Whether it’s a nostalgic show from your past or a show you watch now — certain iconic TV BFFs will stick with you forever. Television friendships are a great way for us to see ourselves in our favorite TV characters. They’re imperfect, they bicker — but at the end of the day, they love each other unconditionally. Growing up, seeing friends like Lilly and Miley, or Monica and Rachel taught us a lot about the important relationships in our own lives.
Sometimes we all need a reminder of just how important our female friends are, and sometimes seeing a healthy friendship between two women (even if they’re on TV) can be just that. So, whether you’re the Ann to your friend’s Leslie, or the Snooki to your friend’s JWoww — we’re paying tribute to the 20 TV BFFs who defined #FriendshipGoals.
1. Rory Gilmore and Lane Kim on Gilmore Girls
Sure, when you think “TV BFFs” your mind probably goes to Rory and Lorelai. However, we think the fact that they’re mother and daughter kind of excludes them from this narrative. That’s why we selected Lane Kim and Rory Gilmore’s pure and wholesome friendship for this list. While they occasionally butt heads like all BFFs, Lane and Rory are the perfect complements to each other. Rory is calm, grounded and somewhat of a goody-goody — whereas Lane is hyperactive, a little scattered and knows that she has to break the rules to succeed from time to time. But, the best part of their friendship is the fact that they are always willing to drop everything to help out their BFF — even if it means Rory putting herself in the line of fire from the wrath of Mrs. Kim.
2. Monica Geller and Rachel Green on Friends
How can you not think about Friends when talking about TV BFFs? While all three of the Friends ladies (Monica, Rachel and Phoebe) are obviously great pals, it’s impossible to deny that Rachel and Monica’s history is what truly makes them #FriendshipGoals. They’ve seen each other through their most painfully awkward years and were able to rekindle their friendship after years apart. They bicker constantly, but nearly every silly argument ends in a tearful reunion. Plus, the fact that Monica is such a champion of Rachel’s relationship with her brother, Ross, is seriously adorable.
3. Snooki and JWoww on The Jersey Shore
Despite the fact that nearly every episode of The Jersey Shore is a complete and total trainwreck, there’s one thing that remained steady throughout every season — Snooki and JWoww’s friendship. They’ve gone through it all — relationship troubles, house arguments, run-ins with the law and drunken regrets. In fact, their friendship is so iconic that they even got their own post-Jersey Shore spinoff show! With all the Sammi and Ron drama from season 1, the two had to have each other’s backs from the get-go and still hang out to this day… with the addition of their new families! We’re not crying, you are.
4. Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins on Parks and Recreation
Okay, OBVIOUSLY Leslie and Ann from Parks and Recreation are probably the most iconic TV BFFs of all time. Leslie is pretty much Ann’s number one fan — constantly showering her with compliments, unsolicited advice, over-the-top gifts and unwavering support. And while Ann may be way more low-key in her approach to being a BFF, Leslie would not be able to function without her.
Ann keeps Leslie grounded and calm… since she’s always on the brink of completely losing it. Plus, they help each other out in their careers, relationships and parks-related catastrophes. That’s friendship.
5. Miley Stewart and Lilly Truscott on Hannah Montana
Aw, talk about a #TBT. Growing up, we all admired the friendship that Miley, Lilly, and Oliver had, but it was Lilly and Miley who were true #FriendshipGoals. I mean, let’s start with the fact throughout every silly fight and brief falling-out, Lilly never once revealed Miley’s true identity — now that’s loyalty. Plus, Lilly never let the fact that Miley was an international pop sensation make her jealous, and Miley always put being a good friend to Lilly ahead of any of her duties as Hannah Montana. Best friendship is all about give and take and that’s what Miley and Lilly are all about.
6. Jess Day and Cece Parekh on New Girl
Yes, the main focus of New Girl is Jess’s wacky relationships with the three guys she lives with, but we all know that her true BFF is Cece. Cece keeps Jess from going completely insane while living with Nick, Winston, and Schmidt. Jess can be super flighty and all over the place, and Cece can always bring her back to reality without fail. Plus, Jess is an overwhelmingly enthusiastic, positive person — which Cece needs every now and then for a little bit of motivation. Basically, they balance each other perfectly (plus, they each date one of the guys Jess lives with, making their bond even stronger).
