Ranking TV’s all-time best friends

Ranking TV’s all-time best friends

A good friendship is vital to many an existence. On television, it also helps make good characters great. Thus, the show will do better. Thanks to syndication and streaming services, there are plenty of best friends to quench our viewing thirst.

Here’s out rankings of the 25 best TV friends of all time.

Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge (Riverdale)

Bringing famed comic book characters to life can be difficult. Especially ones who are not action heroes. Yet, Riverdale has been a hit for The CW since debuting in 2017. Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) are a big reason why. They are different, sure. Betty is intelligent with few cares, while Veronica is rich and rather spoiled. But, their unique friendship keeps us watching because, for some reason, we think there’s more below their collective surface.

Abbi Abrams and Ilana Wexler (Broad City)

This Comedy Central project might be under the radar for some, but it received plenty of critical praise during its run the last decade. Now, Abbi (Abbi Jacobson), a wannabe artist, and Ilana (Ilana Glazer), an outgoing slacker who likes the weed, aren’t great role models. But, they are human and relatable to many trying to make it through their 20s in a big city. Why it works? The comedy is well timed and those heartfelt moments add to the depth of these rather likeable characters. 

Khadijah James, Synclaire James-Jones, Maxine “Max” Shaw and “Regine” Hunter (Living Single)

This was is a group, that each brought a unique take to the friendship. A little something for everybody. Khadijah (Queen Latifah) is the mother figure with an attitude. Max (Erika Alexander) is a wise-cracking lawyer who has more success in her professional life than her personal one. Synclaire (Kim Coles) is sweet and loyal, but also ditzy enough to draw plenty of laughs. Finally, Regine (Kim Fields) is self-absorbed, fashion-focused and rather lazy, but still endearing enough to be a good friend.

Jake Peralta and Charles Boyle (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

When it comes to these detective buddies, it might seem like a one-sided friendship. Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) is essentially obsessed with Jake (Andy Samberg). He was once jealous when Jake went on a cruise, hoping he would not pick up a new best friend. Jake, though, takes it all in stride and is always there for his buddy. Mostly because they enjoy plenty of juvenile moments on the job and off. 

SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star (SpongeBob SquarePants)

These buddies are quite goofy, but in a harmlessly comediac way. While SpongeBob can be a little bossy to his gullible buddy Patrick, he’ll pretty much doing anything for him. They have been known to go jellyfish fishing, get into plenty of innocent trouble and annoy just about everybody in Bikini Bottom. At the end of the day, though, they realize they really enjoy being around each other. 

Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins (Parks and Recreation)

Leslie (Amy Poehler) was in need of a best friend – or an object of her friendship affection. Enter Ann (Rashida Jones), the level-headed nurse who became the public health consultant for Pawnee. Ann is good at bringing Leslie back down to Earth when her ideas and actions get a little out of control. While Leslie can get on Ann’s nerves, their friendship is pretty special because Ann probably needs Leslie more than she thinks. 

Kevin Arnold and Paul Pfeiffer (The Wonder Years)

Growing up, we need a friend to count on. Kevin (Fred Savage) certainly has that in Paul (Josh Saviano). And vice versa. While Kevin might think he’s “cooler” than the somewhat nerdy Paul, that really isn’t the case. Kevin can be a little bit of a whiner, while Paul has a hidden wit that’s a bit underrated.