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Best Friends Forever: Favorite TV Besties

Joey hugs Chandler from behind in Friends, Chandler smiling slightly

Best friends are, well, the best. They’re there through thick and thin, they aren’t afraid to tell you the truth, and they’re your cheerleaders, among other things. There are so many friends on TV to love and consider as #friendshipgoals.

There are a lot of best friends on TV that I love, albeit for different reasons. It’s not easy to narrow down, but here’s a start:

Jen & Judy (Dead to Me

Okay, these two have been through some serious stuff together. Murder, cover-ups, deceit, tragedy, drama—nothing is off-limits in this friendship. Just when you think it couldn’t possibly get any worse for them, it does. And still, they survive.

Jen and Judy sitting on a couch outside, both looking tired, Jen supporting her head with her hand, in Dead to Me

This friendship isn’t necessarily healthy, or always functional, but it’s still a remarkable one nonetheless. Remarkable because they’re still standing, and they’re still sticking by one another’s sides. Granted, I don’t know how this friendship would look if the trouble were to end and they no longer had insanity in their lives, but with the way it is, it’s admirable that they haven’t abandoned one another. Although, after all they’ve been through, it’s solidified trust and understanding between them. Despite their differences, everything they’ve gone through has united them, for better or for worse, forevermore.

Shawn & Gus (Psych) 

Sometimes, it seems as though Shawn is the child and Gus is the parent, rather than a friendship. However, that’s the thing: from the outside looking in, most people wouldn’t understand their friendship.

They have been friends since childhood, growing up together (Gus more so than Shawn) and being there for all the milestones. They’re comfortable with one another, and can get each other to do pretty much whatever they want. That’s why Gus goes along with whatever antic Shawn is usually up to, even if Gus is dragging his feet to do so.

Shawn and Gus in the dark, Gus with a bseball bat and Shawn with a flashlight, looking scared as they trek through the woods in Psych

Shawn comes up with all kinds of quippy nicknames for Gus and usually tricks or manipulates Gus to do what he wants, and Gus will call Shawn out on all of it. They can be completely honest with one another; that’s why they’re so close. Every friendship has their quirks, inside jokes and the like—Shawn and Gus have a plethora of them. They’re fun to watch and when it comes down to it, they couldn’t have a better partnership, which is beneficial considering they own a business together (a business Shawn tricked Gus into, no less).

Shawn and Gus provide an even balance; Shawn is sometimes too caught up in his shenanigans and Gus will bring him back. Meanwhile, Gus has a tendency to be too uptight, and Shawn can loosen him up and show him how to enjoy life rather than take it so seriously. They’re definitely best friends forever, and will always be among my favorite TV characters.

Jane & Maura (Rizzoli & Isles) 

These two are inseparable, and completely opposite. Jane is a sarcastic yet good-natured cop, with a gift for investigative work. Maura is an academic, oblivious to sarcasm, and holds a love and fascination for all things science, which suits her work as the Chief Medical Examiner. While they are quite different, the two are the best of friends.

Jane and Maura sitting on a bed next to each other, smiling at one another in Rizzoli and Isles

It seems every episode one, or both of them, is dealing with something serious in their professional or personal lives. Their lives never seem to be stable, but it’s just how it is. Regardless, their friendship is truly the heart of the show. They’re always overcoming obstacles together, even against each other—like the time Jane shot Maura’s biological father, or the time Jane was furious with Maura for not telling her pertinent information about her family. These two have been through everything under the sun, and have come at it from different angles (those being their separate professions and opposite personalities). Their differences appear to balance them out, and is part of what makes their friendship so solid. They are like sisters, and they love each other as such.

Lorelai & Rory (Gilmore Girls

Yes, they’re mother and daughter, but even more so, they’re best friends. There are no secrets between them. They’re supportive of one another, and they are each other’s rock.

Lorelai and Rory differ in certain ways, but they love their junk food, their movie nights, and especially their pop culture references. They’re so close it’s easier to believe they’re besties instead of mother and daughter—though a fair share mother and daughter moments do emerge on the show, especially when Lorelai disagreed with Rory’s departure from Yale and they went through a period in which they didn’t see or speak to one another.

Lorelai painting Rory's toenails while sitting on a couch with a flower design in Gilmore Girls

In any case, they eventually came to an understanding and were brought back together, happily so. The separation was clearly hard on both of them, but in their case, they needed space from their best friend to realize what was important. Neither Rory nor Lorelai particularly agreed with the other’s decisions at that time, but friends, even best friends, probably won’t agree on everything. Best friends are there for you, but they’re also there to tell you when they think you’re making mistakes—most best friends will tell you that because they love you and only want the best for you, after all.

Written by Kacie Lillejord

Kacie is a freelance writer versed in various forms. She loves pop culture, screenwriting, novels, and poetry. She has previously written for The Daily Wildcat, Harness Magazine, Cultured Vultures, and Screen Rant, with 25YL being her newest writing venture.

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