The Idol’s graphic sex scenes are NOTHING compared to these steamy shows

HBO’s newest hit series The Idol has sparked a huge furore on social media thanks to its graphic nudity and sex scenes.

Starring Lily-Rose Depp and TheWeeknd as a pop star and a cult-leading nightclub owner who become embroiled in a problematic relationship.

And while the show has courted controversy thanks to its sex-driven content, it is still a far cry from some of TV’s steamiest ever series, from Normal People, to Sex/Life to Netflix’s megahit Bridgerton.

Viewers continued to lap up the eye-popping content on both TV and streaming services alike, with some so shocking they spark complaints to Ofcom.

So, as The Idol continues to shock with its sexual content, MailOnline takes a look at some of the steamiest hit shows in history…

Bridgerton

When it hit Netflix back in 2020, Shonda Rhimes’ steamy period drama raised eyebrows with his sexual content.

Despite being set in the 1800s, its characters are far from prim and proper, and don’t shy away from jumping into bed together while they mingle with society on their quest to find a spouse.

While the show’s second series noticeably toned down its sex scenes when compared to the first, it continued to enthrall fans with the romance between Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma.

A third series is set to be released in the coming months, and will focus on yet another new romance, this time Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.

Industry

Focusing on a group of ambitious graduates at a London investment bank, Industry, released in 2020, shocked viewers from just its second episode thanks to its graphic sex scenes and full frontal nudity.

Characters were seen performing oral sex, stripping down to lingerie and secretly watching porn, while relatively little time was spent in the office. 

Elsewhere there were scenes of drug use, full-frontal nudity and X-rated sexting. 

While some viewers have delighted with the sordid take on the City, others have called for more attention to be paid to the action outside of the bedroom. 

The show is set to return for a third series, with filming already underway, and it’s already been confirmed that Kit Harington will join the cast.

Game Of Thrones

When the tales of Westeros began in 2011, Games Of Thrones shocked viewers with its graphic sex, nudity and bloody violence.

The medieval epic earned record-breaking ratings for HBO across its eight seasons, and despite a finale that earned mixed reviews, continues to be a pop culture phenomenon.

In total, the show had more than 82 nude scenes throughout its run, with the most being during its first season.

Game Of Thrones also courted controversy thanks to some more violent sex scenes, including one when Sansa Stark was raped on her wedding night by the evil Ramsay Bolton, and the twisted incestual relationship between Cersei and Jaime Lannister.

Regardless, it paved the way for HBO to break more ground with its shows in later years, with series such as Euphoria and The Idol.

Euphoria

Following on from Game Of Thrones, Zendaya’s hard-hitting teen drama has earned critical acclaim during its first two seasons – a third is in the works.

As early as its first episode, viewers were treated to a trio of sexually-charged scenes, including Maddy’s mid-pool hookup with Tyler.

There was also a statutory rape scene involving Hunter Schafer’s 17-year-old character, Jules, and a group of shirtless teen boys hovering around a phone as they look at revenge porn photos of another character in the series.

The series focuses on Rue, a recovering drug addict struggling to find her place in the world, and her fellow classmates who battle with the struggles of love, loss and addiction.

Parents Television Council president Tim Winter already slammed the series before it aired, telling news site that it ‘appears to be overtly, intentionally marketing extremely graphic adult content — sex, violence, profanity and drug use — to teens and preteens’.  

Obsession

When it was released on Netflix earlier this year, Obsession was marked with a warning by the streaming service due to its full-frontal nudity and racy scenes.

In the show, Richard Armitage, 51, plays a surgeon called William who embarks on an affair with his son Jay’s fiancée Anna (Charlie Murphy).

Despite their disclosure about the saucy moments in the series, Netflix received a number of complaints and took to Twitter to send out a playful warning.

The UK and Ireland account posted: ‘If you’ve made the (questionable) decision to watch Obsession with your parents, these are the moments you’ll probably want to excuse yourself,’ along with time stamps for the sex scenes in each episode.

Richard also bared all for a nude scene the show, as his character became embroiled in a BDSM relationship.

In one racy scene, Anna tells Will she is in full control when they are around family or in public but he can take the lead when they are alone, while in another he checks himself into the same hotel room Anna and his son Jay stayed in the night before and humps a pillow that smells of her.

Normal People 

One of the biggest hits during the first Covid lockdown, Normal People quickly became the BBC’s sauciest ever show.

The corporation’s past shows Versailles and Wanderlust held the record for being the raunchiest series to date, until the current hit show landed on TV screens.

Normal People – which is shown on BBC Three – featured over 41 minutes of amorous action across its 12 episodes.

Calculated by The Sun, the publication catagorises these scenes as ‘sex, kissing or foreplay’, claiming that 12 percent of the show features these.

The 12-part drama, based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel about the turbulent relationship between working-class Connell [Mescal] and well-heeled Marianne Sheridan [Edgar-Jones], was praised for its unflinching take on sexuality. 

Sex/Life

Sex/Life is a based on BB Easton’s novel, 44 Chapters About 4 Men.

The plot is based around suburban mother-of-two Billie who is involved in a love triangle with her husband Cooper and an old flame from her past, Brad.

While a show involving a love triangle was bound to have its steamy moments, one particular moment from the first season left viewers’ jaws on the floor.

At one point, Brad bared his sizeable manhood in a shower, turning him into a sensation overnight.

And in the second season, Jonathan, who plays Devon on the show, dropped his towel and shows off his enhanced genitalia to the guys around him in a locker room, sparking a flurry of speculation over whether his manhoods was prosthetic, or genetic.

Skins

A British 2000s TV staple, Skins focused on a group of teenagers indulging in the rebellious vices of drugs, alcohol and sex galore.

The show was considered groundbreaking thanks to its racy content and rotating cast, though in recent years, some of its earlier stars have share their discomfort during some moments of filming.

April Pearson, who played Michelle in the first two series, admitted there wasn’t an intimacy coach present on set, like many shows have today.

She said on her podcast: ‘I turned 18 right at the beginning of filming, so I just had so many more sex scenes than everyone else. My first day was a sex scene.’

The Idol is currently airing on HBO and Max in the US, and Sky Atlantic in the UK.