News | Entertainment
8 Nov 2024 14:55
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Everybody wants this – what makes a great TV kiss?

    Kristen Bell and Adam Brody share a much-hyped smooch in Nobody Wants This. Is it good enough to join the TV canon of great kisses?

    Phoebe Hart, Associate Professor, Film Screen & Animation, Queensland University of Technology
    The Conversation


    There is a lot of talk about the hot onscreen chemistry between actors Kristin Bell and Adam Brody in the hit new Netflix series, Nobody Wants This. Based loosely on series creator Erin Foster’s own romance with husband Simon Tikhman, the irreverent romcom follows a sex podcasters’ whirlwind love affair with a rabbi.

    Notably, the sensual first kiss between the couple on a Los Angeles sidewalk one evening two episodes in has tongues wagging. But this is not the first case of opposites attract on TV nor, arguably, the steamiest small-screen smooch.

    The onscreen kiss has a long and storied history. Many viewers form strong connections with characters they enjoy and consider them friends – called parasocial relationships – more so when story lines lean towards love.

    Seeing caresses on screen can trigger the same neurons that fire when we lock lips in real life, making certain scenes very memorable and oh-so-marketable. Here are some of the best and the ingredients that make them great.

    From friends to lovers

    What fan of Friends could forget the classic first kiss when Rachel watches an old prom video and finally realises the depth of Ross’ feelings for her? Or when Jim on The Office (US) confesses his unrequited love for Pam, leading to an impassioned embrace? Both are preceded by a long, slow burn that heightens anticipation.

    More than colleagues then.

    Other kisses are more technically or narratively ambitious. Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow and Ygritte (real-life married couple Kit Harington and Rose Leslie) share a sizzling embrace in the geothermal springs of Grjótagjá, an Icelandic lava cave –although the actual location is only used in the establishing shots.

    ‘You know nothing Jon Snow.’

    On New Girl, Jess and Nick share an unpredicted pash at the end of an episode called Cooler. Jess (Zooey Deschanel) has been left out of her male housemates’ night of carousing because Nick believes she ruins his chances of scoring. It turns out he has a willing kissing partner closer to home.

    A sudden New Girl make-out sesh.

    Challenging the script

    Unexpected televisual trysts confront cultural scripts about romance. They can challenge viewer expectations about sex and relationships more generally. As such, some kisses have longstanding impact.

    Take for example Star Trek’s interracial kiss between Kirk and Uhura in 1968, for which actor Nichelle Nichols recalled receiving an overwhelmingly positive reaction.

    ‘I’m not afraid. I am not … afraid.’

    Dawson’s Creek characters Jake and Ethan were celebrated for being the first men to kiss on prime-time American television in 2000 (two women had already kissed on L.A. Law in 1991).

    Australian television set the standard for gay men and women kissing in the 1970s and, more recently, Franky and Bridget found a lusty forbidden bond in the prison drama Wentworth.

    ‘You’ve got tickets on yourself.’

    Future connections

    How we might connect in the future have also been a part of televisual treatments of intimacy.

    In Black Mirror’s San Junipero the creators explore the possibility of elderly bodies inhabiting their younger sexual selves via simulated reality. And then there’s the time The Doctor saved Rose’s life by absorbing a power vortex in her body via his lips in The Parting of the Ways episode of Doctor Who.

    ‘I think you need a doctor.’

    Extreme close up

    From the lighting and framing to the perfect music, there is a lot that goes into a kissing scene. All this can add up to a moment that prompts audiences to think about highlights from their own kissing histories – or their desired futures.

    Typically screen kisses last longer than in real life, and research suggests some audience expectations of their own sex lives are unrealistically influenced by what they see on TV. In other words, if you’re expecting the same intensity or duration as Joanne and Noah on Nobody Wants This on your next first date, you should probably modify your expectations.

    Today, filming kisses can be challenging and consent is an important part of the production process both onscreen and off. The role of an intimacy coordinator behind the scenes is still relatively new (and we don’t know if this Netflix production had one). But it’s clear when watching the hyped Nobody Wants This scene that both characters are willing kissers.

    There apparently wasn’t much detailed planning involved, other than an objective to capture the “best kiss ever”. Their job well done adds to a pantheon of pashes that will be remembered (and replayed) fondly.

    The Conversation

    Phoebe Hart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
    © 2024 TheConversation, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     08 Nov: Ashanti is an "awesome mom", according to Nelly
     08 Nov: Adrian Grenier is set to become a dad again
     08 Nov: Tom Grennan has "finally found peace" with himself
     08 Nov: Would you be better off without your kids? Audrey is a cheeky, darkly humorous film that explores maternal regret
     08 Nov: Conan O'Brien regrets being "so intense" during his time on 'Saturday Night Live'
     08 Nov: Christina Applegate has found herself "screaming" in pain amid her struggles with multiple sclerosis
     08 Nov: Brooklyn Beckham loves going on double dates with Selena Gomez and her boyfriend Benny Blanco
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    No fear the All Blacks will button down the passion levels, in tomorrow's test against Ireland at Dublin More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Optus hit with $12 million fine after customers could not access triple-0 during network outage More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Ashanti is an "awesome mom", according to Nelly 14:25

    Business:
    Optus hit with $12 million fine after customers could not access triple-0 during network outage 14:17

    Law and Order:
    A trio charged with the manslaughter and kidnapping of a woman whose body was found in a bag in Auckland have appeared in court 14:07

    Living & Travel:
    It could be back to the drawing board Mount Ruapehu's Turoa skifield 14:07

    Entertainment:
    Adrian Grenier is set to become a dad again 13:55

    Business:
    New Zealand's economic downturn has eaten into the Warehouse's revenue -- with the Big Red Shed taking an almost 17 million dollar hit in sales 13:47

    Law and Order:
    To the Yanfei Bao murder trail now.....and Court has gone into chambers for the second time in about an hour following the accused's attempts at cross examination 13:27

    Entertainment:
    Tom Grennan has "finally found peace" with himself 13:25

    Law and Order:
    Israel's requirement for war zone DNA tests has divided a family across the country and Gaza 13:17

    Entertainment:
    Would you be better off without your kids? Audrey is a cheeky, darkly humorous film that explores maternal regret 13:07


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2024 New Zealand City Ltd