Image via Complex Original
When you're a kid, everything you expect from life comes from what you've seen on television. From what middle school's going to be like, to the inevitable first love, television teaches you what life checkpoints to look out for. One of the most important: establishing a lifelong friendship.
You'd scour the playground looking for the Skeeter to your Doug, the Cory to your Shawn.
Even if you weren't a Doug fan, or a Boy Meets World fan, it's guaranteed that you idolized at least one of these 25 teen TV friendships growing up.
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Kenan and Kel on Kenan and Kel
Played by: Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell
Kel came over to Kenan's house so much, orange soda in tow, that it's easy to mistake the two for brothers. But see, that was the enviable beauty of their friendship.
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Little Pete and Artie, the Strongest Man in the World, on The Adventures of Pete & Pete
Played by: Danny Tamberelli and Toby Huss
From afar, Little Pete and Artie looked like mismatched neighbor-friends who probably shouldn't be hanging out (because of, you know, pedophilia). But Artie, the Strongest Man in the World, was Little Pete's own personal superhero, like rolling around with the weird neihborhood Batman. If Batman was a lunatic and maybe slow.
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Jackie Burkhart and Donna Pinciotti on That '70s Show
Played by: Mila Kunis and Laura Prepon
Jackie and Donna were the comforting proof that opposites do attract, and can maintain a functioning friendship. Jackie was a miniature, unfiltered sex-pert, and Donna was a tree-like, level-headed square, and yet they got along swimmingly. Like My Giant, kind of.
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Budnick and Donkeylips on Salute Your Shorts
Played by: Danny Cooksey and Michael Bower
If you were a kid who aspired to get into some shit as a child, i.e. Budnick, you would've wanted a Donkeylips by your side. Budnick was the smartass and 'Lips the brolic enforcer—a match made in a camp counselor's nightmare.
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Jamal Grant and Chris Anderson on City Guys
Played by: Wesley Jonathan and Scott Whyte
What joins a couple of bros more than trying to stay out of trouble together? If you asked the City Guys, the answer would be, "Nothing." Despite getting off to a rocky start—they were just too similar!—Jamal and Chris formed a laidback friendship that looked so damn cool.
Reggie, Otto, Twister and Squid on Rocket Power
Played by: Shayna Fox, Joseph Ashton, Ulises Cuadra, Gary LeRoi Gray
If you were a fan of Rocket Power as a kid, you can thank Reggie, Otto, Twister, and Squid for the fact you're not morbidly obese right now. They were active—they surfed, skateboarded, and played hockey—20 hours a day, seven days a week. The four hours left in the day were probably spent being grounded or thinking up ways to sneak out of the house. It was physically impossible not to grab a board and hit the park with your friends after watching an episode.
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Cher Horowitz and Dionne Davenport on Clueless
Played by: Rachel Blanchard and Stacey Dash
They were the epitome of BFFL. Like, they went shopping together at Rodeo Drive, gossiped about stupid boys in the quad, did each other's nails at their mansions, and totes talked about feelings. For a girl who grew up playing with Barbies (and actually playing with them, not biting their heads off or setting their hair on fire), they had the quintessential friendship.
Lizzie Maguire and Gordo on Lizzie Mcguire
Played by: Hilary Duff and Adam Lamberg
In retrospect, Gordo and Lizzie's friendship was kinda sad, considering he pined over her all throughout middle school and high school. Damn you, Ethan! However, he did get his kiss in the movie version of the show.
Romance aside, Gordo and Lizzie actually had a sweet friendship that wasn't fraught with the typical immature-guy-pranking-his-female-BFF-because-he- doesn't-know-how-to-talk-about-his-feelings. Compared to that stereoptype, Gordo was a wise old owl.
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Louis Stevens and Twitty on Even Stevens
Played by: Shia LaBeouf and A.J. Trauth
The GIF above perfectly sums up their friendship: weird as fuck and held together by the common bond of developmental issues. In that way, Twitty was an extension of the dysfunctional Stevens family.
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Alfie and Goo on My Brother and Me
Played by: Arthur Reggie III and Jimmy Lee Newman Jr.
Goo was basically the male version of Kimmie Gibbler. You didn't know where his family was, and he was always coming in and out of the house trying to get Alfie into some trouble. He was over so impossibly often that it made you wish you had a friend who had parents that reckless.
The Band on California Dreams
Played by: Brent Gore, Kelly Packard, Jennie Kwan, William James Jones, Michael Cade, Jay Anthony Franke
Picture a group of Hollister-model-looking teens who rehearse as a gnarly band all day and play super rad gigs all night, and you've got California Dreams. Double or nothing says you once asked yourself, "How could this be a life? And where can I get one for myself?"
Zack Morris and A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell
Played by: Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez
Zack and Slater's friendship was a perfect example for anyone who had a love-hate relationship with their best friend growing up. Despite the competition between them (come on, they were both the prettiest guys in school), they managed to remain friends even after the college years.
