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Let’s talk affairs on TV. Sometimes, our favorite characters find themselves in a messy, dramatic relationship that has so many flaws — and sometimes, it’s just downright delicious. We probably wouldn’t want to find ourselves in that position in real life, but watching it on TV is a total fantasy, an escape from real life. That’s what makes these imperfectly-built love affairs, like Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big’s dalliance between dating spells or Olivia Pope and Fitz Grant’s ongoing romance on Scandal, so compelling to watch. Will they get caught? Or will it turn into something substantial?
There are many ways for an affair to unfold, of course, and TV has done an impressive (and impressively hot) job of showcasing it these past few years. Two people can start at total odds with one another, then give in to an underlying attraction; they can be battling a tortured on-off dynamic for years; they can meet and feel so instantly drawn to each other that their other relationships are thrown into turmoil. On Mad Men, The Good Wife, The Affair, and so many more, the thrill of a hidden affair can turn someone’s world upside down in an instant — but again and again, the lovers are pulled toward each other like magnets.
That’s the other thing about watching these relationships play out on TV: in real life, people end up getting hurt by these relationships. On TV, we can enjoy the built-up passion of two forbidden lovers sneaking around guilty-free — and we recommend you do the same.
Take a look to see who made our list of the steamiest, most torrid affairs on TV.
Emily & Gabriel in ‘Emily in Paris’
Emily and Gabriel’s chemistry in Emily in Paris is one for the books. At the beginning of the show, when Emily (Lily Collins) first moves to Paris, she and downstairs neighbor Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) form an instant connection. Of course, like any good love triangle story, Gabriel was dating at the time so their connection remained hidden. As the three seasons of the show went on, they tried to move in other relationships (forming quite a complex geometric shape), but always seem to find their way back to one other. Love can do powerful things!
Watch here.
Simon & Daphne on ‘Bridgeton’
Simon wants to keep women away from him and Daphne wants to look more desirable, so the couple fakes their courtship even though they can’t stand each other. Of course, they fall in love. These star-crossed lovers marry — and boy, do they have chemistry, but will doom lay ahead? You just know this isn’t going to be easy as we impatiently wait for a second season of Bridgerton.
Watch here.
Don & Sylvia on ‘Mad Men’
Don Draper had so many affairs on Mad Men, it was hard to keep up. There was one woman who wasn’t just another body for sex, it was love: Sylvia. They were both married at the time, but we always felt their deep yearning for each other while trapped in unhappy marriages.
Noah & Alison on ‘The Affair’
The title says it all, and it’s weird how Dominic West’s real life mimicked his work on-screen as Noah. This relationship was never easy and always fraught with emotion, but these two couldn’t stay away from each other no matter how big the collateral damage was.
Carrie & Mr. Big on ‘Sex and the City’
Does the Carrie and Mr. Big relationship work in the long run? Let’s hope they explore that on the upcoming Sex and the City revival. We loved it best when they were single, but life found a way of them finding their way back to each other — just for a night. Yep, friends with benefits.
Fitz & Olivia on ‘Scandal’
Oh, the tricky political love triangle when you are having an affair with the president of the United States. Shonda Rhimes delivered two wildly attractive but extremely flawed characters that couldn’t stay away from each other — that’s Fitz and Olivia in a nutshell. It had us drinking Olivia Pope-sized goblets of wine each week while watching Scandal.
Fleabag & the Hot Priest on “Fleabag’
Ah, the hot Priest and Fleabag — a romance that was doomed from the start. After all, he’s a man of God who loves to sin. There was so much forbidden heat between these two, it was a religious experience for us to watch.
Grace & Thomas on ‘Peaky Blinders’
Grace and Thomas are two star-crossed lovers straight out of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet — yes, the outcome is that grim. But their love was so pure despite all of the treachery and infidelity, you just have to overlook that part.
Watch here.
Angela & Cal on ‘Watchmen’
Angela and Cal may be the most spellbinding power couple on TV in the last few years. Without completely spoiling the Watchmen storyline, it’s not infidelity that makes their love affair intriguing, it’s the secrets surrounding Cal’s identity that kept us addicted to their love story.
Ian & Mickey on ‘Shameless’
If you watch Shameless, you know how messy the Gallagher family is, so leave it to Ian to fall in love with the neighborhood thug, Mickey. Their love burns brightly, but it’s volatile at times, especially with Ian’s bipolar diagnosis — yet we know there is deep-rooted love. Ian and Mickey win us over every time.
Watch here.
Claire & Jamie on ‘Outlander’
It doesn’t get much juicier than a time-traveling wife with two husbands in two different eras. But it’s Claire and Jamie’s intense love story that transcends time, and that’s why Outlander fans are so invested in their marriage. OK, the steamy sex scenes don’t hurt either.
Melinda & Jack on ‘Virgin River’
We waited with bated breath to see if Melinda and Jack would finally get together on Virgin River. There’s nothing like the slow anticipation of sexual tension of a budding romance and that’s exactly the heat that these two deliver.
Watch here.
‘The Good Wife’: Alicia & Will
Alicia and Will were on-again and off-again, but oh yeah, Alicia did have a husband to contend with. This secret relationship fueled much of the first three seasons of The Good Wife to only take a tragic and final turn when [spoiler alert] — Will is shot to death in the courtroom.
Zoey & Simon on ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’
We already know this pick is controversial because so many Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist fans are #TeamMax, but hear us out. Max has been completely friend-zoned after his short fling with Zoey — it’s Simon and Zoey who have all of the heat. Either way, it’s a pretty juicy love triangle.
Jackson & April on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
The on-again, off-again tragedy-filled romance of Jackson and April took a serious turn when he stole her away at the altar from husband-to-be Matthew. We shed so many tears with this couple over the loss of their son, Samuel, which they never really recovered from.
Watch here.
Cersei & Jaime on ‘Game of Thrones’
This one is so complicated because it’s an incestuous relationship that started out as a youthful experimentation. It was so wrong, but we came to expect that from Game of Thrones, so we couldn’t look away from Cersei and Jaime’s connection.
Carrie & Brody on ‘Homeland’
We don’t know about you, but it wasn’t the CIA storyline that hooked us on Homeland. We were there every week for Carrie and Brody’s love story even if it didn’t end up with a happy ending at all.
Johnny & Carmen on ‘Cobra Kai’
Cobra Kai‘s Johnny and Carmen on the surface seem like they shouldn’t get along, but with his disorganized chaos and her quest for a fairy-tale ending — they can’t stay away from each other. Sure, there are some major obstacles to overcome like the toxicity of the Cobra Kai dojo that led to Carmen’s son’s life-threatening injuries, but hey, nothing they can’t overcome. Right? Right?
Watch here.
Joan & Roger on ‘Mad Men’
Let’s be honest, there was only one affair that really mattered on Mad Men: Joan and Roger. They couldn’t stay away from each other even though Roger was married. The torrid relationship eventually bore a love child, Kevin, who kept them tied forever — even if they didn’t wind up together in the end.
Dylan & Kelly on ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’
For teens of the ’90s, there is no better couple than Dylan and Kelly on Beverly Hills, 90210. If you talk about the summer episodes at the beach club, then you know the hottest love triangle with the two of them and Brenda was the talk of every middle school across the country. No one sizzled hotter than Dylan and Kelly that summer — go back and watch the reruns, it will take you right back.
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