‘Bridgerton’ Is the Sexiest Show of All Time

Welcome to Long Live the Sex Scene, a special project by Cosmopolitan that explores why these steamy television and movie moments truly matter, especially right now. Join us as we rewind, replay, and then rewind them all over again.

It was the middle of the pandemic when I first discovered Netflix’s Bridgerton season 1. I was starved for human connection. I hadn’t been on a date in over a year and my sex drive was in the toilet. A frivolous, faux-period drama felt like appropriate viewing for my bored, chaste existence. So imagine my surprise when less than three minutes into the first episode, Anthony Bridgerton (played with major angst by Jonathan Bailey) has bare-assed sex with his mistress up against a tree in the middle of a field. Apparently, I was in for something a bit more sexy than the average corseted Masterpiece Theater miniseries.

I devoured the episodes, which I learned were based on the best-selling regency romance series by Julia Quinn, and I preached the gospel to all of my friends before the show even came out. “It’s, like, really horny,” I would tell people in lieu of a traditional review. It wasn’t just a fun way to pass the time during that cold, lonely COVID winter—it was a physical experience too. I started to feel things that I hadn’t in months. Lockdown hadn’t ended, but somehow, sporting dangerously tight breeches and perilously high wigs, sex was so, so back.

Traditional mass-market, bodice-ripper romance novels aren’t often adapted for the screen, which was why it was so refreshing to see sex as a major selling point in this show. In the first season alone, there are 19 sex scenes in 8 episodes. (Thank you to the very dedicated fan who counted them all and posted about it on Reddit.) People have been reading romance novels for years, and it was about time Hollywood caught on. Bridgerton season 1 became one of Netflix’s most popular of all time. (It’s still in the streamer’s top 10 shows of all time, now joined by Bridgerton season 3.)

It wasn’t just that the sex scenes were plentiful. They were varied and passionate and centered female pleasure. The protagonist of the first season, Daphne, learns how to masturbate, has sex with her husband on a ladder, and enjoys oral pleasure on a staircase. In a very long montage, they defile various rooms in their castle and some of the outdoor spaces too. In short, it’s hot!

Seasons 2 and 3 added even more iconic scenes to the repertoire (the Colin and Penelope carriage scene is truly an all-timer, as is Anthony and Kate in the gazebo). Waiting for season 4 to premiere in early 2026 has me more anxious than a debutante in too-tight damask corset.

In deciding this honor, we had to rule out some major contenders. Outlander? A bit too violent. And don’t even get me started on Game of Thrones for the same reason. Euphoria? They’re all supposed to be underage. Normal People? Sexy but also really sad.

There really is no other show that employs sex so expertly, with such a high degree of scenes you don’t have to feel weird about watching. And we have been along for the ride since the beginning dissecting how these scenes are made, choosing the best, and advising on how to have Bridgerton-level sex at home with your own Colins and/or Penelopes. That’s why, as part of our Long Live the Sex Scene project, we’re crowning Bridgerton the Sexiest Show of All Time. Read our extensive coverage of the show’s intimate scenes below.