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17 Best Steamy Movies & Shows On Netflix

by Carolyn Steber and Katherine J. Igoe
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Warner Bros. Television

One of the fun parts of Netflix is the five minutes to two hours spent scanning through all the streaming service's many options. You never know what you'll land on, or which show you'll fall in love with next. But sometimes, you just want to zero right in on the best options, and get to watching. This is especially true when you're in the mood for a steamy Netflix movie or TV show. In those moments, things can feel particularly urgent.

After all, when it comes to finding a saucy rom-com and sexy TV show, who has time to waste? To narrow down all the amazing options, consider one of the shows or movies listed below. Included are hot films with great plots — think Blue Is The Warmest Color — as well as old favorites like Scandal and Magic Mike. There are also plenty of sweet options like Sex Education, and under-the-radar gems like Sleeping With Other People.

Netflix has definitely got your back in this genre, so if you're looking for something provocative, look no more. There's certainly no shortage of raunchy movies, sweet but sexy shows, and even straight up steamy foreign films. Here, are a few of the best.

1

'Blue Is The Warmest Color'

This French film follows the story of Adèle as she falls in love with the blue-haired Emma. Throughout the movie, Emma encourage her "to discover desire and to assert herself as a woman and as an adult," according to IMDb. Sex, and intimacy, follow: the movie's infamous sex scene clocks in at close to 10 minutes long.

2

'Outlander'

Starz's time-travel period drama is much more than a bodice-ripper, but it's definitely that, too. But unlike other period dramas that feature women's complete devotion to men's pleasure, Outlander has been hailed by many women for its sex scenes' focus on women's pleasure. As Vulture's Jennifer Vineyard put it in her piece praising Outlander's sex scenes as "the best sex on television": "It started with the castle cunnilingus."

3

'The Tudors'

Showtime

If you're in the mood for a dramatic yet sexy period drama, give The Tudors a try. Following the reign of King VIII, this series features the heated affair Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) starts with Anne Boleyn, as well as the many affairs, marriages, and divorces that follow.

4

'Scandal'

Richard Cartwright/ABC

Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington, is a former White House Communications Director who starts her own crisis management firm, "only to realize her clients are not the only ones with secrets." Will she or won't she with Fitz? Will she or won't she with Jake? Scandal has plenty of steamy moments, and we're ready to see them all.

5

'Sex Education'

Netflix

Netflix's delightfully frank British series Sex Education follows Otis (Asa Butterfield), the virgin son of a sex therapist, as he attempts to counsel his peers on all matters of intimacy. Steaminess ensues, and so does hilarity. But what's sexier than figuring out what turns you on?

6

'The Vampire Diaries'

The CW

For a classic combo of vampires and love triangles, why not check out The Vampire Diaries, the show all about a young teen who's struggling to make a decision between two vampire brothers and their supernatural lives? Spoiler alert: Ian Somerhalder even reads some Fifty Shades.

7

'The L Word'

Showtime

Showtime's groundbreaking series about a group of lesbians living in Los Angeles in the mid-aughts is full of steamy and dramatic moments. Plus, it's high time to catch up on the original series before the reboot, The L Word: Generation Q, comes to Showtime in December.

8

'Weeds'

Showtime

Showtime's Weeds follows Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker), a suburban soccer mom who turns to dealing drugs when she's determined to maintain her upperclass lifestyle after the death of her husband. Sex (and drugs) abound as Nancy navigates the criminal underworld and has romantic encounters along the way.

9

'Carol'

The Weinstein Company

Carol, starring Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett, is the story of an aspiring photographer who develops an intimate relationship with an older woman. Bonus points given for the amazing 1950s costumes (and the Santa hats!).

10

'Magic Mike'

Warner Brothers Pictures

Ah, Magic Mike. The movie about male strippers that we all know and love. While the plot line may be nothing special, the dancing certainly is. Come for Channing Tatum, but stay for Joe Manganiello.

11

'Elite'

Netflix

This Spanish language Netflix original is like Gossip Girl, but even sexier and more dangerous. The show follows a group of students at an exclusive private school before and after the mysterious murder of one of their own. Who did it, and who will get involved in a very steamy threesome along the way? Once you start watching Elite, you won't want to stop — for more reasons than one.

12

'Sleeping With Other People'

IFC Films

Jake (Jason Sudeikis) and Lainey (Alison Brie) lost their virginity to one another in a one-night stand in college. But what happens when they meet again more than a decade later in the same sex addiction 12-step meeting? They'll try to keep things platonic, but the chemistry and sexual tension in Sleeping With Other People keep the fire burning.

13

'Y Tu Mamá También'

Icon Film Distribution LTD

Alfonso Cuarón's coming of age film Y Tu Mamá También, about teenagers on a road trip, stars two of Mexico's most charismatic heartthrobs, Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle) and Diego Luna (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), in their younger years. It's equal parts funny and dramatic, and about as steamy as it gets.

14

'Love'

Wild Bunch

The title of Gaspar Noé's film suggests that there's tenderness at the heart of this unrated, provocative story — and there is, to a degree. But there's also plenty of lust on display in Loveand a lot of un-simulated sex, which shocked audiences at Cannes, where it premiered in 3D.

15

'Riverdale'

The CW

What would this list be without Riverdale, AKA the sexy Archie adaptation? No matter who you ship — be it Archie and Veronica, Jughead and Betty, or Betty and Archie — there are plenty of steamy scenes to go around in The CW's dark take on the classic comic.

16

'Easy'

Netflix

This anthology series zeroes in on a group of friends in Chicago who are dealing with "the modern maze of love, sex, technology, and culture," according to IMDb. Watch it for the relatable content, and the amazing cast, which features everyone from Orlando Bloom to Marc Maron to Zazie Beetz.

17

'She's Gotta Have It'

Netflix

Spike Lee's TV series take on his classic 1986 film of the same name follows Nola Darling (DeWanda Wise), a free-spirited artist, as she experiments creatively and sexually.

This post has been updated to reflect titles currently on Netflix as of August 2019.

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