Look, we’ve all wanted to be JD running down the Scrubs hospital corridor into Turk’s arms upon his return from his honeymoon.
We’ll all want to rag a Mini around East London with Bulletproof’s Bishop and Pike in the coming weeks.
Even Peep Show’s Mark Corrigan and Jeremy Usborne in their own dysfunctional way make you pine for a naff flat in Croydon and a best mate who sabotages your every triumph.
So we’ve broken down these TV friendships and why we want to be part of them.
Larry David and Jeff Greene (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Being mates with Larry and Jeff would be wild.
They’re both totally amoral, the foul language they use would make Malcolm Tucker blush and they will never, EVER judge you.
You’d also have the constant conversation and psychoanalysing to look forward to, like when Jeff perfectly described Larry as a ‘social assassin’. Somebody coin a term for me.
And on a purely superficial level, they’re both properly minted. Have you seen their mansions? Yes, because they’re impossible to miss.
In the end, though, be prepared to face-off against Jeff’s terrifying wife, Susie. Her iconic line, “Wait till I get my hands on that goddam Larry David – I’ll kill him!” is both chilling and hilarious.
Bishop and Pike (Bulletproof)
Aaron Bishop and Ronnie Pike might just be the next duo to add to your list as they hit our screens in new buddy-cop show, Bulletproof on 15 May (Sky One).
The pair have pretty different backgrounds. Pike is the stable family man with the stand-up dad while Bishop was brought up in foster homes and is a bit of a walking timebomb.
But the two are thicker than the thieves they set out to catch. It takes a lot for a friendship to be the key takeaway amongst car chases, shootouts, stake-outs and heists. And gun-running, dodgy cops and corruption.
But these guys honestly just love each other. And let’s be real, you have to really trust your mate amongst all that.
Between Bishop’s tough exterior and Pike’s cool head in any situation, we reckon we might be safe delving into the criminal underworld with them.
Turk and JD (Scrubs)
Arguably the best bromance of all time, Turk (Donald Faison) and JD (Zach Braff) were closer than your average romantic on-screen pairing.
We’d like the challenge of what no other man has been able to achieve - become intrinsically part of their friendship. What would our nickname be to their Brown Bear and White Shadow?
Would we be able to get closer than Carla and Elliot?
Probably not. Realistically, we’d never infiltrate their finely tuned telepathy and it would take almost a lifetime to receive the same level of admiration they have for each other.
We’d still be happy to watch from the sidelines, though. Second unnamed janitor? Yes, please.
The best bit? Donald Faison and Zach Braff are best pals in real life. Think about that next time you want to feel warm inside.
McNulty and Bunk (The Wire)
Like the surface of any good friendship, the drunk tirades, pithy one-liners and bourbon-drenched slanging matches of McNulty (Dominic West) and Bunk (Wendell Pierce) are where you think most of the fun lies.
There’s a giddy thrill seeing other men let loose and goof off with each other, especially set against the brutal after-shock of the
But the real joy is seeing the two bond on a deeper level. When they put the banter aside and confront difficult truths about alcoholism, infidelity and themselves, about who they are as men and whether either have the power to change.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson (Sherlock)
We’ve all had that friend who intrigues us and we seem to be watching them rather than being with them, but that doesn’t stop us knowing that they’d have our back if we needed them, too.
Sherlock and Watson’s terribly British, feelings-at-the-back-door relationship, and Sherlock’s continued insistence that he ‘doesn’t have friends’ is belied by the strong and almost homoerotic bond they share.
We’d give anything to be analysed to the hilt by Mr Holmes if it meant we could live the adventure with him, despite our constant uncertainty of his opinion of us.
Brian and Stewie (Family Guy)
Dogs and babies can’t be friends.
They can sleep next to each other in cute viral photos, but they do not possess the intelligence to form such a relationship.
Unless, of course, they are both highly intelligent, and can speak. And in that case, we want in.
To gain insight into two of our most confusing allies is a privilege not heard by many – and to share it with such intelligence would open even the most stubborn of eyes.
All very important, yes, but really, it’s the adventures you’d join that would really make a friendship worthwhile.
Brb, I’m off to space with a dog and a baby – better put my out of office on.
Be part of Bishop and Pike’s friendship by tuning in to Bulletproof, airing on Sky One on Tuesday 15 May.
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