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Dieter Schmitz and Stephen Colletti on Laguna Beach
Stephen and Dieter were the real-life example of awesome wing men. Dieter helped Stephen juggle LC and Kristin, while Stephen supported Dieter's elaborate plans to ask Jessica to prom. When they weren't scheming for the ladies, they were longboarding down hills and going to Jack in the Box. In other words, they made the life we only saw on scripted teen television a possiblity.
Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane on Daria
Played by: Tracy Grandstaff and Wendy Hoopes
The original hipsters, Daria and Jane were idols to every young Emily Strange who grew up hating their Abercrombie & Fitch-wearing peers.
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Veronica and Wallace in Veronica Mars
Played by: Kristen Bell and Percy Dags III
Who wouldn't be friends with the girl who cut him down from the flagpole he was duct-taped to? Despite being on opposite ends of the social ladder, the jock became the Watson to Veronica's Sherlock.
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Doug Funny and Skeeter Valentine on Doug
Played by: Billy West and Fred Newman
Kids moving to a new town, you don't need to worry—there'll be a Skeeter to your Doug waiting to welcome you with open arms. He'll be your friend who will tour you around the new 'hood and, most importantly, teach you how to order food at Honker Burger.
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Sam Weir and Neil Schweiber on Freaks and Geeks
Played by: John Francis Daley and Samm Levine
While most would like to think of ourselves in high school as being more like the freaks and less like the geeks, the truth is the geeks had it better. While the friendship dynamic between Danny, Ken, and Nick consisted of them making fun of each other, Sam and Neil were more about standing up for one another. Even if that consisted of Neil not showering after gym class because Sam was too embarrassed by his body. Their motto: friends who stink together, stay together.
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Jimmy Brooks and Spinner Mason on Degrassi
Played by: Drake and Shane Kippel
To say their friendship was imperfect would be an understatement. After all, Spinner pulled the prank on Rick that caused him to shoot and paralyze Jimmy, causing him to lose his basketball scholarhship. But despite all that, Jimmy manages to forgive the bumbling idiot. It was impossible not to admire that love.
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Kevin Arnold and Paul Pfeiffer on The Wonder Years
Played by: Fred Savage and Josh Saviano
The ages between 12 and 17 are filled with the confusion and insecurity of the unknown, otherwise known as the "Wonder Years" (what a sick joke). Think of Kevin and Paul as the derpy, suburban version of Cory and Shawn of Boy Meets World. Even if you didn't feel like the coolest kid in town, Kevin and Paul made you realize that was OK.
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Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Played by: Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff
Admit it, we all wanted friendship swag, and a secret handshake, like the kind Will and Jazz enjoyed. While Jazz entered Will's life way before the mansion in Bel-Air (the two rapped together in the '80s duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince), he was best known for routinely getting kicked out of the house by physically being thrown out by Uncle Phil. A dude who still comes around to hang out even though he's basically assaulted every time he comes over? That's brotherly love.
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Dawson Leery and Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek
Played by: James Van Der Beek and Katie Holmes
Dawson and Joey tried to follow the Clarissa-Sam model, but failed miserably. Neighbors since childhood, Joey, whose mother died of breast cancer and whose father was in jail for drug trafficking, spent a lot of time at the Leery household, where she and Dawson became the best will-they-or-won't-they friends. Although the two dated on and off for five of the six seasons, they ultimately remained the best of friends, as it should be—no one fucks with Pacey and Joey.
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Clarissa Darling and Sam Anders on Clarissa Explains It All
Played by: Melissa Joan Hart and Sean O'Neal
Girls meets boy, boy climbs a ladder into girl's room, boy and girl hang out...that's it. Clarissa and Sam were one of the first television relationships to feature a teenage boy and a girl who were friends, and stuck to being just friends. Clarissa was the anxious chatterbox, which perfectly complemented Sam's "What's the worst that could happen?" attitude.
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Arnold and Gerald on Hey Arnold
Played by: Toran Caudell and Jamil Walker Smith
Living in the city, there's all the time in the world to play streetball, grab a slice of pizza, or encourage Stoop Kid to leave his stoop and who better to do that with then your best friend? For Arnold, Gerald was the catsup to his mustard, the peanut butter to his jelly, and the voice of reason when things got out of control.
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Ryan Atwood and Seth Cohen on The OC
Played by: Ben McKenzie and Adam Brody
When Kid Chino met Lonely Boy, sparks flew. Who would have thought that a bad-ass with a police record could befriend a nerdy Jewish boy with Death Cab for Cutie records? The unlikely duo gave hope (and street cred) to every unpopular kid.
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Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter on Boy Meets World
Played by: Ben Savage and Rider Strong
It was difficult not to take cues from Cory and Shawn, considering we literally watched them grow up together. According to that pair, friendship wasn't complete without the following: Phillies games, Chubby's, and cross-country road trips (during which you may or may not run into an aspiring girl group that's actually Nobody's Angel).
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