha male Don Draper struggles to stay on top of the heap in the high-pressure world [More]

Starring: Jon Hamm , John Slattery , Vincent Kartheiser , January Jones

#34

Masters of Sex
84% 85%

#34

Synopsis: William Masters and Virginia Johnson are known as pioneers of the science of human sexuality. Their research shoots them to [More]

Starring: Michael Sheen , Lizzy Caplan , Caitlin FitzGerald , Annaleigh Ashford

#35

Melrose Place
60% 30%

#35

Synopsis: This update of the popular 1992 soap features a new group of diverse 20-somethings living in an elegant Spanish-style apartment [More]

Starring: Katie Cassidy , Stephanie Jacobsen , Jessica Lucas , Michael Rady

#36

Moonlighting
89% 91%

#36

Synopsis: After being cleaned out by her no-good manager, model Maddie Hayes is about to sell one of her few remaining [More]

Starring: Cybill Shepherd , Bruce Willis , Allyce Beasley , Curtis Armstrong

#37

Mrs. Fletcher
82% 77%

#37

Synopsis: A divorced woman jumpstarts her love life by adopting a sexy new persona and discovers that her world is full [More]

Starring: Kathryn Hahn , Jackson White , Casey Wilson , Owen Teague

#38

Nip/Tuck
74% 83%

#38

Synopsis: This often campy series centers on the office of Dr. Sean McNamara and Dr. Christian Troy, longtime friends who practice [More]

Starring: Dylan Walsh , Julian McMahon , John Hensley , Joely Richardson

#39

Normal People
91% 92%

#39

Synopsis: Marianne and Connell come from different backgrounds but the same small town in Ireland, weaving in and out of each [More]

Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones , Paul Mescal , Eliot Salt , India Mullen

#40

Orange Is the New Black
90% 82%

#40

Synopsis: Piper Chapman is a public relations executive with a career and a fiance when her past suddenly catches up to [More]

Starring: Taylor Schilling , Natasha Lyonne , Uzo Aduba , Danielle Brooks

#41

The Originals
84% 72%

#41

Synopsis: Klaus, the original vampire/werewolf hybrid, returns to New Orleans -- which his family helped build -- to investigate rumors of [More]

Starring: Joseph Morgan , Daniel Gillies , Phoebe Tonkin , Charles Michael Davis

#42

Outlander
90% 85%

#42

Synopsis: After serving as a British Army nurse in World War II, Claire Randall is enjoying a second honeymoon in Scotland [More]

Starring: Caitriona Balfe , Sam Heughan , Sophie Skelton , Richard Rankin

#43

Penny Dreadful
91% 90%

#43

Synopsis: Many people are familiar with classic literary characters like Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. "Penny Dreadful" brings those and other [More]

Starring: Timothy Dalton , Eva Green , Josh Hartnett , Reeve Carney

#44

P-Valley
95% 94%

#44

Synopsis: The Pynk is a popular strip club in Mississippi, where intrigue abounds when the mysterious Autumn is welcomed by Mercedes, [More]

Starring: Brandee Evans , Nicco Annan , Shannon Thornton , Elarica Johnson

#45

Queer as Folk
100% 85%

#45

Synopsis: The lives of three gay men living in Manchester, England. [More]

Starring: Aidan Gillen , Craig Kelly , Charlie Hunnam , Denise Black

#46

Scandal
93% 72%

#46

Synopsis: "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes is the creative mind behind this ABC drama. Olivia Pope, a former media consultant to [More]

Starring: Kerry Washington , Guillermo Díaz , Darby Stanchfield , Katie Lowes

#47

Sense8
86% 85%

#47

Synopsis: Eight strangers around the globe find themselves connected -- first by a violent vision, then by their shared ability to [More]

Starring: Brian J. Smith , Tuppence Middleton , Jamie Clayton , Miguel Ángel Silvestre

