TV Guide's 20 Hottest Kisses of All Time

[Natasha (candygirl)]

In honor of Valentine's Day, the February 6-12 issue lists the 20 hottest tv kisses:

1. Ross and Rachel, Friends, 11/9/95
Ross, who's adored Rachel since high school, finally moves on. That's when Rachel discovers her feelings for Ross. At long last, they arrive at the right place at the right time - Central Perk during a rainstrom - and in each other's arms. "It amazes me that we did not know Ross and Rachel were gonig to be the romantic center of the series," says cocreator Marta Kauffman. "It's moments like [the kiss] that solidified that and carried the emotional weight for a long time."

2. Father Ralph and Meggie, The Thorn Birds, 3/27/83
In a major case of forbidden love, Father Ralph strays from his vows to pursue Meggie. The two devour each otehr in the most memorable clinch in the sand since "From Here to Eternity." "During the shoot, [Rachel Ward] was fallign in love with [costar] Bryan Brown, so she was all aglow with love," says Richard Chamberlain (Father Ralph). "But I was perfectly happy to think it was all about me."

3. Sam and Diane, Cheers, 3/31/83
Sam and Diane are bickering (again), but in the season finale, it sets sparks flying. "Are you as turned on as I am?" he says." "More," she gasps. They stop locking horns long enough to lock lips. Of their g-force embrace, Shelley Long (Diane) recalls, "The challenge for us was getting into it without destroying each other's teeth."

4. Carrie and Big, Sex and the City, 2/22/04
When Carrie declares that she needs "ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love," she means one thing - Big. Though an alternate series ending was shot that featured Carrie walking away saying, "Too little, too late," the show's creators wisely gave viewers what they'd waited six seasons to see.

5. Maddie and David, Moonlighting, 3/31/87
Screwball attraction comes to a head when Maddie discovers David in her bed. Furious at being caught off guard, she slaps him - twice. Then, to the strains of "Be My Baby," they pounce on each other with an abandon that makes pulp of her postmodern digs. Cybill Shepherd (Maddie) remembers it as "one of the great kisses of my life, on screen or off."

6. Kate and Sawyer, Lost, 11/10/04
Series cocreator JJ Abrams calls the scene where a tortured Sawyer demands a kiss from Kate in exchange for information "as intense and charged as any I've ever worked on." The two new faces came into their own with that climactic kiss, Abrams says. "Seeing these terrific actors, who were unsure of themselves, together like that was a thrill. I was really proud of them."

7. Buffy and Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 11/6/01
Angel was Buffy's soul mate, but it's another vampire who helps get her groove back in this musical episode. Spike, her besotted, perpetually rebuffed ex-nemesis, saves her when the depressed slayer is about to toe-tap herself into oblivion. That's when the lady and the vamp make music together.

8. Susan and Mike, Desperate Housewives, 10/31/04
The flirty neighbors finally connect, but behind the scenes, things were anything but steamy. "Teri [Hatcher] was so uncomfortable. I was convinced she hated me," recalls James Denton (Mike). "Afterward, I found out she broke a rib earlier that night and didn't want to tell anyone. Man, was I relieved."

9. Pacey and Joey, Dawson's Creek, 4/26/00
It was always supposed to be Joey and Dawson. Things get complicated when Pacey, Dawson's best friend, and Joey reailze they're drawn to each other. Katie Holmes (Joey) was thrilled. "They had great chemistry. Seeing them together just made sense."

10. Sydney and Vaughn, Alias, 1/26/03
With SD-6 left in a shambles, star-crossed lovers Sydney and Vaughn share an intentionally epic first kiss. "We wanted to reward the viewers by going completely over the top," says series creator JJ Abrams. Shooting the scene wasn't exactly hard labor for Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan, Abrams notes. "They were dating at the time, so it wasn't very tough for them to do."

11. Alex and Ellen, Family Ties, 10/3/85
When Alex drives seven hours to stop Ellen's wedding to another guy, she can't help but lose her heart to him. Things heated up off screen, too. Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan married in 1988, and 17 years and four kids later, they're still together.

12. Marissa and Ryan, The O.C., 11/5/03
"[There had been] several episodes of unbelievable romantic tensiopn," says creator Josh Schwartz. "Ryan is terrified of heights, but he jumps on the Ferris wheel with Marissa. Marissa is touched. She leans in and kisses him with her eyes closed and his open. He's so happy he lets them go around [the ride] again."

13. Hawkeye and Hot Lips, M*A*S*H, 12/6/77
The 4077's by-the-book head nurse and playboy surgeon constantly clash. But in this episode written by Alan Alda (Hawkeye), they find themselves in a surprising position. Caught behind enemy lines, they cling to each other in comfort, igniting a heady embrace.

14. Carol and Doug, ER, 5/11/00
After a year apart, Carol follows soulmate Doug to Seattle for a dramatic reunion. But the real showstoper is the unexpected, unbilled 11th hour appearance of George Clooney. He'd become a movie star but returned to TV to play Doug for scale: $596.

15. Luke and Laura, General Hospital, 11/16/81
Viewers are stunned when shady Luke rapes good girl Laura. But when the duo push TV taboos to the limit and bloom into lovers, they open up the soaps to a whole new audience - younger, hipper and just as obsessed as their desperate housewife counterparts. When the two finally walk down the aisle, 30 million people tune in to watch the nuptial kiss.

16. Mulder and Scully, The X-Files, 5/20/01
Mulder is being tortured by aliens. Scully is pregnant, and who's the father, Fox or ET? When Scully hands her human baby (played by writer/producer John Shiban's son) to Mulder, he acknowledges "the truth we both know" with a kiss.

17. John and Aeryn, Farscape, 3/21/03
Interspecies sweethearts and expectant parents John and Aeryn grab a tender kiss after all they've survived: torture, madness, jealousy and a universe of murderous aliens. Alas, seconds later the characters are vaporized. And only a few days later, the show is canceled. They couldn't, apparently, survive the low ratings.

18. Luke and Lorelai, Gilmore Girls, 5/18/04
After four seasons circling each other, the two finally connect. "It had to come out of one of their Hepburn-Tracy moments," says creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. "The first time [Lauren Graham and Scott patterson kissed], they nailed it. It was so right, so not nauseating."

19. Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura, Star Trek, 11/22/68
The only smooch between Kirk and Uhura may have been forced by some game-playing aliens, but nonetheless it's TV's first interracial kiss. "They decided to shoot it [with and without the kiss]," says Nichelle Nichols (Uhura). "When it's time to do it without the kiss, [William Shatner] looks into the camera and crosses his eyes. Then the room erupts."

20. Trista and Ryan's wedding, 12/10/03
Bachelorette Trista Rehn married hunky firefighter Ryan Sutter in a $4 million televised wedding. They seal the deal when she leaps into his arms. "Maybe it was a little immature," Rehn says. "But it was romantic, and that's the essence of us."