JuicyTalk
The shows with the most nudity are among the most widely discussed in the history of TV, as many of them have caused a stir due to their raunchy content or pushing of boundaries. While in recent years nudity has become fairly regular on the small screen, the shows with the most nudity stand out for the notable amounts of nakedness.
The first time American television audiences saw nudity in a scripted show was in 1973 with the quick shot of a male butt in M*A*S*H. By the 1980s, many shows began experimenting with female nudity, and eventually, premium networks like HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime became known for it.
Even with these movements toward sexual liberation, American broadcast networks were and still are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), prohibiting them from airing “acts of indecency” without receiving a hefty fine. In 2008, the FCC proposed a $1.43 million fine against ABC TV stations for showing a partially nude woman in a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue.
However, free from the FCC’s indecency and profanity regulations, it is no longer shocking to see nudity on TV shows. With shows like Game of Thrones bringing in millions of viewers, sex on TV is no longer as rare as it once was.
Banshee (2013–2016)
Where To Watch: HBO Max
Before he took the lead role as Homelander in The Boys, Antony Starr was the lead in the Cinemax action series Banshee. Starr plays a man released from prison after serving 15 years for stealing diamonds for a Ukrainian mob boss. Since this man and his girlfriend kept the diamonds, he goes into hiding in a small town where he pretends to be Lucas Hood and takes on the role of the town sheriff.
While an action drama, Banshee has a lot of nudity and graphic sex scenes, something that Cinemax was once known for. The show has multiple instances of nudity, usually happening at least once per episode.
Rome (2005-2007)
Where To Watch: HBO Max
Rome aired on HBO in the mid-2000s, a period when some of the highest-quality and critically acclaimed shows for the network were in production. This is a historical drama that is set in Rome as it transitions from a Republic to an Empire.
It has a huge cast of characters and was a huge critical success itself, picking up 11 Emmy Awards in its two seasons on the air. Rome was also known early on in its run for its graphic nudity, although those moments lessened in the second season. It is not quite as gratuitous as Game of Thrones, but there are still a lot of male and female nudity and sex scenes in this HBO series.
Euphoria (2019-Present)
Where To Watch: HBO Max
Euphoria has been a controversial show since it premiered on HBO, but that has not stopped it from being a ratings success for the cable service. What makes the show so controversial is that it approaches drug addiction, sex, and violence in a high school setting.
Zendaya stars in the lead role as Rue, a teenage drug addict who returns from rehab but slips back into her old ways. There are overdoses, sexual assault, domestic violence, and more in the series, and the show pulls very few punches. There are also a lot of sex scenes and graphic nudity, often making the scenes uncomfortable to watch, considering the situations.
Westworld (2016-2022)
Where To Watch: Prime Video (Purchase Only)
Based on the 1973 movie of the same name, Westworld is an HBO series that sets up amusement parks filled with robots who take on the roles of actors that the visitors can then role-play with in various situations. In the first season, it was a Western-themed park, but as the seasons wore on, the story took on a dystopian sci-fi theme.
The series was a critical success and won several Emmys for its cast and story. As an HBO series, there is also a lot of nudity, but these scenes mostly occur in the first season, with the role-playing at the Western park featuring a lot of sex scenes. By the second season, these had lessened considerably. Despite being an HBO series, Westworld is no longer available to watch on HBO Max.
Harlots (2017-2019)
Where To Watch: Hulu
Harlots is a Hulu series that tells the story of brothels in London in the 1760s. Since this show takes place mostly inside a brothel, there is a lot of nudity throughout the series. The story follows a specific brothel owned by Margaret Wells, a madam who fights for her rights as the brothel owner, battling the police, religious organizations, and more.
There are a lot of sex scenes in the series, and this means there is a lot of nudity, both female breasts and both male and female from behind. However, this is a feminist series and does a lot to show the power of these women, never exploiting them with its nude scenes.
P-Valley (2020-Present)
Where To Watch: Starz
P-Valley is a show that airs on Starz and adapts the Katori Hall play Pussy Valley. The show follows the lives of people who work at a club in Mississippi called The Pynk. It ended up as a monster success, and the series sits at 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The show mostly views the strippers’ lives as they work in the club and all the trials and tribulations they go through.
Because this takes place in a club environment, P-Valley is, of course, a TV show with a lot of nudity, but it is nothing graphic, and it mostly exists as part of the show’s world. It might be excessive to some, but it never feels out of place or exploitative. Though season 2 aired in 2022, a third season is still in development.
Vinyl (2016)
Where To Watch: Prime Video (Purchase Only)
Vinyl is a TV series that aired on HBO and was created by Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese, among others. It is a period drama that stars Bobby Cannavale as a record executive in the 1970s. The show only lasted for one season before HBO canceled it with just 10 episodes.
The series focuses on the change from rock to punk and disco while showing the sex and drugs that were in excess during that era. Vinyl was also known for a full-frontal nude scene in the very first episode. There is also other nudity throughout, including topless women, but nothing overly explicit compared to many other TV shows that are heavy on nakedness.
Carnival Row (2019-2023)
Where To Watch: Prime Video
In 2019, Amazon Prime Video premiered its fantasy series Carnival Row. The series stars Orlando Bloom as a police detective who investigates a brutal murder that leads the police to suspect an immigrant to the city, a group of mythical creatures driven out of their homeland during a war.
The regular humans hate them, and when dead bodies start piling up, it threatens to start more violence between the two groups. When it comes to the nudity in Carnival Row, there are many views of female nudity, both full-frontal and partial, and there are also sex scenes with nudity from behind for the men.
The Deuce (2017-2019)
Where To Watch: HBO Max
The Deuce is an HBO series with some big names in the starring roles. James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal headline the series, which is set in the 1970s and focuses on the drug epidemic ravaging New York City. Gyllenhaal plays Eileen, a former prostitute who used the name Candy Renee, and decides to get started in the growing porn industry in NYC.
Franco is both Vincent and Frankie, twin brothers who become fronts for the Mafia. The series was a success, with Gyllenhaal picking up a Golden Globe nomination. There is a great deal of nudity thanks to the porn plot, including full-frontal for men and women involved in sexual acts.
Oz (1997-2003)
Where To Watch: HBO Max
Premiering in 1997, Oz was one of HBO’s first dramatic television shows, and it set the template for the critically-acclaimed shows that followed. Oz is a maximum security prison in New York, and the series follows the inmates and prison guards through their lives there. The cast is phenomenal, with names like Ernie Hudson, Harold Perrineau, Kirk Acevedo, J.K. Simmons, Dean Winters, Rita Moreno, and more.
The nudity is also excessive at times, but there is one big difference here. The nudity in Oz is almost exclusively graphic male nudity, with arguably more full-frontal male nudity than in any other television series in history.
