TV’s 35 Best First Kisses
If a kiss is worth a thousand words, then we should have 35,000 of them, courtesy of TVLine’s list of the best first kisses on television. (Don’t worry, we’re not actually going to make you read that much to get to the steamy smooches.)
Our picks run the gamut from classic lip-locks on M*A*S*H and Cheers to a recent viral sensation on Nobody Wants This. And the Netflix rom-com’s Hot Rabbi isn’t the only hot religious man raising body temps among our selections.
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Plus, who could forget those long-awaited first kisses from The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, The X-Files and Alias that had ‘shippers losing their cool? We certainly couldn’t, even after all these years!
Whether they were sweet and innocent (like on The Wonder Years) or passionate and fiery (hello, True Blood!), these are all moments that live rent-free in our minds.
Scroll down to review TVLine’s 35 Best TV First Kisses — listed in alphabetical order, by show — and hit PLAY on the included videos to rewatch each scene. Then share your favorites in the comments, plus any that didn’t make the cut! And if you’re still in the mood for more smooches, we suggest our list of TV’s longest-awaited first kisses to see just how many episodes it took the biggest will-they-or-won’t-they couples to finally lock lips.
Buck and Tommy, 9-1-1
It’s a good thing that Buck and Tommy are both firefighters, because the sparks from their first kiss were hot enough to burn down all of Los Angeles. The chemistry between the two men was electric as Buck nervously processed his complicated feelings, only for Tommy to (finally!) silence him with a kiss, resulting in a sexual awakening seven seasons in the making.
Janine and Gregory, Abbott Elementary
The setting of a first kiss can be just as important as the actual act, and the living classroom provided a beautiful one for Janine and Gregory’s big moment. Plus, you gotta love the tender way Gregory planted one on Janine, who followed up by pulling him in by his lanyard for another kiss. We could all learn a thing or two from the teachers’ passionate lip-lock.
Sydney and Vaughn, Alias
The ABC drama’s post-Super Bowl episode began with a lingerie-clad Sydney fighting bad guys on a flying aircraft. But it was the way the episode ended, with Syd and Vaughn finally coming together amidst the ashes of SD-6, that had ‘shippers flying high.
Oliver and Felicity, Arrow
How do you make amends for busting up Olicity’s first date with the arrival of a shoulder-fired missile? By later interrupting Felicity’s “Don’t Give Me Maybes” lament with the sweetest, cupped-face kiss — and for good measure, have Oliver then say, “Don’t ask me to say I don’t love you.”
Sheldon and Amy, The Big Bang Theory
Yes, Amy had drunkenly kissed Sheldon back in Season 4. But the couple’s first real kiss came aboard a train to Wine Country in Season 7. Even better, it was Sheldon who initiated it — and he liked it! It came as a total shock to Sheldon, Amy and the studio audience.
Brennan and Booth, Bones
Forget the mistletoe moment in Season 3. During the Fox drama’s 100th episode, we learned that Temperance and Seeley had drunkenly, briefly and hawt-ly smooched soon after meeting each other. “I feel like this is going somewhere,” he murmured before their big moment. Booth, if you only knew…
Cory and Topanga, Boy Meets World
Topanga has always called the shots in her relationship with Cory, a precedent she set back in Boy Meets World‘s first season by pinning her future husband against a locker and giving him a first kiss he’d never forget (no matter how much that trifling she-devil Lauren wanted him to).
Buffy and Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Yes, the pair had some sorta kisses before they locked lips in “Once More, With Feeling,” but let’s be honest: Their musical smooch is the one that matters. Buffy just wanted something to make her feel, and boy, did she get it.
Rick and Kate, Castle
Did Rick pull Kate into this sudden clinch in order to ward off a ne’er-do-well? Yep. Did Kate in turn play along? Yep. Do those facts diffuse at all the heat of their unarguably and mutually enjoyable mash session? Nope.
Sam and Diane, Cheers
It took Diane dating Sam’s brother to push this love-hate pairing to its feisty first smooch, which took place in the middle of a no-holds-barred backroom argument. While some of the language hasn’t aged well, the heated lead-up —”Are you as turned on as I am?” “More.” — remains a classic.