7. Abbi Abrams and Ilana Wexler on Broad City
When it comes to TV BFFs, no one does it quite like Abbi and Ilana on Broad City. Their friendship has been through the best of times, the worst of times, and most definitely the weirdest of times. The two live their lives judgment-free (when it comes to one another, at least) and they share *literally* everything with each other. Plus, they’re always willing to help each other in the most ~personal~ and awkward of situations. Whether it’s an awkward plumbing-related situation, falling into a hole in the ground or dealing with unchartered sexual territory, these BFFs have truly been through it all.
8. Kelly Kapoor and Erin Hannon on The Office
While this iconic duo didn’t find each other until the end of their time on The Office, Kelly and Erin are a truly excellent female TV duo. Let’s face it, being BFFs with Kelly Kapoor would definitely take a toll on our sanity, but Erin is able to do it with a smile on her face. Erin’s childlike positivity and (let’s be honest) ditziness make her friendship with Kelly possible. While Kelly is definitely the dominant one in the friendship, she also uses her dramatic, aggressive personality to defend Erin’s honor at all costs.
9. DJ Tanner and Kimmy Gibler on Full House
Another excellent, throwback pair of TV BFFs. In case you’re a little too young to remember Full House, Kimmy Gibler and DJ Tanner were the OG female #FriendshipGoals. Despite the fact that Kimmy could be a real pain (if you remember, Danny Tanner did everything he could to keep Kimmy away from the house), she was unwaveringly supportive of DJ and was always there to keep her smiling. DJ, in classic Tanner fashion, gave amazing advice and always had a kind word for Kimmy, even when she got herself into all sorts of absurd dilemmas.
10. Fiona Gallagher and Veronica Fisher on Shameless
Despite the fact that Shameless can be one of the most stressful, dramatic, overwhelming and depressing shows on television, Veronica and Fiona remind us of the true power of friendship. It’s no secret that both of them are living through pretty tough times, especially Fiona. Her horrible, selfish and alcoholic father is constantly leaving the family impoverished and in all sorts of danger.
Even though Veronica is struggling financially, she is always willing to drop everything to give Fiona a hand, lend her a few bucks and help raise the younger siblings. Plus, through it all, they know when to run away for a few hours and party insanely hard. That’s how we do it.
11. Candace and Toni on Portlandia
While they may definitely have one of the more unconventional friendships on this list, Toni and Candace from Women and Women First feminist bookstore just had to make this list of TV BFFs. We know that their characters are obvious caricatures of older, radical feminists, but they still unwaveringly defend each other against misogyny and the daily troubles that women face in their own, over-the-top manner so we love ’em. Plus, die-hard Portlandia fans know that while they started off as enemies, they came together against sexist CEOs, abandoned the corporate world and began their life as small business owners/BFFs. Truly inspiring.
12. Lizzie McGuire and Miranda Sanchez on Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie and Miranda had one of the purest friendships ever. We all connected so strongly to Lizzie McGuire and this duo during our most awkward pre-teen years, because they were going through it right with us. Lizzie and Miranda helped each other through boy troubles, controlling parents, buying their first bras — and pretty much every tricky, coming-of-age moment.
We could all relate to the teenage pressure to conform, but Lizzie and Miranda always keep each other in check and make sure they’re being true to themselves. While the Lizzie and Miranda dynamic is obviously incomplete without Gordo, there are certain things you just need your girl BFF for and even Gordo knew it.
13. Liz Lemon and Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock
While their friendship is definitely unconventional (and occasionally unhealthy) Liz and Jenna just had to make this list. Yes, Jenna is 100% narcissistic, dramatic and childish; and Liz is lazy, selfish and negative — but somehow when you put them together, it works.
Die-hard 30 Rock fans know that this pair’s lifelong friendship started when they were both struggling to find work as part of an improv troupe and found success together on The Girlie Show, written by Liz and starring Jenna. They may disagree constantly, but they wouldn’t be able to function without each other.
