Moving out of your parents’ house and moving in with your BFF can be a strange mixture of terrifying, exciting, stressful, and a ton of fun. Don’t believe all the roommate horror stories out there: sometimes it does work out. You and your bestie are not cursed to a destroyed friendship and lots of time wasted complaining about unwashed dishes. And luckily, there are plenty of TV examples of roommates that totally make it work! Who knew living with your BFF could actually be the best?!
And we get it: living with a roommate seems like such a hassle. We would def rather live alone! But when you’re a broke 20-something, you don’t really have a lot of options. But, also if you’re a broke 20-something, you’re spending a ton of time watching TV because you don’t have time to do anything else! So check out these TV roommates that’ll have you relating so hard to the life you live with your bestie in your one-bedroom hole-in-the-wall!
1. Will and Grace, Will & Grace
Here’s proof that living with your BFF into your 30s doesn’t mean you’re doomed to be alone forever. Even as the two have gotten in serious relationships and giant fights, they’ve managed to make it work. Will (Eric McCormack) is the practical glue that keeps the household running smoothly and gives some reassurance that actual adults live there. Grace (Debra Messing), on the other hand, is flighty, constantly stressing about something, and a much higher dose of fun than Will. The two balance each other out, and know each other so well that living together is like breathing at this point. Plus they have a gorge New York City apartment that they would be crazy to give up!
2. Jane and Sutton, The Bold Type
Moving to a new city can be absolutely petrifying. You know no one and you have to try and find somewhere to live with someone who isn’t totally creepy. So that’s why work BFFs are the ultimate gift. Jane (Katie Stevens) met Sutton (Meghann Fahey) at their jobs at Scarlet magazine, and the rest is history! The two don’t make tons of money but they are living their total dream jobs together so it makes sense that they would shack up together, too! And when trouble arises, like Jane finding out Sutton keeps a gun in the apartment, they always figure it out like adults and find a compromise that suits them both (after some natural dramatics of course!). Living with someone who shares your passions is what it’s all about.
3. Abed, Troy, and Annie, Community
The great thing about community college? You can pick who you live with outside of school instead of being forced into a freshman dorm room with someone totally weird to you! Abed (Danny Pudi) and Troy (Donald Glover) become fast friends when they start college and start living together ASAP. They’re just kind of meant to be, you know? When they prep to move off campus, they take Annie (Alison Brie) with them and help her get out of her crappy apartment above a porn shop. Together they have one of the strangest apartment dynamics ever… but it totally works! If you and your BFF (or BFFs!) live in a mix-gender, crazy energy household, you’ll totally relate to this trio!
4. Vincent Chase and his entourage, Entourage
These guys are living the life! Vincent (Adrien Grenier) and his buddies grew up in New York with practically nothing. Cut to their adult years as Vinny is now a movie star and they’re all livin’ lavishly. From rags to riches, these guys live in Vinny’s huge-ass California mansion and reap the rewards of fame. Although it’s rare, plenty of people keep their same friends from childhood to adulthood, bringing them along on life’s journeys and even living together as roomies. Who knows you better than someone you’ve known your whole life?! Anyone who has done this knows it leads to quite a few arguments at times, but a lifelong history of friendship is more than capable of mending anything! Started from the bottom, now we’re here, you know?
5. Laverne and Shirley, Laverne & Shirley
These two are the quintessential “opposites attract” roommates! Laverne (Penny Marshall) is a tough tom-boy from New York. Her roommate Shirley (Cindy Williams) is upbeat, positive, and much meeker than her outspoken friend. The two not only live together but also work together – first at a brewery and then at other odd jobs throughout the series. The friends that work together and play together stay together! They’re totally different with completely unique backgrounds, but somehow that makes them even better roommates. They balance each other out and give one another a dose of what the other lacks.
6. Leonard and Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory
Sheldon (Jim Parsons) is kind of impossible to live with. He’s set in his ways, strict, and even came up with a Roommate Agreement that no sane person should ever sign. But, somehow, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) manages to handle it all. While the two fight often, they always manage to keep their friendship and living situation intact. It’s not easy to live with someone who has such stringent, ritualized views on how to live but Leonard understands Sheldon’s quirks and allows him to be himself. Someone else may not be so forgiving! It’s not always easy to live with your BFF. Sometimes just having someone there who understands is a huge gift!
7. Charlie, Alan, and Jake, Two and a Half Men
This isn’t the most normal roommate situation, but anyone who has lived with more than one person knows there is always a good and bad influence in the apartment! Charlie (Charlie Sheen) and Alan (John Cryer) are two brothers living together with Alan’s son, Jake (Angus T. Jones), after Alan’s divorce. Alan is meek, uptight and totally has no idea what to do with his rebellious teen son. Cue Charlie’s questionable and promiscuous antics! The two raise the boy together, creating some bro pad that mixes family and roommates into something new and different.
8. Bert and Ernie, Sesame Street
These two aggravate each other, have totally different ideas on how to live, and somehow have roomed together for decades. Maybe it works because they’re felt! Bert is the level-headed, practical one while Ernie is full of bad ideas and a lack of comprehension about the consequences. Together, they barely even balance each other out! Ernie never learns his lesson and Bert is always cleaning up his messes. But these two make a life together work because they’re friends, and true friendship means not liking your friend all of the time but loving them always. Living with your BFF won’t always be sunshine and rainbows, but true friends will always make it work!
