From Sex and the City to Interview with the Vampire, the portrayal of eroticism and sexuality has significantly evolved on television.
In recent decades, television has become much more sensual, but our interpretations of sex and the representation of relationships have also transformed. Back in the late 1980s, sexy was often exemplified by Pamela Anderson sprinting along the beach in her iconic red swimsuit on Baywatch. While that moment is legendary in its own right, the medium has adapted alongside our cultural changes and the growth of television, introducing more intricate portrayals of sexuality and gender that challenge the outdated male perspective. The recent rise of premium cable and streaming platforms has further enabled the production of bolder content that wasn’t feasible under the strict regulations of traditional broadcast television. Networks like HBO started to break barriers by featuring nudity (often rather gratuitously), while Showtime approved numerous series that expanded queer representation, such as Queer as Folk and The L Word.
Over the past fifteen years, there have been several pivotal moments in the realm of sexy television—from Olivia Pope becoming flustered by the president on Scandal to delving into the dynamics of kink on Dying for Sex. Additionally, there have been more nuanced portrayals of sexual assault and consent, as seen in I May Destroy You, reflecting our more developed societal comprehension of sex and dating. Recently, intimacy coordinators—professionals who assist in choreographing intimate scenes—have been introduced to the industry to create safer psychological environments and provide protections for actors engaging in these scenarios.
Our curated list below features a selection of pioneers—such as Sex and the City, of course—along with many others that have made significant contributions to the legacy of sexy television, each in their own way challenging the norms of intimacy in scripted shows, or at the very least, delivering an exhilarating viewing experience, thus earning their place as some of the sexiest television series ever.
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Sex and the City
©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
It feels fitting to kick off this list with one of the true trailblazers of sexy television. Sex and the City undeniably paved the way for sexual content on the small screen, featuring a group of single friends in their 30s navigating love and dating in New York City. While retrospectively not all storylines hold up to today’s standards; Carrie Bradshaw occasionally exhibited an oddly conservative (and at times bi-phobic) perspective for a sex columnist. Nevertheless, each of the four women contributed their unique viewpoints to a boldly sex-positive series that consistently placed sexuality at the forefront.
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Queer As Folk
Everett
Adapted from the British series by Russell T. Davies, Queer as Folk broke new ground with its numerous steamy gay scenes, chronicling the lives of five gay men in Pittsburgh. A swiftly canceled reboot aired in 2022 but failed to recapture the enchantment of this early 2000s landmark in LGBTQ+ representation.
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