30 Best TV Bromances/Gal Pals

Roommates-turned-best friends, Chandler and Joey delivered a lot of the series’ most memorable moments, both hilarious and heartwarming. We’ll never forget the time Joey wore all of Chandler’s clothes (yes, all of them — at once), the endless made-up games (fireball!), and their lazy afternoons with Baywatch and the chick and the duck. They made it through the time Chandler kissed Joey’s girlfriend. They even made it through Janice. And no man could tear these Friends apart either…especially not weird Eddie. —Emily Rome

One aspiring actress, two Ph.D holders, three besties…is there a more mismatched group of friends on this list? But that’s exactly the kind of alchemy that works for Bernadette, Amy, and Penny. While the guys on Big Bang have an undercurrent of competition in their friendship, the girlfriends can gather ’round a bottle of wine or a Cheesecake Factory entrée and gab freely. —Tara Fowler

Troy may tangle with Britta, but we all know who the real love of his life is. You don’t strike a Firefly suicide pact with just anyone. But Troy and Abed’s friendship is so much more than just shared geekiness. Remember that time when Abed tucked Troy in after he fell asleep studying? Or when Abed sacrificed himself to a hoard of zombies to save Troy’s life? That’s true love. —Tara Fowler

The men came and went, but the salacious stories, puns, and weekly brunches were a constant. Charlotte, Miranda, Samantha, and Carrie stood in for every woman who’d ever dealt with the trials and tribulations of living the single life. Through drama, divorces, questionable decisions, and funky spunk they stood by each other — and looked faaaaaabulous doing it. We’ll raise a cosmo to that. —Lanford Beard

This was a relationship that lived long (the series, six movies, and the new reboot) and prospered. Kirk was the rebellious leader, Spock the logical confidant. As Spock died in The Wrath of Khan, he told Kirk, ”I have been and always shall be your friend.” But even ”death” couldn’t keep this duo apart as Kirk broke laws and traveled across space in The Search for Spock to help resurrect his buddy. If that not an unbreakable friendship, what is? —Sarah Caldwell

For 180 episodes, we threw a weekly party and invited everyone we knew — to behold four sassy seniors push the envelope as they dished out timeless zingers and commiserative cheesecake. To Blanche, Dorothy, Sophia, and Rose, thank you for being our friends. —Lanford Beard

It takes a special kind of best friend to last from junior high pranks to high school drama all the way through marriage and college (not to mention tagging along on a move to New York). Cory’s uptight neuroticism (”Underpants!”) was the yin to Shawn’s bad-boy-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks yang. Over seven seasons they kept viewers laughing — and occasionally crying — as the program grappled with growing up, death, and even a little cross-dressing (We’re looking at you, Veronica). —Erin Strecker

Their harebrained schemes usually ended in disaster (or mouths full of chocolate), but what the Manhattan neighbors had going for them was their unabiding faith in each other. No matter how far-fetched Lucy’s dreams of fame, Ethel supported her. Lucy, on the other hand, offered up a dash of smalltown naïveté to temper Ethel’s sharp tongue. Ricky and Fred may have connected over their wives’ antics, but Lucy and Ethel just connected. —Lanford Beard

It was the purest of ”guy love, love between two guys.” Chocolate Bear (Turk) and Vanilla Bear (J.D.) shared Tiki necklaces, steak night, and a stuffed Labrador dog. J.D. went on Turk’s honeymoon and knew that Turk was having a baby before his wife did. Plus, for most of the seasons they loved each other more than their significant others. —Sarah Caldwell

The disappearance of high school queen bee Alison DiLaurentis left Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer with only one another. And when a cyber stalker started to threaten everything in their lives, they grew even closer. Three years and countless death threats later, we’re not sure there’s anything that could break these four up. —Samantha Highfill

The Texan footballers experienced it all: Paralysis, fist fights, trips to Mexico, falling for the same girl, and, most importantly, dreaming about living large in the Lone Star State. In the end, Riggins ran his fingers through his hair and selflessly bid farewell to his best friend and their high school dreams, but not before the duo managed to make some great memories. No regrets. —Samantha Highfill

They’ve been part of our own imaginary gal squad since long before they became the first female co-anchors of SNL‘s ”Weekend Update” in 2004. But Fey and Poehler, who took their girl love to a national level while cranking out insightful one-liners about everything from dating to Hillary Clinton, have been part of a real-life galmance for much longer. Relationship high? Joint hosting the 2013 Golden Globes. —Erin Strecker

Oscar’s messiness and Felix’s penchant for keeping things tidy often caused conflict between the two New York roommates, but the pair of divorcees eventually learned to live their lives together. We learned opposites can attract, even in the land of bromance. —Denise Warner

Xena was a self-loathing warrior who wasn’t a big fan of having company, which made Gabrielle’s job that much harder. But after she refused to leave Xena alone, the feisty princess took Gabrielle under her wing. Add in some fan-baiting lesbian undertones, and you had the makings of a beautiful friendship. —Samantha Highfill