9. Janet, Jack, and Chrissy, Three’s Company
Living with one of your BFFs can be testing, but two of them?! It’s gonna get crazy. It’s extra tough when it’s a mixed-gender situation because you never know if two of them are going to fall ~in love~ and leave the other in the dust! Luckily for these three, that doesn’t happen and they maintain a pretty perfect friendship throughout the series. They deal with love, life, financial struggles, and everything a 20something goes through while supporting each other through it all. The three friends were there for each other and made sure the others were happy and safe, showing what true #roomieluv looks like. These three were the original 20something friends before Friends was even a thing!
10. Kimmy and Titus, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
One is a gay man trying to be an actor in New York City. The other is a stunted woman who was held in a bunker by a cult leader for 15 years. But they actually make a perfect pair. Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) doesn’t know a lot about the modern world when she’s freed from the bunker. What she does know is that she wants to explore the world, so she moves to NYC and finds a roommate in Titus (Titus Burgess). He teaches her about the world today in his own way while she helps him not to take life so seriously. They are two totally different people learning from each other each and every day. Plus, Kimmy handles Titus’s diva antics better than anyone else possibly could. That’s true friendship!
11. Monica and Rachel, Friends
When Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) runs out of her own wedding and then gets cut off by her father, she doesn’t have a lot of options. So, for the first time ever, she gets a roommate: her old high school pal Monica (Courteney Cox), who invites her into her (unrealistically amazing) apartment. Sure, there are struggles at first. Rachel has never had a job, let alone paid bills! But the two make it work surprisingly well. Rachel’s flighty attitude and lackadaisical attitude towards cleanliness are matched by Monica’s crazed cleaning routine and to-the-minute organization. But it also proves that no matter how much time passes, you can always find a friend to take you in and help you figure out your life!
12. Charlie and Frank, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Definitely the most disgusting roommates on this list! But they are relatable AF for anyone who gets a little too close to their roommates and doesn’t like cleaning up! These two may be an unlikely duo — Charlie (Charlie Day) is friends with Frank’s (Danny Devito) kids — but they become the closest pair on the show due to their living arrangement. They redefine cheap, gross living. They sleep on a pull-out couch together, rarely clean, and know way too much about each other’s bowel movements. But some people are, shockingly, that way with their BFFs! I guess whatever works, guys!
13. Felix and Oscar, The Odd Couple
They’re called the “Odd Couple” for a reason! Felix (Tony Randall) and Oscar (Jack Klugman) are total opposites. Their lifestyles are completely different and they don’t really agree on much of anything. Which is why watching them interact and navigate living together is fascinating and super relatable. Because not everyone is alike! You and your closest friend are still going to have huge fundamental differences in how you live your life. And if these two can make it work, then anyone can!
14. Drake and Josh, Drake and Josh
Sure, they may be high schoolers who don’t have a choice other than living together, but their dynamic will still give you total roommate vibes. They share a (giant) room together and basically live as if they’re the only ones in the house (besides annoying kid sisters!). They navigate teen life together including sh*tty jobs and confusing crushes. It’s basically like they’re living in their own bachelor pad, you know, except for the part where they don’t have to pay bills! They’re completely different people in every way but they not only become friends but true brothas from living together. Being roommates doesn’t always destroy friendships, sometimes it creates and strengthens them!
15. Jess and The Guys, New Girl
Moving in with one roommate is hard. Moving in with three, who are guys when you’re a girl, is even harder. When Jess (Zooey Deschanel) dumps her live-in, cheating boyfriend, she needs to find a new place to live in L.A. and moves into the loft with the guys. She’s “adorkable,” they’re rowdy dudes. It shouldn’t work. But it really does! Jess classes up the place and gets the guys in touch with their feminine sides. They help her loosen up and rediscover the single life. It’s a true example of how sometimes living with friends turns them into family.
16. The Golden Girls, The Golden Girls
Roommates aren’t only for 20somethings! These “Golden Girls” are in the prime of their life, past middle age, and past the point of really giving a crap! Among them are three widows and a divorcée and if you think these ladies aren’t dating around, you’re off your rocker. They’re basically like any other gaggle of lady roommates, just a little older! But it’s their friendships that set them apart from most TV roommates. They’re unwavering in their support of one another and always treat each other like family. When you have true BFFs, you’ll be able to count on them well into old age!
17. Chandler and Joey, Friends
These two are the ultimate TV roommates! And they’re so true to life. Their life together is somewhat sugar-coated (it’s TV, c’mon), but in the end, the two really act like two BFFs figuring out life together. They’re messy and make poor mistakes. They watch their favorite shows together. They’ve lived the no-furniture life and had empty fridges. And they’ve helped each other out when they’re in a tough financial spot. Is there a more supportive roommate duo on TV?! We doubt it! Through all the different roommate pairings on Friends, these two remain our fave because they remind us what life with our BFF is actually like!