15 T.V. Sex Scenes That Put Female Pleasure First

Orange Is the New Black is chock-full of amazing, female-focused sex scenes. But there’s something about the encounters between Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) and Morello (Yael Stone) that make them stand out from the rest. The two know each other’s bodies like their own, and know exactly what to do to make one another feel good, which is probably why they always seem to go back to one another.

Mad Men is pretty awful when it comes to male/female relationships, because, as a period piece, it represents the misogyny of the ‘60s pretty accurately. But things change when Don (Jon Hamm) marries Megan Draper (Jessica Paré). After an argument, Don comes home to find Megan cleaning the apartment in her underwear. She berates him for being old and boring, and the scene seems to show the dysfunction of their relationship. But the audience quickly realizes that we’re witnessing the couple’s foreplay, and this is a game they’ve played before — and Megan is the one in charge.

Missandei and Grey Worm finally get it on. But since Grey Worm was castrated as a child, penis-in-vagina sex isn’t happening. Instead, Grey Worm goes down on Missandei, and we actually see his head bobbing between her legs — from her point of view. Not surprisingly, the internet was thrilled and extremely turned on by the sex-positive scene. That had been basically unheard of on television up until this episode, and folks across the world applauded the show for giving us such a sex-positive scene.

It would be easy to point out one of the many scenes that Kim Cattrall performed as Samantha in Sex and The City as our favorite from the series. But instead, we’re giving the honor to Charlotte when she hooks up with Harry for the first time in episode seven of season five. Although Harry isn't shy about telling Charlotte how turned on he is by her, it’s Charlotte who makes the first move and kicks off their casual sex relationship. After an entire series of vanilla sex, Charlotte dips into something a little looser, and we’ve got to give her props for that.

Any scene between Olivia (Kerry Washington) and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) is simmering with sexual tension. But this phone sex scene is particularly steamy, because we rarely see good phone sex on-screen. What’s more is that Olivia is the one calling the shots — not Fitz. She is in control, and that makes it special.

This is definitely the most chaste scene on this list, because we only see the lead up to sex — not the actual sex itself. But that’s all we need. After ignoring the tension that’s been growing between them, Ross (Aidan Turner) and Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) seem to finally acknowledge it in episode three of season one. “You know what people say of us? If we behave like this it will be true,” Ross says. “Then let it be true.” Demelza says, taking complete control of the situation.

We’ve become a little more used to seeing two women having sex on TV, but The Bold Type gets extra points for its scene in season one, episode nine, because it depicts two women of color hooking up. Kat (Aisha Dee) and Adena (Nikohl Boosheri) had been dancing around one another all season, making their first (and only) night together all the more special.

How can you pick just one scene out of a series full of sex? That’s easy — go for the analingus. In season four, episode one, we quickly cut to Marnie (Allison Williams) and Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) participating in some butt play, with Desi motorboating Marnie’s cheeks — and she's loving it. We rarely hear women talk about participating (and enjoying) something as taboo as getting her butt licked, let alone see it on our television screens. But there Marnie was, setting a good example for ladies everywhere who might be curious about butt stuff.

Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, this series depicts scene after scene of horrifying rape. That’s why, in season one, episode five, when June (Elisabeth Moss) sneaks out for a romp with Nick (Max Minghella), it’s downright celebratory. The sex in the series had been happening to June, and was devoid of any pleasure at all. So when she chooses to hook up with Nick, she’s taking her pleasure back. She lets her hair down, and the two go at it, making for one of the more powerful sex scenes in recent TV history.

Outlander is hot, and not just because Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) is a total babe. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) is a sexually empowered woman who not only enjoys sex, but knows how to use it to connect to her husband Jamie. Their wedding night love scene in season one, episode seven proves just that. Claire fully embodies the role of more experienced lover for her husband Jamie, who is a virgin, and leads him through their first-ever sexual encounter. She doesn’t forget about her own pleasure, though, as evidenced by the room-shaking orgasm she has midway through their romp.

Jane (Gina Rodriguez) has been put through the ringer when it comes to sex. After being fed a puritanical view of intercourse her entire life, she’s accidentally impregnated when an OB/GYN mistakes her for a patient undergoing artificial insemination. Eventually, she begins an on/off again relationship with the baby daddy, and goes through a series of events where she is so focused on other people’s pleasure and happiness, you find yourself asking, “Can this girl do something for herself for once?” That’s exactly what her hookup with Fabian (Francisco San Martin) in episode 18 of season three is: Jane doing Jane. (Well, and Fabian.) It’s a purely sexual fling, one like she’s never experienced before, and another step in Jane’s discovery of her own sexuality. That deserves all the snaps.

This series is based on the lives of Masters and Johnson, researchers who looked at sexual pleasure — both male and female — through a scientific lens. Still, the sex on the show is anything but clinical. There's one specific moment in episode seven, season 1, in which, Virgina Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) experiences her first mutual orgasm with the good doctor Bill Masters (Michael Sheen). It’s a stark contrast to the first sex scene of the episode — there, Virginia looks completely bored and resigned. The final lab scene shows her completely engaged in owning her sexual pleasure, empowerment that transfers over into her budding relationship with Masters.

If a woman is powerful in her day-to-day life, she’s turned into a complete innocent when it comes to her sex life. But that wasn’t the case in the first episode of Jessica Jones, where the titular character (played by Krysten Ritter) gets it on with Luke Cage (Mike Colter). The two go at it, and Jessica maintains her power and control over the situation — and enjoys every damn minute of it. Jessica and Luke even break the bed.

It’s hard to pick just once sex scene in Insecure that’s female-focused, because the show is pretty groundbreaking overall in its portrayal of women enjoying themselves in the bedroom. But season one, episode five is particularly amazing, because it shows Issa (Issa Rae) finally giving into her lust and hooking up with Daniel (Y'lan Noel), a guy she’s been jonesing for since college. The two have amazing sex, and it's clear that Issa is really enjoying herself.

We waited for Ygritte (Rose Leslie) and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) to hook up on Game of Thrones since the two met back in season two. When they finally snuck away to that cave to consummate their love in the sixth episode of season three, it was extremely refreshing to see that the focus was on Ygritte — specifically her face, while Jon performed oral sex on her. Considering the fact that Game of Thrones isn’t always know for being the most empowering when it comes to sexuality, this scene stands out as one for the ladies.