Procedurals are not just about solving cases, more often than not, they’re the place for some of the most beloved ships in television. From Mulder and Scully to Brennan and Booth, we can thank procedurals of all kinds for some of the best couples on television. And what’s a good couple without one kiss scene fans won’t stop replaying?
From first kisses to best kisses, here we count down the 10 best kisses to ever grace procedural television, and tell you where to watch each of the shows they’re featured on.
Castle and Beckett, Castle (2009-2016)
Castle and Beckett’s first real kiss in the Season 4 finale of Castle, titled “Always,” is one for the books. As is the case in many procedurals, they had kissed before, but a fake kiss to distract someone doesn’t give the butterflies their first real kiss—which is also, officially, the beginning of their relationship—does. Particularly considering it comes after Castle walking away from being a NYPD consultant, Beckett resigning, his love confession, and her admitting that nothing, not even catching her mother’s killer, is as important as he is. From here on out, the mystery writer and NYD detective go on to marry and have kids.
Brennan and Booth, Bones (2005-2017)
Brennan and Booth’s first real kiss on Bones is bittersweet because it is not actually the beginning of their relationship. But the 100th episode of the show, titled “The Sums in the Part of the Whole,” which flashes back to when the two originally met and locked lips, explains so much of what came after, so it’s hard not to appreciate it anyway. And sure, Brennan rejects him, and so much happens afterward, but in the end, these two find their way back to each other and go on to have a family together.
Mulder and Scully, The X-Files (1993-2018)
A list like this one was always going to feature Mulder and Scully, particularly because it wasn’t until Season 7’s “Millennium” that the two first shared what looked to be a casual kiss, the type you give someone you’re already used to kissing. Talk about making fans wait too long and then making it seem so normal. And though the show never really gave fans the romantic content they wanted, a movie and two revival seasons later, The X-Files ended with Mulder and Scully, once again, ready to start a family. It seems like not even Chris Carter could fight against their chemistry.
Donna and Harvey, Suits (2011-2019)
It took eight seasons before Donna and Harvey, the couple people were rooting for since Suits started, to finally lock lips in the season finale, titled “Harvey.” Fans even lost hope once or twice. But in the end, Harvey and Donna realized what fans already knew: This journey could only lead to the two of them together. Donna already knew. Harvey needed this episode to realize that, when things seemed lost, all he wanted was Donna. Fast forward to now, and as the Suits LA spinoff confirmed, the two are not just married but have a family together.
Kensi and Deeks, NCIS: Los Angeles (2009-2023)
This is one of the few cases where their first kiss—an undercover kiss, and not the beginning of their relationship—makes the list, if only because it was the kiss that proved this was *the* ship of NCIS: Los Angeles, and perhaps even the franchise. It was the Season 3 episode “Neighborhood Watch,” the kind of fanfic type hour that no fan should miss that saw them lock lips to avoid being caught snooping around a suspect’s house. Kensi and Deeks would go on to get together mid-Season 6 of the show and never look back. Fans got to experience a wedding, an adoption, and even a pregnancy by the end of the show.
Tony and Ziva, NCIS (2003-present)
Another couple who shared an undercover kiss before their first real kiss, and whose first real kiss was a goodbye kiss, this list is still not complete without NCIS’s Tony and Ziva. It was bittersweet, because it comes after Ziva resigns NCIS to protect the team, and after Tony tracks her down only for her to tell him she wants to live in peace. So, even though the Season 11 episode “Past, Present and Future,” is the beginning of the story, a lot of it happens off-screen. After the goodbye the two—and their daughter Tali—come together to form a family, one we will see back on our screens in the new spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Hopefully, this time, we'll get all the content on our screens.
Stella and Kelly, Chicago Fire (2012-present)
The steadiest couple in the One Chicago franchise, Chicago Fire’s Kelly and Stella didn’t take long to lock lips after she appeared in Season 4. In fact, it was just a few episodes until “Kind of A Crazy Idea” saw them rekindle their romance at Molly’s bar, as they were fixing up the place. But it’s not just that their chemistry was apparent right away, or that they had history that proved they were perfect for each other. It’s that we’ve followed them in the journey afterward, which includes a wedding and now a baby.
Lucy and Tim, The Rookie (2018-present)
We’re going to give another undercover kiss a nod in this one, just because the excuse of “practicing” for an undercover operation sounds like something straight out of fanfic. There were even candles! And yet that’s what Lucy and Tim did in The Rookie Season 4 finale, “Day in the Hole,” clearly taking advantage of the situation to do what they really wanted to do. Later, they’d start a relationship, break up, and though they’re not back together yet, the show is not over, and everyone knows they’re endgame.
Lucifer and Chloe, Lucifer (2016-2021)
When a show gives a will they/won’t they couple in a procedural a kiss as quickly as Lucifer gave these two, that means it’s going to throw a wrench or five their way afterward. The moment comes in the Season 2 episode “Stewardess Interruptus,” ironically, as Lucifer realizes he’s just not good enough for Chloe due to his past. This leads to a heartfelt conversation, and a kiss. And sure, the show does throw some problems at them right after, but that doesn’t make Lucifer and Chloe’s kiss by the water any less special—or the journey that came after, complete with celestial kid and a lot of sacrifice, but with a reunion in the end.
Helen and Max, New Amsterdam (2018-2022)
This one didn’t take as long as some of the others, but when Max ran around the streets of New York to get to Helen’s door and kiss her in the Season 3 finale, “Death Begins in Radiology,” it was still epic. It came after Max finally managed to let go of his late wife and realized he was ready to move on and embrace the future. As was the buildup to their romance on New Amsterdam. Less epic? What happened afterward, as Freema Agyeman was written off the show. Our recommendation? Consider their first kiss the beginning and end of their story. That way it’s satisfying.
Where To Watch The Best Kisses On Procedural Television Online
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