The move comes as a surprise following the wave of puritanism that swept the US after the Janet Jackson "Nipplegate" debacle, when she exposed a breast on stage at the Super Bowl in January.
The Parent Television Council and Americans for Decency filed complaints against the two hit primetime shows. They were dismissed by the FCC in a 5-0 vote after they were found not to violate indecency regulations.
The PTC, considered one of the more active groups, complained about an episode of 'Buffy' in which the characters Spike and Buffy fought before having sex.
However, the commission noted there was no nudity and no evidence that the activity depicted was used to titillate or shock the audience.
Americans for Decency, whose mission is to "reduce sexual violence and victimisation" by "educating about the danger and harm of pornography", complained about an episode of 'Will & Grace'. A photographer, played by Glenn Close, passionately kissed a woman author and engaged in what the actress described as a "dry hump".
While the commission did not say a "dry hump" would always fall within its guidelines, the panel noted that both of the characters were fully clothed and there was no evidence that the scene was "dwelled upon, or was used to pander, titillate or shock the audience".
The FCC has recently taken steps to increase fines for indecency following the Nipplegate affair and has toughened the rules on what can be termed indecent.
The change in attitude prompted Budweiser to announce it was reappraising its advertising in the US to take a more cautious approach.
In August A Busch, president of Anheuser Busch, the owner of Budweiser, said: "As we came out of the Super Bowl, the mood of the country seemed to have changed, and some of our ads got wrapped into that same controversy."
The fallout from Nipplegate also affected DJ Howard Stern, who was sacked by Clear Channel Communications after it adopted a "zero tolerance" policy toward indecency.
Stern's fall came after an interview with Rick Salomon, infamous for releasing a movie of himself having sex with hotel heiress Paris Hilton. In the interview Stern asked Salomon if he had anal sex with Hilton and asked him about the size of his penis.
The FCC'S strict code was recently condemned as heavy-handed by broadcasters attending a conference in Las Vegas. However, Michael Powell, the FCC chairman, said broadcasters must accept that the Supreme Court had set limits on sexual and explicit language on the air.
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