Double cringe points if you're watching with your parents! Welcome to WatchMojo.world, and today we’re counting down our picks for moments of on-screen or implied TV intimacy that have us — or the characters — cringing. Spoiler alert: major plot-related awkwardness will abound. Our countdown includes moments from shows like “Game of Thrones,” "Riverdale," "How I Met Your Mother," and more! What other hookup scenes had you wishing you never turned the TV on? Let us know in the comments below!
### Top 10 Cringe-Worthy TV Intimacy Moments
1. **Game of Thrones** (2011-2019)
- Scene: Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen
- Why it’s awkward: The romantic connection between Jon and Daenerys turns cringe-worthy when they, and viewers, discover they are related. The subsequent scenes are laden with uncomfortable tension.
2. **Riverdale** (2017-)
- Scene: Archie and Ms. Grundy
- Why it’s awkward: The inappropriate student-teacher relationship between Archie and Ms. Grundy is both scandalous and cringe-worthy, especially considering the power dynamics at play.
3. **How I Met Your Mother** (2005-2014)
- Scene: Barney and Robin’s “Video”
- Why it’s awkward: When Barney and Robin accidentally make a sex tape and it’s discovered by the group, the ensuing awkwardness and humor make everyone cringe.
4. **The Office** (2005-2013)
- Scene: Michael and Jan’s Dinner Party
- Why it’s awkward: Michael and Jan's painfully uncomfortable relationship reaches a cringe-worthy climax during their disastrous dinner party, complete with awkward PDA and tense arguments.
5. **Friends** (1994-2004)
- Scene: Ross and Rachel’s Tape
- Why it’s awkward: When Ross accidentally reveals he has a tape of his and Rachel’s first intimate encounter, it leads to an awkward group viewing and plenty of cringing.
6. **Big Mouth** (2017-)
- Scene: Nick’s Fantasy with the Hormone Monster
- Why it’s awkward: The explicit and exaggerated fantasies involving the Hormone Monster are both hilarious and cringey, making viewers squirm in their seats.
7. **The Vampire Diaries** (2009-2017)
- Scene: Damon and Elena’s First Time
- Why it’s awkward: While highly anticipated, the context of Damon’s history with Elena’s family and his manipulative behavior make their first intimate encounter unsettling.
8. **True Blood** (2008-2014)
- Scene: Bill and Lorena’s Twisted Reunion
- Why it’s awkward: The violent and disturbing nature of Bill and Lorena’s encounter makes it a cringey and uncomfortable scene to watch.
9. **The Simpsons** (1989-)
- Scene: Homer and Marge’s “Scandalous” Tape
- Why it’s awkward: When Homer and Marge’s intimate tape accidentally gets shown at a public event, the resulting embarrassment and humor make for a cringey moment.
10. **Sex and the City** (1998-2004)
- Scene: Miranda’s “Cleaning” Incident
- Why it’s awkward: Miranda’s attempt at multitasking during an intimate moment leads to an e
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Oh, Jack, stop!
00:03Come on!
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:08And today, we're counting down our picks
00:10for moments of on-screen or implied TV intimacy
00:14that have us, or the characters, cringing,
00:17whether they actually go all the way or not.
00:19Spoiler alert, major plot-related awkwardness
00:22will abound.
00:24I think I'm going to go get, like,
00:27I'll see if the front desk has a seam ripper.
00:31Number 10, Dan, Olivia, and Vanessa
00:34makes three, Gossip Girl.
00:36The phrase, to his company, three is a crowd,
00:39has never been more apropos.
00:41You ever have a, no.
00:43When Dan and Olivia decide to include roommate
00:45Vanessa in their threesome, things get predictably dull.
00:50It doesn't help matters that the scene is brief after weeks
00:53and weeks of hype.
00:54Also, Hilary Duff of Lizzie McGuire fame is involved.
00:57So that has the potential to feel strange.
01:00Gossip Girl has never failed to deliver
01:02on sexy, soapy goodness before.
01:04But even fans were shrugging at this perfunctory
01:07and unmemorable scene.
01:09In short, making a fictional threesome disconventional
01:12can and should be considered a misdemeanor
01:15against television.
01:16What is going on?
01:16Do you bozos have a threesome or something?
01:20Oh, God.
