5 of the best platonic TV friendships

Most on-screen friendships between men and women ultimately turn romantic — even if it takes seven seasons, as it did with Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in "The X-Files." But Apple TV+ comedy "Platonic," whose second season began airing in early August, is unique in that it's based on a purely non-amorous relationship. Rose Byrne plays Sylvia, a suburban mom suffering quietly from middle-aged ennui who reconnects with her free-spirited college buddy Will (Seth Rogen) after his divorce. The show's most persuasive gimmick is that Will and Sylvia, whose hilarious, drug-fueled hijinks often jeopardize both their jobs and relationships, have absolutely no interest in one another romantically. This makes them part of a very small group of TV characters who maintain such boundaries. Here are five of the most memorable.

1. Ted and Rebecca, 'Ted Lasso'

When the Apple TV+ series "Ted Lasso" wrapped its third season in 2023, it left some fans disappointed that Jason Sudeikis' goofy, titular soccer coach and AFC Richmond team owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) never got together. When they first meet, Rebecca believes that Ted, an American football coach hilariously miscast as a European soccer chief, is the "biggest wanker that has ever wankered" — but soon "finds herself unable to resist interacting with him," said Kaleena Rivera at Pajiba. Ted and Rebecca eventually forge a bond of mutual respect and support that remains firmly in the friendship camp throughout the series; although with a fourth season in the works, it is still possible that they pair off.

2. Leslie and Ron, 'Parks and Recreation'

Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) turned themselves into good-government icons of the mid-aughts as officials in the parks department of made-up Pawnee, Indiana. Ron, who exudes powerful pre-MAGA vibes as a gun-toting conservative, nevertheless forms a sincere and non-romantic bond with his underling, the idealistic Leslie. The fact that they "both love breakfast food and believe in eating it at all hours — the purest bedrock for friendship" eventually outweighs their ideological differences, said Joey Keogh at Birth.Movies.Death. By the end of the series, Leslie "champions him to be true to himself while also growing as a person."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

3. Liz and Jack, '30 Rock'

On the celebrated comedy "30 Rock," Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is the imperious, fictional boss of NBC, and like Ron Swanson, a political conservative to Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey) committed liberal. The debilitatingly neurotic Liz is the head of a flailing sketch comedy show that hires a loose cannon comic (Tracy Jordan) to boost ratings.

Despite their temperamental and political differences, Liz and Jack develop a close mentor-mentee dynamic without even a whiff of romance discernible throughout the show's seven seasons. The series crafted such a convincing companionship between Liz and Jack that the "very idea of anything other than a friendship seems, well, gross," said Meredith Blake at the Los Angeles Times.

4. Joey and Phoebe, 'Friends'

The original sextet of 20-something New York City pals Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe produced two marriages by the end of the show's 10-season run, leaving Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) on the outside looking in — just not at each other. Even though they "understand one another in ways that nobody else does, with their slightly kooky and eccentric logic and personalities," the duo remains just friends, much to the disappointment of some fans, said Jay Snow at Collider. This was partly because the showrunners thought it "would have been too perfect for all the friends to end up with another person in the group."

5. Mark and Carol, 'ER'

The friendship between mild-mannered Chicago emergency room doctor Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) and nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) is perhaps best illustrated by the way he serves as her birthing partner during her pregnancy in season six, which she must endure without her ex, Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney). When Carol goes into labor, Mark rushes to be by her side. As she apologizes for interrupting his Thanksgiving dinner, he replies, "Are you kidding? I'd rather be here." The pair "have a real connection with one another that forms the foundation of a captivating platonic relationship," said Sabienna Bowman at Bustle. Edwards' character was killed off in season eight, so even if there is a reboot or reunion special, we'll sadly never get to see how their friendship evolved through middle age and beyond.