1. Alana and Margot, Hannibal
Dear, departed Hannibal was one of the most visually innovative and immersive shows ever to be on TV, and as a result, its sex scenes were intentionally and beautifully shot, most remarkably a scene between Alana and Margot in the sixth episode of the show's final season. The filming makes it seem like the two women are being viewed through a kaleidoscope, refracting off of and reflecting one another, coming apart and then melding together. It was sensual and explicit, and while it was appropriate for the parameters of network TV, it never felt like the scene was being censored or curtailed to meet those standards. It's artistically hot, which is the very best kind of hot.
2. Adam and Rachel, UnREAL
UnREAL was chock-full of hot, hasty, clandestine sexually charged moments, and so it's hard to choose the steamiest one of all. But ultimately the prize goes to Adam and Rachel, whose season-long sexual tension finally broke in the show's eighth episode. While it wasn't exactly a wild encounter, Rachel was a studied pro at being on top, and it felt hot and satisfying precisely because we'd waited to see it for so long.
3. Becky and J Poppa, Empire
Empire's Cookie and Lucious are particularly reknowned for their Empire sex scenes, but this season, Gabourey Sidibe's Becky gave them a run for their money. She hooked up with J Poppa on a lounge chair on a rooftop, under the stars. But the details of their liaison don't really matter all that much, because regardless of the content, their scene demonstrates how hot body-positive sex scenes are, and why we need more of them on TV.
4. Literally Everyone, Sense8
It's difficult to explain exactly how Sense8's orgy scene came about without an in-depth introduction to the show's premise and characters, but then again, it's not necessary to understand that backstory to see how hot an orgy of all genders and sexual orientations taking place in a beautiful, crystal-clear pool is, right? It's all gorgeously lit and sumptuously shot, a perfect tangle of bodies.
5. Jessica and Luke, Jessica Jones
Throughout the first season of Jessica Jones, Jessica and fellow superhero spend a lot of time taking each other's powers out for a spin (IN BED); in fact, it's the first Marvel-based film or TV show that's had any real on-screen sex acts at all. Jessica and Luke provided plenty of hot scenes to choose from, but of note is the one in which they went at it so furiously that they literally broke the bed and, in doing so, gave us one of 2015's most iconic GIFs. The fact that there's a real relationship building around all that raw energy is icing on the cake.
6. Marnie and Desi, Girls
2015 will go down in history as the year Girls required me to learn how to correctly spell "anilingus." Hooray? Seriously, though, while Desi eating Marnie's butt may have been a little bit visually awkward (if only because it immediately raised the issue of how potentially uncomfortable the moment could have been for the actors involved), it's hot to do things that are a little taboo. And it's even hotter when doing so breaks down the stigma around certain sex acts; even though we're living in an age where we can, like, send a rover to Mars, we're still weirdly prudish about any/all sex acts that aren't heteronormative. Eat away, Desi!
7. Fiona and Gus, Shameless
If you're not watching Showtime's Shameless, you're missing out on some of the raunchiest sex on TV (that's a compliment); it's rare that an episode passes without two people getting innovatively frisky. Fiona and her husband Gus having sweaty, bone-rattling "welcome home from tour" sex was a prime, delicious example. Was the vibe harshed by the fact that Fiona ultimately wasn't all that into Gus, despite having married him? Sure. Of course. But in the moment, she felt great, and it was hot enough that viewers did too.
8. Connor and Oliver, How to Get Away with Murder
How to Get Away With Murder was a ground-breaking show for many reasons, but a particular accomplishment was the extra jolt of sexual energy it injected into Thursday nights on ABC. In the third episode of the show's second season, almost everyone was hooking up with someone else, but the most memorable encounter was between Connor and Oliver, tearing into each other for the first time in weeks, since they'd been waiting until Connor's Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis treatment to kick in before they banged. It was kinetic and compelling, and it doesn't hurt that their relationship has helped to break down stereotypes about safe sex with someone who is HIV-positive, too.
9. Annalise and Eve, How to Get Away With Murder
HTGAWM's second season was full of revelations, but Annalise's bisexuality (and the return of her long time "it's complicated"-style friend and ex Eve) was one of the most satisfying areas that the show explored. Every interaction between the two of them was sexually charged, but their sex scene at the end of the season's second episode was particularly hot, carried by the energy that only two people who've waited too long to touch each other again can generate. I'd get away with the two of them anytime.
10. Big Boo and Rachel, Orange Is the New Black
What made Big Boo's big Orange Is the New Black sex scene — in which she had sex with Rachel while utilizing a pretty massive looking strap-on — so amazing was that it was an accurate depiction of the way many butch lesbians actually have sex, as Big Boo's portrayer Lea DeLaria (who, like her character, is a butch lesbian) explained. Sex scenes are compelling when the players involved feel confident and comfortable and in that way, Big Boo nails it. (Pun intended.)
Somewhat-chaste Honorable Mentions
Samantha and Jake on Bachelor in Paradise, for the hot tub hand job heard 'round the world, and Jane and Rafael on Jane the Virgin, for Jane's near-loss of virginity while skinny-dipping.
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