#48

Sex and the City
70% 80%

#48

Synopsis: A sex columnist, Carrie Bradshaw, and her three friends -- Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda -- explore Manhattan's dating scene, chronicling [More]

Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker , Kim Cattrall , Kristin Davis , Cynthia Nixon

#49

Sex Education
93% 78%

#49

Synopsis: Socially awkward high school student Otis may not have much experience in the lovemaking department, but he gets good guidance [More]

Starring: Asa Butterfield , Gillian Anderson , Ncuti Gatwa , Aimee Lou Wood

#50

Sex/Life
40% 53%

#50

Synopsis: A suburban wife and mother takes a fantasy-charged trip down memory lane that sets her present on a collision course [More]

Starring: Sarah Shahi , Mike Vogel , Adam Demos , Margaret Odette

#51

The Sex Lives of College Girls
74% 80%

#51

Synopsis: Four roommates must learn how to navigate their new freedom on the well-known campus of Essex College. [More]

Starring: Pauline Chalamet , Amrit Kaur , Reneé Rapp , Alyah Chanelle Scott

#52

She's Gotta Have It
78% 59%

#52

Synopsis: Iconic filmmaker Spike Lee revisits his first feature film with this Netflix original series of the same name. Brooklyn-based artist [More]

Starring: DeWanda Wise , Cleo Anthony , Lyriq Bent , Anthony Ramos

#53

Skins
- - 66%

#53

Synopsis: The lives of a group of teenagers in Bristol, England, are followed through two years of sixth form, with the [More]

Starring: Kaya Scodelario , Jack O'Connell , Hannah Murray , Alexander Arnold

#54

Tiny Pretty Things
53% 49%

#54

Synopsis: After an attack brings down the star student at a ballet school, her replacement enters a world of lies, betrayal [More]

Starring: Jess Salgueiro , Lauren Holly , Kylie Jefferson , Casimere Jollette

#55

True Blood
68% 72%

#55

Synopsis: Small-town Louisiana waitress Sookie Stackhouse already is viewed as an oddball by her friends and neighbors, since she can read [More]

Starring: Anna Paquin , Stephen Moyer , Sam Trammell , Ryan Kwanten

#56

Valeria
- - 65%

#56

Synopsis: While going through a marital crisis, a writer finds solace in her three friends. [More]

Starring: Diana Gómez , Paula Malia , Silma López , Maxi Iglesias

#57

The Vampire Diaries
86% 72%

#57

Synopsis: This supernatural drama, based on the series of novels by L.J. Smith, details the lives of two brothers, Damon and [More]

Starring: Paul Wesley , Ian Somerhalder , Nina Dobrev , Kat Graham

#58

Vida
100% 85%

#58

Synopsis: "Vida" is a drama series about two Mexican-American siblings from East Los Angeles. Party girl Lyn lives a carefree life [More]

Starring: Melissa Barrera , Mishel Prada , Ser Anzoategui , Maria-Elena Laas

#59

Vikings
93% 88%

#59

Synopsis: Viking Ragnar Lothbrok is a young farmer and family man who is frustrated by the policies of Earl Haraldson, his [More]

Starring: Katheryn Winnick , Moe Dunford , Josefin Asplund , Alexander Ludwig

#60

Vikings: Valhalla
96% 62%

#60

Synopsis: The adventures of famous Vikings as they blaze new paths in an ever-changing Europe. [More]

Starring: Sam Corlett , Leo Suter , Frida Gustavsson , Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson

#61

Weeds
70% 80%

#61

Synopsis: Widowed suburbanite Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) starts growing and selling marijuana to make enough money to support her family after [More]

Starring: Mary-Louise Parker , Kevin Nealon , Justin Kirk , Alexander Gould

#62

The Witcher
80% 54%

#62

Synopsis: The witcher Geralt, a mutated monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world in which people often prove [More]

Starring: Henry Cavill , Anya Chalotra , Freya Allan , Joey Batey