Some TV friendships are so good that they end up being just as memorable as the show itself. These are the characters who stuck together through bad relationships, family drama, terrible decisions, and everything else the writers threw at them. Some were childhood friends, while others met by chance and quickly became inseparable. From classic sitcoms to more recent favorites, these TV BFFs made us wish we could join their friend group.
Cory and Shawn – Boy Meets World
Cory and Shawn are basically the definition of a ’90s TV friendship. They grow up together, get into plenty of trouble, and somehow make it through all the girlfriends, family drama, and bad decisions that come with it. Even when life pulls them in different directions, they always find their way back to each other.
Joey and Chandler – Friends
The chick and the duck. The recliners. The endless games of foosball. Joey and Chandler could be complete idiots together, but underneath all of that was a friendship where they genuinely loved and looked out for each other. Pasted text (2)
Will and Carlton – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Calling Will and Carlton opposites barely covers it. One is laid-back and cool, while the other can turn a Tom Jones song into a full-body workout. The teasing never stops, but over six seasons the cousins become genuine best friends who have each other’s backs when it actually matters.
Daria and Jane – Daria
Daria and Jane bonded over a shared talent for finding everyone else ridiculous. Their dry commentary made high school slightly more tolerable, and neither needed the other to suddenly become cheerful or popular. For plenty of sarcastic ’90s teenagers, this was the friendship to have. Pasted text (3)
Troy and Abed – Community
“Troy and Abed in the Morning” tells you almost everything you need to know. Give these two an empty room and they’ll somehow end up with an imaginary talk show, an elaborate game, or an entire alternate reality. The fun is watching everyone else simply accept that Troy and Abed operate on their own wavelength.
Laverne and Shirley – Laverne & Shirley
Roommates, coworkers, and best friends, Laverne and Shirley rarely get to have a normal day. One is tougher and more cynical, while the other still believes things might actually go according to plan. Their mismatched personalities are exactly what makes the friendship work.
Lucy and Ethel – I Love Lucy
Lucy and Ethel could turn an ordinary afternoon into complete chaos. Whether they were taking on a new job or getting caught up in one of Lucy’s elaborate plans, things rarely went smoothly. Through every ridiculous situation, Ethel remained the friend Lucy could always count on. Pasted text (3)
Shawn and Gus – Psych
Shawn and Gus have been best friends since long before they started solving crimes together. Gus is usually the practical one trying to keep Shawn’s wild ideas under control, though he almost always gets pulled into them anyway. Their constant bickering and shared sense of humor make their friendship one of the best parts of Psych.
Zack and Screech – Saved by the Bell
Zack and Screech had one of those friendships that didn’t make much sense on paper. Zack was confident and popular, while Screech was awkward and usually a little too eager to help. Despite their differences, they stuck together through years of schemes, school drama, and life at Bayside.
Grace and Will – Will & Grace
Will and Grace know each other a little too well. They can finish each other’s thoughts, call out each other’s nonsense, and occasionally function like an old married couple without actually being one. Their friendship was strong enough to remain the center of the series through both its original run and revival.
Steve and Waldo – Family Matters
Urkel and Waldo made an especially goofy pair on Family Matters. Neither was exactly known for being cool, and their conversations could quickly take a strange turn. Whenever the two teamed up, there was a good chance something ridiculous was about to happen.
Jake and Charles – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Charles is easily one of Jake’s most loyal friends on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He’s always ready to help with a case, offer advice, or get way too involved in Jake’s personal life. Jake teases him constantly, but their friendship means a lot to both of them.
D.J. and Kimmy – Full House
Kimmy Gibbler spends so much time at the Tanner house that the family practically gets an extra daughter whether they want one or not. D.J. somehow puts up with the bizarre outfits, strange comments, and endless Tanner-family complaints about her. Their friendship lasts from awkward childhood all the way into adulthood.
Joey and Jen – Dawson’s Creek
Joey and Jen start out with plenty of reasons not to like each other, especially with Dawson sitting awkwardly between them. Over time, the rivalry gives way to something much more supportive. Watching them eventually choose friendship over competition is one of the nicer changes in the series.