14. Raven Baxter and Chelsea Daniels on That’s So Raven
Of course, we had to include another one of Disney’s most iconic TV BFFs — Raven and Chelsea from That’s So Raven. The best part about this duo is that they could not be more dissimilar, which always keeps things interesting.
Raven is always up to some sort of ridiculous scheme, and Chelsea is always down to get involved, no questions asked. Chelsea can be a bit of an airhead, but she’s totally unwavering in her support of Raven aaaaand she’s also not afraid to call her out when she’s being a little bit selfish. Plus, Raven’s drive and intense diva attitude come in handy if anyone treats Chelsea wrong; they will get put in their place.
15. Meredith Grey and Christina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy
These TV BFFs are a little bit hard to talk about, especially after Christina left Grey’s Anatomy out of the blue. In her defense, Meredith is pretty much the only original character left. But in earlier seasons, Meredith and Christina had the kind of friendship that dreams are made of. I mean, they coined the phrase “you’re my person” that can now be seen as an Instagram caption on nearly everyone’s Instas with their best friend. They did everything together and supported each other through the typically-devastating situations that happen on pretty much every episode. We all need a friendship like theirs for when things just get too hard and you need someone to drink tequila and dance it out with.
16. Elliot Reid and Carla Espinoza on Scrubs
Let’s be honest, Turk and JD’s friendship is the true epitome of #FriendshipGoals in Scrubs, but that’s not what we’re here for, okay? Besides, Elliot and Carla have a beautiful friendship that started off a little rocky. Carla straight-up couldn’t stand Elliot at first (since she’s a whiny, rich, white girl from Connecticut), but when Elliot finally stood up for herself and Carla realized how unfair she was being, a beautiful friendship was formed. They help each other out through their various relationship issues (and Elliot’s neurotic tendencies), defend each other when their boyfriends are being the WORST, and (not to mention) they save lives together.
17. Topanga Lawrence and Angela Moore on Boy Meets World
Growing up with the cast of Boy Meets World was honestly a blessing. The group had tons of interesting ~romantic~ plots, drama, ridiculousness and surprisingly-witty humor for a show initially geared towards the younger crowd.
While one of the more iconic duos from the show was obviously Cory and his girlfriend, Topanga, or Cory and Shawn, we think that the friendship between Topanga and Angela was just as (if not, more) important. Seeing this duo go from being high schoolers to real, grown-up people was one of the most formative experiences of our young lives. They were flawed and had their fair share of hardships and ~heavy stuff~ that a lot of other teen shows didn’t bother discussing, making them two of the most important TV BFFs of all time. When Angela returned to Girl Meets World married and ready to have babies, we all basically died on the inside.
18. Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein on Grace & Frankie
Grace and Frankie is such a great and heartwarming show because it proves that you can still find your best friend much later in life. These TV BFFscame together under super unusual circumstances (and didn’t particularly like each other, at first), but somehow found themselves as close friends and confidants.
If you’re not familiar with the show, they basically are forced to come together and cope when they learn that their husbands aren’t just work partners, but have been romantically involved for years. Yeah, ~unique~ circumstances. But the lesson we can take from this is that girlfriends > boyfriends. Always.
19. Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
If you’ve ever watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you know that there’s pretty much no duo as badass as Buffy and Willow. While Buffy is obviously the star of the show (seeing as she’s, y’know, the vampire slayer), she’s only able to defeat all of the evil forces in Sunnydale with the help of Willow’s quick-thinking, tech smarts, and eventually incredible witchcraft skills. Each person in the Scoobie Gang has their role to play — but let’s just face the facts that Buff and Will carry the team.
In addition to the constant demons, vampires and other monsters they have to fight, these TV BFFs never hesitate to help each other when it comes to schoolwork and their ever-complicated love lives.
20. Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge on Riverdale
Whether or not you’re familiar with the 2017 TV show adaptation of the Archie Comics, Riverdale, you know that Betty and Veronica are the epitome of TV BFFs. Betty’s more of the goody-goody, “perfect daughter” type and Veronica is a bit of a spoiled rich girl type who knows how to get what she wants but opposites attract and these two bring out the best in each other. Plus, there’s always some kind of scandal going on in Riverdale and these two are always willing to go out on a limb for each other.