18 great pop culture trios

Jack (John Ritter), Janet (Joyce DeWitt), and Chrissy (Suzanne Somers) first burst onto TV screens as the charming trio at the center of Three's Company in 1977. For eight seasons (with Somers' character being replaced in the fifth), the three roommates made such an appealing trio that it made us want to go and knock on their door.

Over seven eventful years at Hogwarts, these three Gryffindors stuck together through mountains of homework, a revolving door of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, a Triwizard Tournament, bullying from a certain blond pureblood, a handful of unauthorized Hogsmeade visits, the formation of a secret "army," a campaign for elf rights, and Quidditch victories and defeats. That's not to mention the return of the most dangerous dark wizard of all time, culminating in an epic battle on the grounds of the school where their friendship blossomed. But through it all, our heroes remained the same trio of magical misfits who met on the Hogwarts Express that fateful Sept. 1 and deserve a place in the pop culture hall of fame because of it.

It's hard enough being an ordinary teenager. But when you add to the stresses of schoolwork, parents, dating, and bullies with the pressure of being singularly, supernaturally destined to stand alone against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness? Forget it. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) may be the Chosen One. Still, without Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) to ground and support her, she would be lost (or, more likely, dead).

In the decades since George Lucas' Star Wars first hit theaters, the franchise has evolved and expanded beyond its fans' wildest dreams. However, with every animated TV series, every book, every new trilogy of prequels, sequels, or totally independent standalone films or streaming series, the true heart of the whole pop culture galaxy that is Star Wars resides in these three. Search your feelings; you know it to be true.

Whether screaming in the subway, gossiping in the fashion closet, or just lying around in a really big bathtub, the women of The Bold Type's fictional Scarlet magazine always come together when they need each other most—and they need each other a lot, as they navigate all the pitfalls of the Sex and the City-on-training-wheels lifestyle of their post-college years.

The humor of Curly, Larry, and Moe may be lacking in elegance and wit, but their unique brand of slapsticky low comedy has endured so long—beginning as a vaudeville act in the 1920s, lasting through the '60s, and inspiring later interpretations, including a 2012 film—that this trio ranks among the all-time greats.

Star Trek's Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and McCoy (DeForest Kelley) are often described as a perfect example of the Freudian Trio trope: Spock is the logical superego, McCoy is the instinctive id, and Kirk mediates and falls somewhere in between his two friends and foils as the balanced ego. What better team could you hope for to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life forms and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before?

Hell hath no fury like a first wife scorned. In Hugh Wilson's 1996 comedy, Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn play three women, friends from college, who reunite and conspire to get revenge on their ex-husbands, all of whom left them for younger women.

Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short make up this trio of amigos in John Landis' 1986 comedy. The three funnymen play three silent film stars, famous for their roles as the heroes known as the Three Amigos. Hilarity ensues when they answer the call of a young woman who mistakes one of their films for reality and begs them to save her village from a villainous bandit.

Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, and Kate Jackson were the original stars to portray these three badass private detectives working for the mysterious Charlie in the City of Angels. Many other actresses eventually took on the roles throughout the TV series—not to mention the film and TV remakes. Now, the Angels—especially depicted in their iconic signature pose—are a pop-culture touchstone.

How could Lizzie (Hilary Duff) have ever survived the parade of humiliations that is junior high without Gordo (Adam Lamberg) and Miranda (Lalaine)? Who would have helped her get her pictures in the yearbook? Who would have given her daily wardrobe consultations before school, taught her about the Rat Pack, snuck into R-rated movies and onto Aaron Carter music video sets with her, if not her loyal BFFs?

The trio of brothers from 1992's 3 Ninjas spent their summers "learning old-fashioned, really cool ninja stuff from our Japanese grandfather" (per Tum-Tum). They first put their ninja lessons to good use when a villainous criminal tries to kidnap them, then again in the film's 1994, 1995, and 1998 sequels.

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup make such a great crime-fighting team because they complement each other as perfectly as the three ingredients that made them—sugar, spice, and everything nice. (Plus Chemical X, for superpowers, of course.)

Linda Cardellini's protagonist Lindsay may have tended more toward the Freaks side on the short-lived but critically adored Freaks and Geeks, but the dorky freshman trio that comprised the Geeks—played by John Francis Daley, Samm Levine, and Martin Starr—wins our hearts.

Colin Higgins' 1980 female-powered workplace comedy 9 to 5 brought together three powerhouse stars for its fiery trio: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton play Judy, Violet, and Doralee, three co-workers who join forces to bring down their sexist boss.

When Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) wasn't around to dispense advice so thoughtful that it bordered on poetry, at least Cory (Ben Savage), Shawn (Rider Strong), and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) had each other to lean on through the seven-season run of Boy Meets World. More than 20 years after their first appearances, the trio's return on Disney Channel's spin-off Girl Meets World only reinforced what we already knew: these three are best friends for life.

Fan theories notwithstanding, the confident Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), his nervous friend Cameron (Alan Ruck), and his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) make a great team throughout their truly epic day off in John Hughes' '80s classic.

Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker play a group of sisters in the witchy tradition of those who prophesied Macbeth's demise—though with just a dash more humor. Where Shakespeare's trio recites ominous riddles for the Scottish thane, the Sanderson sisters perform a truly show-stopping rendition of "I Put a Spell on You" in Kenny Ortega's beloved 1993 Halloween comedy.