Balki and Larry – Perfect Strangers
Balki arrives in Chicago and promptly turns cousin Larry’s quiet life upside down. Their personalities clash constantly, especially when Balki misunderstands American life or Larry gets caught up in his own plans. Living together eventually turns the cousins into genuine best friends.
Mary and Rhoda – The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Mary and Rhoda click almost immediately despite having very different personalities. Rhoda is blunt and self-deprecating, while Mary tends to be the more optimistic one. Their apartment-building friendship became such a big part of the show that Rhoda eventually got her own spinoff.
Doug and Deacon – The King of Queens
Doug and Deacon mostly want to eat, complain about work, and avoid whatever their wives have planned for them. Their conversations feel more like two longtime friends hanging out than a setup for a sitcom joke. Even when Doug makes a bad decision, Deacon is usually nearby to hear about it.
Frasier and Roz – Frasier
Frasier and Roz start out as coworkers who regularly get on each other’s nerves. Years in the radio booth turn that into a friendship where they can talk about relationships, careers, family, and whatever new problem Frasier has created for himself. Roz is also one of the few people who has no problem telling him when he’s being unbearable.
Hyde and Eric – That ’70s Show
Hyde spends so much time in Eric’s basement that he eventually becomes part of the Forman household. He’s more cynical and rebellious than Eric, which makes him both a bad influence and a surprisingly good friend. Their friendship gets even closer once Hyde moves in with the family.
Kenan and Kel – Kenan & Kel
Kenan always had a plan, and Kel usually made it harder to pull off. Still, the two were pretty much inseparable and tackled every new problem together. Their chemistry made them one of Nickelodeon’s most memorable ’90s duos.
Fran and Niles – The Nanny
Fran and Niles waste very little time becoming partners in gossip. They both know exactly what’s happening in the Sheffield house and are usually happy to comment on it from the sidelines. Their shared amusement at C.C.’s expense makes the pairing even better.
Martin and Tommy – Martin
Tommy is one of the few people who can hang around Martin constantly without getting permanently kicked out. Their friend group spends a lot of time roasting each other, arguing, and getting involved in one another’s business. Tommy’s mysterious employment situation alone gives Martin years of material.
Lizzie and Miranda – Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie and Miranda handle middle school the way most people probably wish they could have: together. Crushes, embarrassing outfits, popularity problems, and fights all come and go. Even when they disagree, their friendship feels like one of the more believable parts of Lizzie’s teenage life.
Cristina and Meredith – Grey’s Anatomy
Meredith and Cristina don’t need matching friendship bracelets when they have “you’re my person.” They lean on each other through an almost unbelievable amount of hospital drama and personal loss. Even their biggest fights never erase how important they are to each other.
Rory and Lane – Gilmore Girls
Lane is the friend Rory has known since long before Chilton, Yale, or any of the boy drama. Rory becomes one of the few people Lane can be completely herself around while she hides CDs, relationships, and eventually an entire rock-band life from Mrs. Kim.
Brooke and Peyton – One Tree Hill
Brooke and Peyton have been best friends since childhood, but their friendship gets seriously tested on One Tree Hill. They go through fights, betrayals, and plenty of drama involving Lucas. No matter how bad things get between them, they eventually manage to find their way back to each other.
Joan and Toni – Girlfriends
Joan and Toni have the kind of long friendship that comes with a lot of baggage. Toni can be incredibly self-centered, while Joan has her own habit of getting too involved in everyone else’s life. Their ups and downs make the friendship feel complicated rather than perfect.
Serena and Blair – Gossip Girl
Serena and Blair can be best friends at breakfast and enemies by dinner. Jealousy, boyfriends, family problems, and plenty of Upper East Side scheming repeatedly put them on opposite sides. Somehow, they keep coming back to a friendship neither can quite replace.
Abbi and Ilana – Broad City
Abbi and Ilana are rarely apart on Broad City. They spend their days bouncing between bad jobs, questionable plans, and whatever else New York throws at them. Most of the time, one of them is encouraging the other to take things even further.
Jess and Cece – New Girl
Jess and Cece have been best friends long before the loft or any of its guys enter the picture. Their personalities are very different, but neither expects the other to change to make the friendship work. Cece is one of the few people who understands Jess without needing an explanation.