Chuck and Sarah, Chuck
Fearing that a bomb was about to detonate and end both of their lives, Sarah took Chuck by surprise and kissed him. The shock factor didn’t throw Charles Carmichael off his game, though: He pulled her in tight and made their first (and potentially only) kiss count. Thankfully, there’d be many more, including the one that definitely brought Sarah’s memories back.
Bernadette and Jim, Dark Winds
As Neil Young’s “Birds” set the scene, Bernadette — leaving town for a plum job with the U.S. Border Patrol — shared a parting kiss with Jim Chee, after which both commented on the near-miss that was their almost-romance.
Jack and Ethan, Dawson’s Creek
In 2000, the teen drama delivered the first “passionate” kiss between two men on primetime television when Jack laid it all on the line. Ethan may not have reciprocated Jack’s feelings, but the moment remains an unforgettable cultural touchstone.
Whitley and Dwayne, A Different World
He was smarting from the discovery that Denise Huxtable was married, with child. She was in a funk about her father’s remarriage. Add a flat tire and being stranded in a blizzard, and you have the makings of a sweet first kiss — one of what would be a lifetime’s worth.
Fleabag and the Hot Priest, Fleabag
We were all praying for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s saucy title character to hook up with Andrew Scott’s charming man of the cloth in Season 2, and those prayers were answered when she came clean in his confessional booth about all of her insecurities — and he responded by ordering her to “kneel” before pulling her into a passionate make-out session. Holy [bleep], that was hot.
Ross and Rachel, Friends
There was no shortage of iconic Ross/Rachel moments throughout Friends‘ decade-long run, including a first kiss that was years in the making. (Well, not counting what happened at the laundromat, of course.) Even after a fight with Rachel, when he suggested that her romantic feelings were too little, too late, Ross returned to Central Perk to kiss and make up — literally!
Luke and Lorelai, Gilmore Girls
The Dragonfly Inn’s trial-run weekend was disastrous in a lot of ways — except for the sweet porch kiss that Luke and Lorelai finally shared after four frustrating seasons. Never have the words, “Will you just stand still?” been so romantic, and never have Kirk’s night terrors been so poorly timed.
Kurt and Blaine, Glee
There’s a lot to love about this long-awaited smooch: Blaine admitting that Kurt moves him. The tenderness with which he kisses Kurt for the first time. And, of course, Kurt’s playful reply when Blaine suggests they should practice their Warblers song. (“I thought we were!”) But our favorite detail is Kurt’s flexed right hand, which so adorably reveals the character’s shock and glee (heh) at being kissed by his crush.
Chuck and Blair, Gossip Girl
Five seasons before they swapped vows in Central Park, Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf swapped spit (and other fluids) in the back of a limo, launching one of The CW’s most timeless ‘ships. The big moment was so unforgettable, in fact, that we’re willing to forgive the show for underscoring it with a Sum 41 song.
Rollins and Carisi, Law & Order: SVU
For two law-enforcement officials trained in looking for clues, it took far too long for the detective and the cop-turned-assistant-district-attorney to figure out that they had feelings for each other. But once they did — primed, perhaps, by the celebration of love that was Fin and Phoebe’s joyful un-wedding? ‘Rollisi’ was officially on a roll.
Houlihan and Pierce, M*A*S*H
Margaret had just gotten a letter from her husband… but it was meant for his mistress. Hawkeye was nursing a bum leg. They’d both had liberal amounts of alcohol. And when the North Koreans started dropping bombs and the habitual antagonists huddled together for safety? Well, they didn’t call her “Hot Lips” for nothing.
Mindy and Danny, The Mindy Project
Two seasons of flirty office banter came to a head at about 30,000 feet, as Mindy’s macho co-worker Danny confessed his feelings by wrapping her up in a knee-weakening smooch during a turbulent plane ride. It was so hot, we’re surprised oxygen masks didn’t drop from the ceiling.
Tony and Ziva, NCIS
“Tony, you are so….” “Handsome? Funny?” “Loved.” And on that note, the longtime colleagues shared a long, warm kiss, after which Tony executed “the hardest 180 of my life” and let Ziva leave his life. Though not for good, it would turn out.
