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The era of the erotic thriller may be over in feature films, but television has not slowed down in the steamy department. With the abundance of streaming, shows can get more pulse-pounding and bodice-ripping than ever before. While many TV series have some elements of romance, there is a difference between romantic plotlines and full-on steaminess.
The best shows of this kind flawlessly blend compelling character drama with sensual scenes. There are many steamy shows on television, but the most important ones transcend the medium in the best way.
Bridgerton Brought the Bodice-Ripper Genre to Streaming
Bodice rippers have been popular in fiction for decades, but Bridgerton was the first television series to popularize the genre for the mainstream. Adapted from Julia Quinn's Regency romance about the titular family, the Netflix series follows a different couple's love story each season, taking on a different romance trope.
Season 1 follows Daphne Bridgerton's story through a fake-dating plot, while her brother Anthony has a classic enemies-to-lovers dynamic in the following season.
Of course, Bridgerton isn't just a classic romance but a steamy one, so each one of these stories follows not just the marriage arrangements but everything that comes after. The show dispels any assumptions that no one had sex during the Regency era. Each season outdoes the last in steamy sequences around the Bridgerton family that make fans thirst for more.
Outlander Is Almost Too Steamy for Its Own Good
Starz's 2014 historical romantic drama attracted fans with its immersive storytelling and its depiction of a love so pure it could only exist in fiction. Outlander follows Claire Randall, a World War II nurse who gets sent back in time to the 1700s after a trip to Scotland. Fans tune in for the time-defying love triangle, but stay for the best couple on the show, Claire and Jamie.
Though already married in her present day, Claire falls in love with the Highlander, Jamie, and the two embark on a passionate love. Jamie is the ideal romantic hero, made even more attractive by the steamy scenes that accompany the drama. The benefit of premium cable is that these scenes can portray what is often left up to the imagination.
Outlander is one of the steamiest shows on television because there is very little that the show lets viewers imagine.
True Blood Was So Steamy, It Could Only Be on HBO
Following the best series finale of all time, audiences wondered what Alan Ball was going to do next. The answer was the steamiest show on HBO, a far cry from Six Feet Under. True Blood is a supernatural romance that uses vampirism as a metaphor for prejudice. Many remember the series for its wild plot turns and specific dialogue, but the vampire series defined HBO as a steamy network.
Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse wastes no time in falling in love with Vampire Bill, and the consummation of their relationship is only the beginning. True Blood is full of visceral imagery, from sex scenes to gore. Even when these two couldn't make it work, the show was full of steamy scenes that have to be seen to be believed.
Tell Me Lies Showed How Steamy a Toxic Relationship Can Be
Hulu's Tell Me Lies is the anti-romance of the decade, but that didn't stop it from pulling out all the stops in the steaminess department. The college show is a cautionary tale about the dangers of being consumed by a relationship. From the beginning, Lucy and Stephen have undeniable chemistry, and that's where all the trouble starts.
Tell Me Lies is a series full of toxic characters, which makes the respective sex scenes even more addictive. Unlike many romances on television, the show isn't driven by the need to get characters together, but by how easy it is to fall into a toxic trap. Tell Me Lies is one of the steamiest shows on television because it wraps up its sex scenes in some of the most high-tension sequences and pushes boundaries further than any series before.
Heated Rivalry Got Everyone to Watch a Show About Hockey
It is a rare thing for a niche show such as a hockey romance to catch fire, but that is exactly what happened with HBO's Heated Rivalry. Adapted from popular romance novels, the show tapped into the public's love for passionate romance and steamy scenes, creating a phenomenon. The HBO series is escapism at its finest as two hockey players are posed as bitter rivals on the ice but strike up a tender romance behind the scenes.
Heated Rivalryquickly became the best show on streaming because people were looking for a character-driven storywith an optimistic outlook. The romance has this in spades, tying these sexy scenes with the evolution of Ilya and Shane's relationship. Heated Rivalry is as heartfelt as it is steamy, and it had viewers locked in immediately.
