Another year, another season of excellent sex on television. While you might think that you have become immune to the charms of steamy scenes, the best TV sex scenes of 2016 will surely prove you wrong. The powers of TV seduction are strong — especially when it comes to premium cable — so you'll have to admit that at least one of these 14 scenes managed to turn you on.
As I've considered each year in TV sex since 2014, I've noticed some changes in the coital on-screen trends. While the new Netflix series Easy had people having lots of uncensored sex, Game of Thrones — a show known for its graphic nudity — scaled it back in 2016. And I am disappointed to report that there weren't as many notable LGBTQ sex scenes as there have been in previous years, but fascinatingly, there were many a threesome. Of course, the most-talked about three-ways featured two women and one man (where are the threesomes with two men and one woman?!), but I'm still glad they were portrayed more this year than they have been in the past.
One really great thing about sex on TV in 2016 is that there seems to have been an uptick in diversity, with more interracial sex scenes and sex between people of color making the list. Plus, one notable TV virgin lost her virginity. (Way to go, Jane the not-virgin!) Since The CW has to keep it pretty clean, the cartoon recreation of her getting it on did not make this list, but she still deserved a shout-out.
So get ready for the 2017 TV season the best way possible — with a little foreplay — as you remember the best sex scenes of 2016. Warning: Sexy spoilers ahead.
1. Maeve & Hector on Westworld
When two people as beautiful as Thandie Newton and Rodrigo Santoro have sex, it gets hot. And the robot hosts in Episode 9, "The Well-Tempered Clavier," took that hot idea to a whole new level by having sex as they went up in flames.
2. Tom, Lucy, & Annie on Easy
Each episode of this Netflix series was a standalone story that usually had a lot of sex. However, the best one was in Episode 6, "Utopia," when married couple Tom and Lucy (Orlando Bloom and Malin Akerman) entered into a threesome with Lucy's friend Annie (Kate Micucci). Despite the interruptions of Tom and Lucy's child on the baby monitor, there was a genuinely sexy time had by all. Runner-up? The lesbian sex in the Easy episode "Vegan Cinderella."
3. Gretchen & Jimmy on You're the Worst
This couple started Season 3 with a bang (literally). The opening scene of the Season 3 premiere, "Try Real Hard," showed Gretchen and Jimmy coming together (yet again, literally) for the first time in a sex scene that was graphic, candid, funny, and sweet all at the same time.
4. Elijah & Dill on Girls
Elijah had some demanding sex on Season 5 of Girls during Episode 4, "Old Loves," with famous news anchor Dill Harcourt — portrayed by the always-excellent Corey Stoll. Fans of Girls are used to seeing the girls get it on (like Jessa did with Adam multiple times in Season 5), so it was a nice change of pace to see this sex scene between two men — even if Dill was not so nice.
5. Morello & Vinny on Orange Is the New Black
Season 4 of Orange Is the New Black was significantly darker and less sexy than normal. With Piper and Alex being on the outs, Nichols being in max, and Soso and Poussey keeping it pretty clean, the most outrageous (and hilarious) sex was actually verbal instead of physical between Morello and her new husband Vinny during visiting hours in Episode 3, "(Don't) Say Anything." Runner-up? The truly bizarre threesome between Yoga Jones, Judy King, and Luschek while they were on Molly in Episode 11, "People Persons."
6. Tommy & Tatiana on Peaky Blinders
What's a sex list without some erotic asphyxiation? Well, Peaky Blinders Season 3, Episode 5 has got you covered. Plus, everybody got theirs during a Russian orgy, making for quite the sex-driven episode.
7. Jamie & Claire on Outlander
After Jamie's harrowing experience in Season 1, he was understandably not as interested in sex with his wife in Season 2. However, that changed in Season 2, Episode 4, "La Dame Blanche" when they finally made love again.
8. Lily, Dorian, & Justine on Penny Dreadful
Can you handle one more threesome? Penny Dreadful's blood-soaked, melodramatic sex scene was very reminiscent of True Blood (one of the OGs when it came to truly graphic premium cable sex scenes) in Season 3, Episode 3, "Good and Evil Braided Be." Doctor Who fans will be scarred for life seeing Billie Piper like this.
9. Fleabag & Arsehole Guy on Fleabag
Let's throw some heterosexual anal sex into the mix. Although not very explicit, the very first scene of the first episode of Fleabag had the title character letting the character "Arsehole Guy" (seriously, that's the character's name) penetrate her ass. He's thrilled, but she worries she has a massive asshole, as her hilarious narration explains. The series followed up this scene with Fleabag masturbating to President Obama with her boyfriend in bed with her, so let's just say that Phoebe Waller-Bridge really knew how to establish the tone of her irreverent series right off the bat.
10. Issa & Daniel on Insecure
Considering that the show began with Issa's desire to sleep with her ex-boyfriend, it shouldn't have been too surprising that they hooked up during a steamy recording studio session in Episode 5, "Shady as F*ck." Although the season finale was full of naked women, kudos to Insecure for showing viewers more of the man's naked body than the woman's in this particular scene.
11. Queen Elizabeth & Philip on The Crown
OK, this is not so much a sex scene as an ambiguous mention, but the series implied that Elizabeth blows off a meeting with her new private secretary to — ahem — blow her husband in Season 1, Episode 7, "Scientia Potentia Est." That's pretty dang scandalous for a show about the current Queen of England.
12. Ilana & Blake Griffin on Broad City
Although Ilana couldn't "receive" NBA player Blake Griffin's full package during Season 3, Episode 7, "B&B-NYC," they got real creative in the bedroom, making for one of the funniest scenes of all of 2016. Good thing she stretched.
13. The Reenactment Actors of Matt & the Witch on AHS: Roanoke
Sarah Paulson's face said what we all were thinking as she portrayed a woman watching her husband have sex with a witch in the woods. The creepy factor was raised by the Polk family also watching and uhhh getting into it. However, the main reason this sex scene from Season 6, Episode 3 made the list is because it featured the epic, but unexpected, pair of Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lady Gaga.
14. Kanan & Candie on Power
There is a whole lot of sex on Power, but only one scene gave viewers a glimpse of 50 Cent's penis. Although Candie is in a lesbian relationship with Kanan's cousin Jukebox, she was instructed to see if Kanan's hands could work after being injured in a fire. That led to a masturbation scene in Season 3, Episode 4, "Don't Worry Baby," where you actually saw Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's penis — a true rarity for any sex scene on TV.
While there was plenty more sex where that came from on TV in 2016, these scenes are the ones that will stick with you until well into the New Year.
Images: John P. Johnson/HBO; Caitlin Gallagher/Bustle (14)
