The Sexiest TV Shows of All Time, According to Experts

We rank tv shows by plot, writing, character development, you name it. It’s about time we rank them by their steamy sex scenes, too!

And while watching a show with a lot of sex might make it tough to admit to your coworkers that you love it, it can do some good for your sexual health.

When you see something saucy on your favorite shows amongst characters you feel connected to, it can hammer home the importance of passion and can help you create your own sexual fantasies.

If you need new on screen sexual inspiration, these five sex-laden shows can help you get in the mood or find new ideas to bring into your own bedroom.

Game of Thrones

The frequent kinky sex in GOT is probably the reason you find talking about the show with co-workers a little unnerving… but remember, they’re watching, too!

In this tale of fire and ice, we see Jon Snow lose his virginity (turns out he does know something!), paid sexual encounters (looking at you, Tyrion), orgies and BDSM. “GOT has a lot of kinky sex,” says Stephanie Buehler, Ph. D, psychologist and sex therapist to Women’s Health. “Some people find it hot, and some gross.”

Try it at home: If this show gets you in the mood for love, you can bring some of that tense sexual energy into your own bedroom, but tread lightly. “Start light and see how it goes,” says Beuhler. “If it’s something really new for a couple, blind folds and being bound with silk ties is probably better than a collar, chains, and a whip, for example.”

And when you are trying something new in the name of television, it’s important to communicate throughout your exploration to make sure you’re both comfortable and pleasured. Talk it out beforehand and agree that, if you aren’t mutually interested in the act, you’ll stop. “If no one feels bad, then keep exploring,” says Beuhler. “As long as it’s juicy and fun, it’s all good!”

Outlander

This period drama comes with its fair share of sex, but it’s more than the kissing and thrusting that puts it on this list. The weight placed on female pleasure for character Claire introduces a new dynamic that women can take charge between the sheets, too, even in a male-dominated society.

“One of the biggest things that makes that particular show stand out is that it turns around our typical gender conversations,” says Lawrence Siegel, certified sex therapist and sexuality educator, to Women’s Health. “When you look at Claire and Jamie, there’s a real reversal of roles there. Claire is really the strong one—she’s the savior. Jamie is kind of a damsel in distress.”

Try it at home: If you need a little role reversal in the bedroom, mocking elements of Outlander is the perfect way to introduce natural female dominance into your sexual relationship. To reach a woman’s best O, she needs to tell her man exactly what she enjoys and may need to get hands on in showing him the ropes.

Learn from Claire’s character and “be the one that’s driving,” Siegel instructs. “It’s saying ‘I want’ and ‘I want you to do this.’” This change of pace will introduce a new dynamic into your love-making that’ll extend beyond the bedroom. Newfound confidence, indeed.

Shameless

Though there’s sex aplenty on Shamless and the writers have a knack for drawing up some seriously hot love-making scenes, there’s more than orgasms to the characters’ intimate moments.

The show introduces a variety of reasons the Gallaghers need sex in their lives. For some, it’s comfort and love, while for others, it’s personal exploration or even as a transactional agreement. Throughout the progression, you can understand a great deal about the characters’ thoughts through watching their onscreen intimacy.

More than the steamy positions, this ‘wear your heart on your genitals’ attitude is something many shows can’t quite grasp in the way Shameless does.

Try it at home: While you could simply turn on the tv and follow along with a role play of the oh-so-hot encounters of Lip and his teacher, let’s dive a bit deeper.

Learn from the show’s theme that sex is more than a physical act; it’s a reflection of your stage of life. If you and your partner are in the first stages of a relationship, explore! If things have settled down, get passionate as a symbol of your commitment and desire.

Challenge yourselves to communicate with your bodies and reach a new level of physical and emotional connection.

But after you’ve mastered that, you really might want to copy the whole ‘hot for teacher’ role play thing… Just saying.

Orange Is the New Black

If you haven’t seen this show, you’ve heard about it. And you’ve probably heard about it because of all the girl-on-girl action that takes place inside the walls of Litchfield corrections.

But you don’t have to be a lesbian to enjoy the show’s plot, and you don’t have to stick to a particular sexual orientation to find some of the sex scenes totally hot. “It’s the untouchable, it’s the taboo—the things we’re not supposed to do or talk about but can go on in our fantasies,” says Kristin B. Hodson, a certified sex therapist, to Women’s Health. She says that, no matter your sexual preferences, there are easy ways to reenact some steamy OITNB action.

Try it at home: No, you don’t have to do any prison role-play (unless you’re into that). “Whether you’re watching it alone or as a couple, it can build up this erotic energy that you can then pour into each other as a couple,” says Hodson. If you aren’t sure where to start, she suggests recalling a favorite scene to your partner in detail to share a fantasy and give them a glimpse of your erotic imagination.

You can also use OITNB as inspiration to get romantic without penetration. Since the sex is girl-on-girl, the characters have to get creative. Introduce some nights of passion without penetration and experience unique sensations for your body.

Sex and the City

When sex is literally in the title, it can’t be left off this list. The major appeal of SATC is that viewers get to experience dating a large pool of men in NYC through the eyes of four very different, confident women. Women look for their own traits within these characters, then live the lives of these ladies—sex, fashion, the works—in their own imaginations.

Putting ourselves in the designer shoes of Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha or Miranda introduces an excitement of what it’s like to date in a big city without leaving the house.

Try it at home: “Ask yourself which character you most relate to, and which character you most want to embody and why,” says couples therapist Rebecca Hendrix to Women’s Health. “If you are more Charlotte but crave Samantha’s sexual openness, then craft a fantasy with your partner where you take on the traits you love about Samantha. If you crave glam city living, make your next vacation a city one where you can have a luxe night out with your partner while channeling your inner Carrie.”

Also, it never hurts to play your favorite scenes at night and ask your man to recreate it with you. Samantha and Smith, here we come.