01:21Number nine, Monica's parents get it on, Friends.
01:25Hiding a love affair with your parents' friend
01:28who hasn't been there.
01:29Arguably worse, however, is hiding your romance from them
01:32in a bathtub while they decide to make out and more.
01:35He told Johnny that he thinks he's falling in love with her.
01:38Monica and her older boo, Richard,
01:40may be forbidden lovers tempting fate and social convention,
01:43but they were slowly getting ready to come clean.
01:46Maybe we should just tell him.
01:48Maybe we should just tell your parents first.
01:51My parents are dead.
01:52And yes, Monica herself has gotten
01:55into her fair share of inopportune situations.
01:58Regardless, no one deserves to witness their parents
02:01being intimate in the bathroom with no way out.
02:04Her reaction says it all.
02:06Honestly, we feel the same while watching.
02:08This is not an interaction we want to be in the room for.
02:11It's my birthday.
02:14Number eight, Polo and Ander connect while Guzman sleeps,
02:18Elite.
02:19People these days can be so rude.
02:21In the second season of Elite, Ander and Polo
02:24help an intoxicated Guzman get to sleep.
02:26That's nice, but then the pair gets a little too cozy.
02:30One thing leads to another, and they
02:31grow intimate beside Guzman's unconscious form.
02:34Seriously, guys.
02:36Did we mention Guzman is still mourning
02:38the loss of his sister Marina?
02:39This is mood whiplash at its worst.
02:42Plus, Ander may have had a fight with his boyfriend Omar,
02:46but he is still essentially cheating on him.
02:48Oh, and also, Polo is Marina's murderer.
02:51Needless to say, this scene is truly
02:54unnecessary on all levels.
02:56Number seven, Caught in the Act, Modern Family.
02:59An unfortunate walk-in incident has
03:01truly awkward consequences.
03:03Alex, Haley, and Luke decide to surprise their parents
03:06Claire and Phil with breakfast, only to get
03:08the surprise of their lives.
03:09One, two, three.
03:12Surprise!
03:14No!
03:15Oh!
03:16We know it's totally natural, but it's not
03:19something any kid wants to see their parents doing.
03:21It's also not something any parent
03:23wants their offspring witnessing them do, for that matter.
03:26You screamed, they dropped a tray of dishes,
03:28and then they ran out of here like they were on fire.
03:30This chaotic panic scene, though brief,
03:32makes that plenty evident.
03:34Funnily enough, the kids later give their mom and dad
03:37a lock as an anniversary gift.
03:39Now, every time they use it, Alex, Haley, and Luke
03:42will know what is going down, our sincerest sympathies.
03:46We'll use it all the time.
03:48Number six, Marshall and Lily Picture Their Parents.
03:52It might be healthy to marry someone like your parents,
03:55but Marshall and Lily didn't need to know that.
03:58Psychologically speaking, it's perfectly normal
04:00to wind up with someone like your parents.
04:02Once the power couple hear this common
04:04psychological observation, they each
04:06start thinking a bit too hard about the other's habits.
04:09Suddenly, neither can look at the other
04:11without visualizing their respective fathers.
04:13And thanks to this sitcom's clever narrative device,
04:17we can't either.
04:18I am gonna rock your world.
04:23In order to represent Lillian Marshall's imaginations,
04:26actors Chris Elliott and Bill Fagerbakke
04:29actually take the place of their on-screen children.
04:31We cringe as much as the characters
04:33whenever we watch this force vomit-inducing interaction.
04:37The ick factor is all in their head,
04:40but it's enough to make even the first base
04:42of this hookup scene scary.
04:44No, I can't come through with this.
04:46Thank God, me neither.
04:47Number five, first-time flashbacks, New Girl.
04:50It's often romanticized as a momentous,
04:52life-altering moment, but sometimes,
04:55losing your virginity is just a mess.
04:57In this episode, New Girl's ensemble characters
05:00talk about their first experiences,
05:01and we're treated to some wild tales.
05:04Promise you, mine's worse than all of yours.
05:06It's hard to choose the most awkward yet hilarious one.
05:09There's Jess demanding that her prom date
05:11rip off her dress, trying to hook up with a musician,
05:14and finally getting intimate with a fireman named Teddy.
