10 Steamy TV Shows To Add to Your Watchlist

Is it getting hot in here? Romance as a TV genre has been on the rise in recent years, and that’s most likely thanks to Netflix’s mega-hit Bridgerton. The steamy Regency romance has viewers scandalized (in a good way). Its popularity speaks to what TV lovers crave – immersive love stories and candy-colored escapism. Of course, Outlander walked so Bridgerton could run, but both manage to defy genre conventions while delivering the steamiest of romances. Then, there’s Heated Rivalry, the captivating queer hockey drama that’s dominating pop culture discourse, and for good reason.

With Bridgerton finally dropping Season 4, Part 2 on Netflix, you might be on the hunt for something spicy to add to your watchlist. Read on for 10 steamy TV shows that are too hot to skip this weekend (winter weather be damned).

‘Bridgerton’ – Netflix (2020-Present, 4 Seasons)

Dearest gentle readers, nothing is steamier than a Regency-era period drama with a contemporary edge. Based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels of the same name, Bridgerton is easily one of Netflix’s biggest streaming hits. The Shonda Rhimes series breaks barriers with its diverse cast and incorporates unique string covers of modern songs. It plays pretty fast and loose concerning historical accuracy on the fashion front (with sequined gowns being the biggest fashion anachronism). That said, the show is indisputably a feast for the eyes. The aesthetics are gorgeous.

More importantly, though, the chemistry is off the charts. That’s the key ingredient to a steamy show, and Bridgerton delivers this in spades. The yearning, the will-they-won’t-they, the furtive glances – it’s perfect for fans of romance. Even better, the sex scenes are presented through the female gaze, and they’re steamy without feeling too explicit. This author’s favorite couple in the ton? Viscount and Viscountess Bridgerton, of course (pictured above).

‘Outlander’ – STARZ and Netflix (2014-2026, 8 Seasons)

Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels are the basis for the global phenomenon that is the long-running STARZ series. Blending period drama and fantasy, Outlander centers on Jamie and Claire Fraser’s enduring love. Claire stumbles through a cluster of stones at Craigh na Dun outside Inverness in 1945, only to wind up in the Scottish Highlands in 1743. What transpires next is a romance spanning centuries as Claire is torn between the past and the present. Future seasons also focus on the story of Jaime and Claire’s daughter, Brianna, and her marriage to Roger MacKenzie.

Outlander is as steamy as they come. This is STARZ, after all. Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe’s sizzling, electrifying on-screen chemistry is the anchor of this series. It keeps fans tuning in season after season. Well, that and all the swoonworthy Scottish accents.

‘Heated Rivalry’ – Crave and HBO Max (2025-Present, 1 Season)

Crave/Warner Bros.

Here’s another TV adaptation based on a hit book series. Heated Rivalry brings Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels to life with its too-hot-to-handle inaugural season. Starring relative newcomers Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, respectively, the six-episode first season follows two rival hockey stars as they embark on what starts as a fling and blossoms into a full-blown romance. The secondary love story zeroes in on François Arnaud as hockey team captain Scott Hunter and Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady (the only non-hockey player of the quartet). Considering that professional hockey is historically not an LGBTQ+-friendly sport, it warms the heart to see this representation break barriers.

Heated Rivalry is downright steamy, but it’s also breathtakingly romantic. It’s hard not to swoon while watching these beautiful men fall for each other. The sex scenes will have you adjusting the temperature in your room. Oh, and if “I’m coming to the cottage” and t.A.T.u’s “All the Things She Said” don’t mean anything to you now, they will by the time your binge-watch ends.

‘The Great’ – Hulu (2020-2023, 3 Seasons)

Hulu

I will forever mourn The Great‘s unfair cancellation. Like Bridgerton, it’s a period series with contemporary elements, although the costumes are a bit more historically accurate. This comedy-drama is as cleverly written as it is beautifully performed. Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult’s chemistry is worth the watch alone. It’s perfect for fans of that classic enemies-to-lovers romance.

History aficionados know Catherine the Great rose to power following a coup d’état against Peter III. How do you love someone after they depose you? The Great cheekily plays with history and makes Hoult’s mercurial Peter a lovable scoundrel, while organically developing the relationship between Peter and Catherine. Plus, the sex scenes are the definition of steamy. That’s why we’re here, right? The Great is altogether sexy, romantic, and bitingly hilarious. Huzzah!

‘True Blood’ – HBO Max (2008-2014, 7 Seasons)

HBO

True Blood‘s heyday should be studied. While it’s based on Charlaine Harris’ The Southern Vampire Mysteries (which this writer promptly devoured back in the day), we really should credit Twilight as the true propeller behind True Blood‘s initial success. Set in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, the series follows waitress Sookie Stackhouse as she falls head over heels for vampire Bill Compton. Bill opens up Sookie to the world of vampires, werewolves, and the fae – a dark underbelly where the supernatural dwell. It’s a bloody (literally) sexy good time.

What’s great about the series is that it’s chock-full of incredibly good-looking people. It has something for everyone: sex, romance, horror, fantasy, and action. Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, who play Sookie and Bill, are married in real life, making their on-screen chemistry all the more palpable. Not to mention, there’s Eric Northman. Enough said.