Galentine's Day: 30 female friendships on TV to celebrate

While Valentine's Day is to celebrate being in love, Feb. 13 is all about celebrating your love for female friendships. The nonofficial holiday dubbed "Galentine's Day" was invented on Parks and Recreation by Leslie Knope as a day for "ladies celebrating ladies." To honor the occasion, EW has compiled a list of 30 of the best female friendships found on TV.

Roommates-turned-close pals (and confidants) Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia formed a solid enough unit that after seven seasons of hilarity and shenanigans, it was viewers who wanted to say, "Thank you for being friends."

It's no surprise that everyone's favorite Parks Department employee, Leslie Knope, came up with Galentine's Day. After all, even a casual fan of the show could tell how much she valued her female friends — especially best friend (and beautiful tropical fish) Ann Perkins. And for her part, Ann was just as supportive back, even eating an entire cheesecake for her best pal when requested.

One of the things that made Hillman seem like such a dream school was the firm friendships the characters on the show formed with one another, especially the women. Despite their differences, Jaleesa, Kimberly, Freddie, Whitley, and (briefly) Denise, all supported and stood up for one another, be it for a moral cause or simply in matters of friendship.

There isn't much Rebecca and Paula wouldn't do for each other — there's a whole song about it — be it offer romantic advice or babysit the other's kid for a whole day. Thus making the duo's friendship the core relationship of the entire series... Unfortunately for Josh Chan.

Every pair of BFFs wishes they had a TV show about their lives. In the case of Abby and Ilana, it's actually true, with the whole comedy series revolving around their off-screen friendship. Be it disposing of poop to avoid being embarrassed in front of a love interest or biking the other to their chiropractor appointment, these ladies always have each other's backs.

Within minutes of meeting each other, Meredith and Cristina became each other's "person," something both doctors would keep returning to over the years as Meredith processed her dark and twisty ways (and relationship with Derek) and Cristina attempted to find a work-love balance in her quest to become a cardio god.

Given their easy and warm-hearted camaraderie, it's hard to believe that Taystee and Poussey are not childhood best friends, but only bonded out of circumstance. Over four seasons, viewers were treated to a complex, layered friendship that weathered all kinds of strain — until (sadly) it ended all too soon.

I Love Lucy was remarkable for a number of reasons, one of which was the close friendship between Lucy and Ethel. While their husbands (Ricky and Fred) were off at work, both women put their time to entertaining use as they cooked up one harebrained scheme after the other, resulting in some iconic sitcom moments.

During its eight-season run, Girlfriends saw it's core four deal with all kinds of problems spanning from the romantic to issues with kids and family. But despite all the ups and downs, Joan, Maya, Lynn, and Toni (mostly) stood by each other's side, proving that sometimes your friends can be your family.

Laverne and Shirley may have been a study in opposites, but both women — who actually started out as Fonzie and Richie's dates on Happy Days before getting their own spin-off— quickly overcame that and became best friends as they were there for each other both on the job and in their personal lives.

Xena's traveling companion, Gabrielle, remained beside her through thick and thin as they faced down gods and monsters on the warrior princess' quest to right her former wrongs. Unfortunately for fans, the pair was never able to transition their close (and romantically-tinged) friendship into something more.

While the show never really revolved around Mary's love life — instead choosing to focus on her career — it did feature Mary's close friendships with the women in her life, the most prominent of which was best pal Rhoda. Though the show's pilot initially featured both women butting heads, that didn't last long as they became fast friends.

Not many friends would give up their overseas jobs, move in with you, and help you raise your newborn baby. But Emma puts the "best" in BFF when she does just that, giving Maggie the support she needs — and viewers, the rib-tickling, small town comedy they deserve.

The demon-hunting duo of this Netflix series may have found themselves in each other's orbit following a set of supernatural circumstances, but over the course of the too-short first season, both girls forge a tight bond as they go up against various denizens of hell.

Every masked vigilante needs a loyal, tech-savvy partner, and Ophelia quickly becomes exactly that to Jules' avenging angel. But as the MTV series' first season quickly demonstrates, the girls' friendship isn't just rooted in their shared quest for justice for sexually assaulted women, but it also manifests itself in their desire to support one another emotionally.

The Disney series was as much about Maya's growth as it was Riley's, with both girls learning some hard lessons on their journey to taking on the world. As tricky as middle school, and later, high school got, both girls knew they could count on each other to bring the thunder and lightning in each other's lives.

Jessica and Honey may have bonded over their love of Stephen King and a mutual dislike of the rest of their neighbors, but as the sitcom makes its way through its third season, it's become clear that the friendship has become much deeper, with each one's family serving as an extended family of sorts for the other.

As Archie comics fans know, Betty and Veronica have a complicated friendship. But Riverdale has simplified things on that front — at least for the beginning of the series — with both girls setting aside their feelings for Archie Andrews in favor of supporting one another... and, when the show calls for it, standing up to the patriarchy.

An unfortunate mix-up may have led both girls into each other's lives, but the choice to become friends and stick up for each other was entirely Daphne and Bay's, something that's become increasingly evident in the show's final season.

Bonnie and Elena's friendship has weathered quite a few supernatural storms, including Bonnie's witch powers and Elena's transformation into a vampire. If things couldn't get trickier, both BFFs' lives are currently linked, with Elena only being able to come out of her magically-induced coma if Bonnie were to die.

Rosa may join in on the squad's perpetual teasing of Amy, but when push comes to shove — and a Halloween title is on the line — the tough-as-nails detective easily supports her more organized colleague's plans. After all, as she tells her early in season 1, "We work in a police force full of dudes. We got to have each other's backs, okay?"

Ostensibly the hardest part about Liv's transformation into a zombie was being unable to tell friends and family about her new predicament. Luckily for everyone's favorite brain-eating medical examiner, she and Peyton were able to work through the big reveal and regain their former closeness.

As season 1 of the highly-acclaimed Netflix series revealed, Jessica Jones has had a hard life — one that only gets tougher. Fortunately for the private detective, she has her best friend and adoptive sister Trish, to turn to in her time of need.

Living a lie isn't easy, but it's certainly much more manageable when you have a best friend that not only encourages you to seize new opportunities but also counsels you on facing consequences — as is the case with Liza's friendship with Maggie.

Possibly the only upside of being stalked and tortured by A (and later A.D., and Uber A) is that it allowed the four girls to form a tight-knit support group as they attempt to cope with their increasingly terrifying circumstances.

While Harvey and Mike's friendship might be central to the series, Donna and Rachel's bond with one another is just as pivotal. Not only is Donna there for Rachel during Mike's trial (and before that, her wedding planning), but Rachel is always there to lend an ear should Donna need to vent.

Best friends Gabi and Sofia might be living together and trying to stretch every last dollar, but at least the pair can turn to each other for comfort and support as they navigate both Gabi's relationship with Josh and Sofia's career goals.

Being the slayer isn't easy. But fortunately for Buffy, she could always count on Willow. As the redheaded teenager slowly discovered (and then came into) her magical abilities, she was able to go from assisting her slayer pal with research, to actually facing a few big bads on her own.

Jane (that's Rizzoli, played by Angie Harmon) was a badass detective who only brushes her hair because she might run into her mother and Maura (Isles, played by Sasha Alexander) was a chic, put-together medical examiner. Together, they not only solved crimes and put away bad guys; they showed the power such a pair-up can have.

You didn't really think we could do this gallery without this fab foursome, did you?