Hold Onto Your Butts: Five Sexy TV Moments That Went To Unexpected Places [NSFW]

Much has already been made of the frank portrayals of sex on this HBO series (and then made again, on and on into eternity), but this is the first we’ve seen of any of the girls enjoying the forbidden fruit of the backyard BBQ. Kudos to the show for engaging the most senses in their depiction of the act, accompanying the stunning visuals with the downright exhilarating sound of Marnie’s gluteal skin fapping away as shaggy folk musician Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) goes to work. [Where to stream Girls]

ABC has the distinction of being the only major network on this list, as (like many of you) NBC, CBS, and even FOX have been too frightened to dip their toe in the metaphorical ass-to-mouth water. Showrunnner Peter Nowalk promised “more same-sex sex” in this freshman procedural, and he didn’t waste any time getting down to the nitty gritty, barely introducing us to Connor (Jack Falahee) before establishing him as a butt munching go-getter in a scene of implied analingus with IT expert Oliver (Conrad Ricamora). [Where to stream How to Get Away With Murder]

Like its spiritual little sister Girls, Sex and the City also introduced its audience to the harrowing world of ass play in Season Four when career-driven Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) gets an unexpected surprise from a new lover and, like any first-timer, takes to the brunch table to loudly discuss it with all her friends. While the scene itself is largely played for laughs, the show wins points for being the only one on this list to give each character a defined point of view on the act itself, with each woman weighing in with varying degrees of disgust and delight. By the episode’s end, Miranda becomes the only woman on this list to come close to eating out a male partner, lampshading the troubling lack of heterosexual rim-reciprocation on display throughout popular media. That particular groundbreaking role is still up for grabs to some lucky actress out there. [Where to stream Sex and the City]

While some argue that HBO’s queer-focused drama might be a bit dramatically inert, this entry showcases much of what the show did right in its first year (i.e. plainly trying to replicate creator Andrew Haigh’s previous success in Weekend). Early in the episode, Patrick (Jonathan Groff) is surprised by new paramour Richie (Raul Castillo) with a trip a bit farther downtown than he’s used. Though the show telegraphs the (beautifully shot) moment, showing Patrick cleansing himself in the shower in the scenes prior, Richie’s assurances that Patrick is “clean” touch upon an aspect of rimming that often goes untalked about when it’s portrayed on television. Art imitating life, am I right? [Where to stream Looking]

In the early days of Showtime’s escalating prestige war with HBO, it brought over this UK import to shock and awe American audiences whose previous experiences with gay men on TV had been largely wrapped up in respectability politics and clown work. In the first of many pedantically pornographic sequences, Brian Kinney (Gale Harold) meets and educates young Justin (Randy Harrison) on everything from special K to bottoming to — you guessed it — rimming. While the scene is arguably the most graphic of the bunch and definitely the most problematic (Harrison’s character is — yikes — 17 to Harold’s 29), it’s also the most celebratory of the act itself, as both the camera and Brian’s tongue lingers in all the right places. Inexplicably, while nearly every other sex act has been left intact, Netflix decided to edit out this particular scene. Never fear ,however, as more than a few Youtube heroes have uploaded the scene in question. [Where to stream Queer as Folk]

Joel Kim Booster is a Brooklyn based comedian, writer, and rimmer.