05:17Take me home, Teddy.
05:20Take me home.
05:21There's a very greased-up Schmidt struggling,
05:24and Nick ultimately having to give him a hand.
05:27There's Winston's very brief encounter.
05:29Oh, and there's Cece,
05:30whose first time was with Mick Jagger.
05:33Let's just say they all deserve their moment
05:36in the hall of shame.
05:37Hello, I'd like to make love to you.
05:41Number four, Authentically Cringeworthy, Sex Education.
05:44Speaking of cumbersome sex scenes,
05:46here's a show that opens with
05:48one of the clumsiest we can imagine.
05:50High school sweethearts Amy and Adam
05:51fool around to typically tricky results.
05:54We can't show much of it here,
05:56but it ends with Adam faking enjoyment
05:58and Amy catching him out.
05:59Did you just fake it?
06:00It's a horribly uncomfortable situation for the pair,
06:03and it isn't a walk in the park for us either.
06:05That's probably because it's so real.
06:08The show does an incredible job
06:09of portraying intimacy in all its complications,
06:12and yes, cringiness.
06:14In fact, if we're including almost sex scenes,
06:17this attempt between Otis and Lily
06:18midway through season one
06:20would definitely be up there for secondhand embarrassment.
06:26Number three, Jamie and Cersei Lannister are Discovered,
06:29Game of Thrones.
06:30The TV adaptation of George R.R. Martin's epic novels
06:34grew infamous for its graphic sex scenes.
06:36Indeed, there is no shortage of embarrassingly frank
06:39and sometimes disturbing ones of most every kind.
06:43Perhaps none is as freakish
06:45as seeing twins Jamie and Cersei Lannister's
06:47trysts through the eyes of Bran Stark.
06:49Everything from what the siblings are doing
06:51to the way they're discovered
06:53to the violent way in which they react
06:54has us hiding our faces behind a pillow.
06:57It's simply too hard to watch.
06:59He saw us!
07:00I heard you the first time.
07:02The shenanigans don't stop there either.
07:04In season eight, Arya, the Stark we've grown up with,
07:07seduces Gendry, the things we do for love.
07:10Arya, I...
07:14Number two, Archie and Veronica in the Shower, Riverdale.
07:17As we know, nature's mating imperative
07:20can strike at the most inconvenient of times.
07:23One minute you're washing your dad's blood off yourself
07:25after he's been shot.
07:26The next minute your girlfriend wants to join you
07:28and of course the answer is yes.
07:30Archie, you okay?
07:33Granted, this scene wouldn't feel so completely odd
07:36under different circumstances,
07:37but Fred's life is literally hanging in the balance
07:41and these two are doing this?
07:43Thought you might want some company?
07:45Oh, and of course, there's not a piece of jewelry or hair
07:49out of place on Veronica the whole time.
07:51Hey, Riverdale is going to be Riverdale after all.
07:55We wouldn't call this shower scene steamy.
07:57Thankfully it's brief, but it remains oh so awkward.
08:00I thought I wanted to help.
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08:20Number one, the Obama moment, Fleabag.
08:22The 44th president of the United States
08:25has never been so beloved for all the wrong reasons.
08:28Whatever your political persuasion,
08:30there are a few things that can best watching Fleabag
08:33to Barack Obama's press conference speech.
08:35Divisions of tribe, divisions of sector.
08:40We also know that-
08:41Naturally, her boyfriend is also there
08:43and wakes up at the most inopportune time.
08:46Yikes.
08:47What are you doing?
08:48Nothing.
08:49Talk about making an impression in your pilot.
08:50Many online couldn't help but react
08:52when Obama later included the show's following season
08:55in his yearly best of list.
08:57Perhaps he felt flattered?
08:59Not to be topped, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
09:01gave him a cheeky shout-out
09:02in her Golden Globes acceptance speech.
09:04Fleabag remains Fleabag,
09:06incorrigibly inappropriate as always.
09:09What's he talking about?
09:13Iraq.
09:14What other hookup scenes had you wishing
09:16you never turned the TV on?
09:18Let us know in the comments down below.
09:20And don't forget to like and subscribe
09:21for more WatchMojo videos.
09:23Leaving is so slippery.
09:24Ah!
09:25Oh!
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