Nick and Jess, New Girl
Nick jumped out on a ledge just to avoid telling Jess how he envisioned their first kiss. Suffice it to say, he took her by surprise when he showed her exactly what he had in mind just hours later. Their passionate embrace lasted all of 12 seconds (yes, we counted!) — and it singlehandedly changed the DNA of the show.
Noah and Joanne, Nobody Wants This
Kristen Bell was so right when she told us that it’s all about the moments leading up to Joanne and Noah’s first kiss that make the smooch so good. From the way Noah tells Joanne to hand over her ice cream and put her purse down to the way he intently stares at her and then cups her face, all the anticipation had our body temperature rising. (No wonder Bell calls it her best on-screen kiss!)
Jim and Pam, The Office
Jim Halpert took the biggest gamble of all on Casino Night by revealing his feelings for Pam at last. No, his confession didn’t go as planned, and Pam’s reaction ultimately prompted a third season full of heartache for the pair. But we’ll always have their swoon-worthy first kiss, which Jim lovingly laid on Pam in the darkened Scranton office.
Claire and Jamie, Outlander
Unlike many of the couples on our list, Jamie and Claire’s first kiss didn’t come after an extended period of mutual longing: She was an endangered Sassenach, he was a penniless virgin, and their union came about because a clan bigwig deemed it expedient. But the possibility that bloomed the moment their lips touched? It was, to quote Jamie, as if we stepped outside on a cloudy day, and suddenly the sun came out.
Leslie and Ben, Parks and Recreation
Despite Chris Traeger’s rule that bosses and subordinates couldn’t date, Ben and Leslie did litrilly the best/worst thing when they gave into their attraction after a road trip to Indianapolis. “Uh-oh,” Leslie said when they were done. “Treat yo’ self!” we cried from our couch. (Yes, we know that episode came a season later. JUST LET US HAVE THIS, OK?)
Alex and Maggie, Supergirl
After having a mixed reaction to the sudden kiss that a newly out Alex planted on her, Maggie eventually realized, “Life is too short” and “We should kiss the girls that we want to kiss.” And kiss Alex, she did.
Sookie and Eric, True Blood
True Blood‘s “waiting sucks” tagline applied perfectly to how we felt about the three long seasons it took Sookie and Eric to finally give into their vampire-on-fairy urges. In fact, the couple’s aggressive makeout in the backroom of Fangtasia ranks among the HBO drama’s all-time hottest moments. (And remember: This show was, like, 90 percent sex scenes.)
Damon and Elena, The Vampire Diaries
Damon might have felt guilty about kissing his brother’s girlfriend in The CW drama’s third season, but as far as we’re concerned, his only lapse in judgment was not doing it sooner. (Yes, we know that Elena technically kissed Damon in the Season 2 finale, but does that really count? The guy was asleep. And he was dying from a werewolf bite. You know how that can be.)
Veronica and Logan, Veronica Mars
The former friends-turned-enemies turned up the heat when Veronica gave Logan a peck on the cheek to thank him for saving her. But he wasn’t content with an innocent kiss and spun Veronica back around as the two fully locked lips. The kiss was so unexpected and passionate, it left both characters stunned and speechless.
Glenn and Maggie, The Walking Dead
Theirs was the rare first kiss that was equal parts sexy, sweet and funny. First Maggie teased Glenn about the condoms she’d caught him with, then she admitted that sure, she’d have sex with him, took off their hats and gave him a sneak preview that was so tender, it launched a thousand ‘shippers.
Kevin and Winnie, The Wonder Years
Awww, this one hits all the nostalgic feels: At the end of the pilot of ABC’s ’60s-set series, suburban schoolboy Kevin comforted his neighbor Winnie after her brother Brian died in Vietnam, offering her his New York Jets jacket… and pulling her in for the first kiss of their young lives, with the Percy Sledge classic “When a Man Loves a Woman” serving as the perfect soundtrack.
Mulder and Scully, The X-Files
Forget that New Year’s Eve nonsense in Season 7. And while you’re at it, disregard the Season 11 tomfoolery that negates a lot of what happened in this scene. Instead, focus on the sheer joy on new mom Scully’s face, the way new pop Mulder gazed at little William and the fact that longtime ‘shippers finally got some payoff for their obsession. “The truth we both know,” indeed.
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