A kiss without chemistry is like Bravo without The Real Housewives of New Jersey, or Sons of Anarchy minus the motorcycles or even basic cable without at least three procedural crime dramas. It’s a flop, and what good is plopping down in front of the TV to forget our troubles without some vicarious lip locking?
For a kiss to be successful, the couples have to look hot, and their kisses have to be passionate and filled with longing or purpose. Otherwise, what’s the point? So, while kissing is fairly common practice on every television program, only a few manage to rise above the fray. Here are a few of 2012’s most noteworthy kisses.
#11 Olivia Pope and President Grant, Scandal
Olivia is unflappable when it comes to her career in crisis management. However, her clients aren’t the only ones with secrets they would like to keep hidden. In the show’s season premiere, viewers learn that Olivia has one particularly dangerous skeleton in her closet; she had an ongoing affair with the leader of the free world, who also happens to be married. When she finds out he had an affair with a young female aid, she confronts him in the oval office. One minute they are engaged in a nasty quarrel and the next they are kissing passionately.
#10 Castle and Beckett, Castle
Why are kisses always more romantic when they happen in the pouring rain? Technically, Beckett just shows up beautifully damp yet still well-coiffed for her first real kiss with Castle. Yes, they are no strangers to each other’s lips, but kissing as part of an undercover assignment does not count. He tries to resist her apology, and her confession that during a brush with death all she could think of was him. But seriously, what guy can resist that type of sweet talk? Not only does Castle get a passionate kiss, he rounds to second almost immediately.
#9 Robb and Talisa, Game of Thrones
There isn’t much time or priority placed on romance in this fantasy series, but King in the North Robb is swept off his feet when he meets healer Talisa. This beautiful and opinionated woman is not intimidated by the man who could be king. Although Robb’s hand if not his heart is betrothed to another, his lips are all, or should I say all over, Talisa.
#8 Jackson and April, Grey’s Anatomy
This unlikely duo became closer in the eighth season after struggling professionally bonds them together. When they travel to San Francisco to take their board exams, April experiences some emotional instability. She goes from weeping one minute to getting into a brawl with another resident the next. Riding an adrenaline high, she not only shares her first kiss with Jackson, but gives him her V card as well.
#7 Scott and Allison, Teen Wolf
When becoming sexually aroused can literally turn you into an animal, it can put a serious crimp in your game. So, it’s no surprise that Scott and Allison’s first few kisses are sweet but not spectacular. The first time they actually manage to get horizontal, pawing almost turns into clawing. With Scott’s animal magnetism, let’s just say any kiss between this beast and his beauty that she survives is memorable.
#6 Nora and Eric, True Blood
It doesn’t take Eric long to recover from Sookie’s rejection. After managing to blow up a car from the trunk, Bill and Eric face the wrath of Hayes until Nora stakes him. As soon as Eric sees her, they enjoy a long erotic kiss complete with flames in the background. Later, they engage in behavior that seems incredibly inappropriate for “siblings.”
#5 Brody and Rachel, Glee
Let’s face facts, Finn, or no Finn, when Rachel first sees Brody step out of that shower she is one smitten kitten. What better way to get over your first love than by hooking up with a hot NYADA grad student? After Rachel gets a “Vogue” caliber makeover, and she a Brody sing a duet, Glee’s version of foreplay, Brody comes for dinner and gets some unexpected dessert.
#4 Jack and Emily, Revenge
The extremely focused Emily Thorne almost never deviates from her chosen course of action. However, her childhood love and his yellow lab melt this ice princess’s heart into a puddle on a few occasions. When Jack’s loyal companion Sam passes away, the two find comfort in each other; more specifically, in each other’s lips.
#3 Snow/Mary Margaret and Charming/David, Once Upon a Time
No couple has had to overcome more obstacles to get a kiss than this fairy tale couple. First, the evil queen curses them to life in a small town in Maine where they have no memory of each other. David is in a coma. When he wakes up, he begins to bond with Mary Margaret only to find out he has a wife. Mary Margaret and David try to stay away from each other but wind up engaging in some very unfairytale-like behavior. His marriage falls apart, and the town thinks Mary Margaret is a tramp. His wife tries to leave town but disappears. She is soon believed to have been murdered. Mary Margaret is arrested for the crime. The wife reappears and Mary Margaret is set free but wants nothing to do with David, because he questioned her innocence. However, when true love finally breaks the evil queen’s spell, the two share a kiss worth waiting for.
#2 Damon and Elena, The Vampire Diaries
Damon and Elena have locked lips several times over the course of the first three seasons: when Elena offers him comfort as he is dying from a werewolf bite; when Damon mistakes Katherine for her doppelganger, and when they both need comfort when Stefan goes off the rails and becomes an inhumane “ripper.” However, it is the passionate moment, initiated completely by Elena; they share on a motel balcony that steams up TV screens everywhere.
#1 Zoe and Wade, Hart of Dixie
If it weren’t for boxed wine, Wade would never have made it to first base with the good Dr. Zoe Hart her first night in town. However, being stranded in the tiny hamlet of Bluebell, Alabama gives Zoe no other choice but to get to know the laid-back bartender. Viewers get to see a softer side of the arrogant womanizer, who over time develops feelings for the adorable doc. In the season finale, both overcome their stubbornness and give in to their mutual attraction.
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
