Let’s be honest, sometimes we hit “Next Episode” not just for the plot, but for our favourite characters. Whether it’s the anti-hero with a soft side, the funny best friend who deserves way more screen time, or the lead who somehow looks perfect during an apocalypse, Netflix has delivered its fair share of heartthrobs.
So, who’s stealing the most hearts? The Ontario online slots experts at Spin Genie dove into search data to uncover the characters and actors you can’t stop Googling.
We’ve compiled the ultimate list of top-tier TV crushes from fan-fave Netflix originals to iconic classics streaming on the platform by looking at the number of searches for phrases like “[name] fanfiction”, “[name] edits”, and even “[name] hot/sexy”. No judgement here, we’ve all been there.
Outer Banks heartthrobs have taken over Google
1. Rafe Cameron, Outer Banks | 28,330 crush-related searches
Rafe Cameron, played by Drew Starkey, might be one of Outer Banks’ resident bad guys, but fans can’t help but fall for him. With more than 28,000 crush-related searches — everything from “Rafe Cameron fanfiction” to “Rafe Cameron edits” — it's clear this villain has built his own dedicated fanbase.
One viral TikTok edit of the character sums it up with the caption: “No words. Just Rafe Cameron. And those arms.”
2. JJ Maybank, Outer Banks | 25,850 crush-related searches
JJ, the loyal, sandy-haired surfer who’s stolen hearts worldwide, comes in just behind Rafe. JJ’s the subject of just 9% fewer searches than him, with 25,850 in total. Almost nine in 10 (87%) of these searches are for the character name, followed by “hot”...pretty straightforward.
The people of X have made their opinion of the character clear, with one popular post of him saying, “Outer Banks really gave us the most adorable sweet silly goofy boy.”
3. Tommy Shelby, Peaky Blinders | 19,370 crush-related searches
We’re leaving the Outer Banks behind for the third spot. With 19,370 crush-related searches, the gangster from Peaky Blinders (played by Cillian Murphy) still has fans weak at the knees over a decade since the show premiered.
The edits and fanfiction are where it’s at for this character. Wanted his best scenes compiled with Lana Del Rey playing in the background? Check. How about a story about living next door to him? Also check.
The female characters the internet can’t stop crushing on
1. Penny, The Big Bang Theory | 75,400 crush-related searches
Penny isn’t just a girl next door, she’s the girl next door. Kaley Cuoco’s role in The Big Bang Theory tops the list with a massive 75,400 crush-related searches — more than double that of second place.
Even though the show originally premiered almost two decades ago, searches are still going strong. Nearly 73% are for “Penny big bang theory hot” while over 27% are for “Penny big bang theory sexy”.
2. Sarah Cameron, Outer Banks | 36,720 crush-related searches
Didn’t think we were finished with Outer Banks, did you? Compared to her co-stars, Sarah Cameron is the show’s most crush-worthy character. Total searches for Sarah beat both those of Rafe and JJ, at 36,720.
She’s not just popular on Google, either. There are 63.2K TikTok posts using the hashtag ‘#sarahcameronedit’, with the captions of widely-liked videos ranging from “let me love you” to simply “wife.”
3. Amy Sanitago, Brooklyn Nine-Nine | 32,950 crush-related searches
Smart, ambitious, and armed with an alphabetized filing system, Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) is in third place. With 32,950 searches, this Brooklyn Nine-Nine detective proves that a woman with a label maker can be the subject of many crushes.
Compared to Rosa Diaz, Amy pulls in nearly three times the searches, showing that nerdy is the new hot online.
The Netflix stars you’re hoping are single
When we’re not searching for fanfiction or edits, it turns out that we’re typing something a little more hopeful into Google: “Is [name] single?”
Heartstopper star Kit Connor grabs the top spot, with nearly 40,000 people searching to see if he’s off the market. Following close behind are Outer Banks favourites Rudy Pankow (29,930 searches) and Drew Starkey (21,370), whose characters have fans asking the important questions.
The only women to crack the top ten are Madelyn Cline (14,000) in fourth place and Madison Bailey (4,670) in tenth. Once again, the Pogues are running the show.
Which genre is delivering the most heartthrobs?
Comedy might not seem the most obvious place to find your next crush, but the numbers say otherwise. With an average of 20,787 crush-related searches per character, comedy takes the top spot. Whether it’s Penny from The Big Bang Theory or Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the funny ones get all the love.
Drama comes in a distant second, despite being stacked with leads like Rachel Zane and Anthony Bridgerton. There is still a respectable average of 5,517, but this is nearly four times less than comedy.
Meanwhile, westerns are showing surprisingly strong, with an average of 5,235 searches, thanks to Yellowstone’s Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler.
Methodology
We used sources such as Stuff.tv, Cnet, and Cafe Mom to create a seed list of the most popular TV and movie characters on Netflix. We also recorded the name of the actor/actress who plays each character, the show or movie they feature in, the genre of the show or movie, and the year the show or movie originally aired.
Next, we used Google Keyword Planner to gather the number of searches made for each character for the following phrases: ‘NAME fanfiction’, ‘NAME edits’, ‘NAME sexy’, and ‘NAME hot’. We then added all searches together to get the total number of searches made for each character.
We also gathered the number of searches made for each actor or actress, using ‘is NAME single’.
Data was collected in May 2025 and is correct as of then.
