Best friends are the found family that you chose for yourself. They are the ones who hold your hand when need be, who bring out the best in you, and who breathe life into you, day after day and through one challenge to the next. And for this National Best Friend Day, I wanted to explore some of my favorite TV best friends!
Some might be expected, like Abbi and Ilana from Broad City or Taystee and Poussey from Orange Is the New Black, while others like Alina & Mal from Shadow and Bone may surprise you, but no matter what, each and every single one of these demonstrates a love so strong that it ends up being inspiring and something we all wish we had in our lives.
1. Abbi & Ilana from Broad City
The best part of Abbi and Ilana’s friendship is that they get to be messy with each other. By that, I mean that we don’t get to see women who are flawed, jaded, funny, weird, angry, happy, and a whole slew of other things that make us who we are. But we get that on this show and through the relationship between these two women. Because these women, believe it or not, feel real in comparison to other female friendships out there.
2. Ted & Coach Beard from Ted Lasso
Ted and Coach complete each other in a way I’ve never seen besties do before. They finish each other’s sentences and have each other’s backs without losing themselves and compromising their own self-respect. They also challenge each other. Coach at one point even disagrees with Ted’s tactics, and he makes it known through his actions. The way that these two found their way back to each other is a testament to their friendship and great writing.
3. Alina & Mal from Shadow and Bone
Putting Mal and Alina on this list of favorite TV best friends isn’t coming at you from a shipping perspective. Instead, it’s coming from a place of friendship. Thanks to flashbacks, we’ve seen how close these two were as children and how protective they were of each other. That carried into adulthood and each relationship they’ve had along the way. These two complete each other—always have, always will.
4. J.D. & Turk from Scrubs
This friendship was one of my OG favorites and remains so to this day. J.D. and Turk took toxic masculinity and shoved it out the window. They loved each other, and that’s all that mattered. Sure, they hit a couple of speed bumps here and there—not one of these friendships on this list is perfect—but J.D. and Turk always managed to find their way back to each other without hiding how much they loved each other.
5. Taystee and Poussey From Orange Is the New Black
Taystee and Poussey were each other’s found family, like many on this list of best friends. And as time progressed, and you got to know them better, it was clear to anyone watching that they were more than besties. They were sisters. As sisters, they lifted each other up, had each other’s backs when Litchfield was trying to pull them apart, and found their way back to one another no matter who was playing games or trying to gain control of the prison that week.
6. Troy & Abed from Community
Honestly, Troy and Abed felt like destiny from the very start. They completed each other in a way that brought out the best in them as people and men. And with each other, they blossomed in weird, funny, kind, and wacky ways that changed them forever. Their friendship was also the standout in every single episode of this show. That shows the power and strength of these two and how their friendship stood out amongst the rest.
Agree? Disagree? Feel like I missed a best friend duo that deserved to be on this list? Let us know!
(image: NBC)
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