Relationships forged in Queens that migrated to sunny California, the Entourage gang were at their best living large at Vince’s expense. With all the money, girls, and expensive cars, Vince & Co. had few worries. However, post-Medellin failure, the bonds of their bro-dom were tested. But they made it through money troubles, work troubles, lady troubles, and, in the end, these boys were all right. —Denise Warner

The twisted sisters might seem bright-and-shiny now, but they weren’t always that way. These two saw each other through some of their darkest days. Failed weddings, failed marriages, and numerous near-death experiences haven’t changed the fact that they have always been each other’s ”person.” —Samantha Highfill

Kavalier & Clay have nothing on these two. With apologies to Captain Oats, from 2003-2007 the best bromance in primetime was all about a nerdy high-schooler and the outside loner who became a brother. They didn’t have much in common — Seth sometimes talked just to make sounds, Ryan liked punching people — but whether they were going on an ill-fated trip to Tijuana, hanging at The Bait Shop, or planning another Chrismukkah, fans were always cheering for more ”Seth-Ryan time.” —Erin Strecker

In a ’90s kind of world, they were glad they had their girls. Whether navigating the working world or living together in a Brooklyn brownstone Khadijah, Regine, and Synclaire — with Max, left, as the de facto fourth roommate — were true blue, tight like glue. —Denise Warner

What would you do if your best friend pretended to be a psychic detective? Would you jeopardize your own job and (however reluctantly) set up shop with him as a consultant for the police? Probably not. And yet, that’s just what Gus does because his relationship with Shawn is the kind of friendship built on years of experience, where it isn’t about putting up with someone but going along with them. Shawn’s psychic abilities might not be real, but the bond between these guys is. —Tara Fowler

Long before snarking was the artform it’s become today, these two high school outsiders were masters. Jane broadened Daria’s misanthropic horizons, while Daria stood by Jane even as she was tempted by popular-kid activities. Though Daria harbored a fierce crush on Jane’s brother, it was the girls’ relationship that would last well beyond high school. —Lanford Beard

It’s not surprising that these two hit it off, considering their nearly identical daddy issues, but with one being a human and one being an angel, their bromance hasn’t exactly been conventional. Dean Winchester’s bromance with Castiel (whom he affectionately calls ‘Cas’) has been one of ups and downs, loyalty and betrayal. Yet through it all Dean still considers Cas his family, and Dean is still Castiel’s weak spot — the human with whom he aligns himself instead of devoting himself to a corrupt heaven. —Emily Rome

Are you a Mary or a Rhoda? We don’t think it matters. Both were awesome leading ladies whose friendship came before the men in their lives. (Until Rhoda’s spinoff, that is.) It’s something we could all take to heart: With best friends like these by your side, you’re going to make it after all. —Denise Warner

New Girl began as a break-up tale about adorkable Angeleno Jess Day, but audiences immediately latched onto the hilarious camaraderie of her new roommates Nick, Schmidt, and Winston. The endlessly quotable trio provide plenty of laughs, but decades of friendship serve as the the heart that pulses beneath their friendly ribbing. Each completely different from the other, they share a bond that neither unflappable grumpiness, douchebag jars, nor professional displacements to Latvia can break. —Lanford Beard

Sometimes there’s no greater friend than the one you can have champagne lunches with. Cat-tastic and utterly superficial, the London gal pals snarked, swilled, shot clay pigeons, and sold Saffy into Moroccan slavery together (okay, that was more Pats). They also traveled far and wide, tried every fad, and had plenty to slur about it. —Lanford Beard

Scott is a brown-eyed, formerly asthmatic werewolf. Stiles is his rubber-limbed best friend. They’re the series’ Hardy boys, solving mysteries, talking about girl and parent problems, and preventing supernatural slaughter. Their duo-ship — equal halves sweet, sour, awkward, and heroic — is the show’s beating, furry heart. —Adam Carlson

Laverne and Shirley hopped, skipped, and chanted their way into our hearts and homes. The Milwaukee roomies and coworkers made their dreams come true, doing it their way. —Denise Warner

Perhaps TV’s first bromance, the Mayberry sheriff and his deputy weren’t always an ace crime-fighting team, but Andy’s good sense balanced, Barney’s dopey goodness, and their their enduring loyalty earned them gold stars anyway. —Lanford Beard

A friendship formed, quite literally, under the gun, plainclothes detectives Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey had a lot prove as ladies blazing a trail in the NYPD. Though their lives extended beyond the beat, the partners in crimefighting had an affinity that reached far deeper. They’d have to after going undercover as prostitutes together. —Lanford Beard

Jerry and George are awful people: duplicitous, self-serving, and narrow-minded — which is kind of the whole point of Seinfeld. But Jerry and George also spend an uncountable amount of time sharing their terribleness with each other, not to mention the terrible things they do and have done to them. Which is kind of the whole point of friendship. —Adam Carlson

The ’80s found its Oscar and Felix with the divorcées who merged their families in a New York brownstone. Free-winging travel agent Kate and the by-the-book recovering housewife worked, played, and even got arrested together, teaching themselves and their children to be more independent — a testament to the empowerment of female bonding. —Lanford Beard