O. Henry famously said, “No friendship is an accident.” That’s especially true when they’re scripted. Some of the most captivating friendships are those we relate to on screen week after week, season after season. They keep us connected to the characters we love, and disillusioned or not, we like to believe we’re a part of that bond — if we were regulars at Central Perk, we’d definitely have a spot on that orange velvet couch.
In honor of International Day of Friendship, we flipped through the television scrapbooks to reminisce on some of TV’s most relatable friendships, equal parts love, loyalty, jokes and drama.
Is your favorite friendship on the list? Tell us in the comments below your favorite or who we left off the list!
Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin, Cheers
More than 30 years since the show premiered, the friendship of barstool buddies and best friends, Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger) is still the template for bar patrons with long-running tabs and a permanent seat where everyone knows their name.
Will Truman and Grace Adler, Will & Grace
Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) complete each other. They belong together, even without romance. The duo spent eight seasons completing the other’s sentences and bringing an unwavering competitiveness to game night. It’s worth noting, the centers of comic relief, Jack (Sean Hayes), the over-the-top, theater-loving gay best friend and Karen (Megan Mullally), our favorite booze-before-noon assistant, deserve honorable mentions.
Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper, The Wonder Years
For ‘90s kids, the coming-of-age tale and 1960s-set relationship between Kevin (Fred Savage) and Winnie (Danica McKellar) was everything you hoped your grade-school friendship would evolve into.
The Sex & The City Women
A list of television friendships would not be complete without the squad that is Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall). The infamous foursome gave us everything from weekly lunches, trending designers and Cosmopolitans to sex talk, sex gossip and sex bragging. Some details of the foursome’s unbreakable friendship were like a fairytale, but what’s an HBO series without some unrealistic plot-lines?
Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney, Laverne & Shirley
Is there a more iconic duo in television history? The Gerry Marshall-created show featured everyone’s favorite hopscotch chant (Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated — we’ll never forget that Yiddish). Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) made being roommates, friends and co-workers something dreams and television shows are made of.
Phoebe Buffay, Rachel Green and Monica Geller, Friends
The Image of Monica (Courtney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Anniston) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) sitting on the sofa in wedding gowns, drinking a beer in their New York City apartment is just one of the moments engrained in television friendship history. The three gave us hair trends, acoustic songs and the embodiment of an era.
Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz, I Love Lucy
The adventurous and spontaneous duo that was Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) revolutionized the on-screen female friendship. The bond centered around the zealous balance of a rambunctious Lucy and the willing-to-go-along-with-it Ethel; each was the other’s biggest fan.
Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia, The Golden Girls
The Emmy-winning series starring Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan featured a tightly knit chemistry and a sparkling interplay that makes the show so enjoyable, let alone enduring — all while the girls made aging something not to dread, and instead celebrate.
Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls
The mother-daughter relationship of Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Lorelai (Lauren Graham) was the epitome of #MomGoals. The Stars Hallow natives gave us ultimate envy with their witty banter and endless pop culture references.
JD and Turk, Scrubs
Some romantic relationships fail to compare to the bromance that is Dr. John Dorian (Zach Braff) and Christopher Turk (Donald Faison). The harmless antics of the “Bro-a-palooza” only strengthened the characters’ dynamic together.
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