These five television shows highlight just how amazing and important female friendships can be.
Friendships are often some of the most important relationships in a woman’s life, but they are frequently overlooked when it comes to television and movies — especially with all that pressure to fall in love. When female friendships are brought to the big or small screen accurately, however, it’s incredibly refreshing to see. And it’s something that seems to be happening more and more these days.
After all, we all know that a breakup with your best girl friend can be just as devastating as parting ways with a significant other. Likewise, some of our best moments happen with our girls by our sides. Seeing that portrayed in media shows Hollywood is finally coming to understand this.
The female friendships listed below are some of our favorites from television shows over the years. These duos don’t just reflect the real nature of female friendships, but they inspire us to appreciate the women in our own lives a bit more.
Abbi and Ilana from Broad City
Broad City followed two 20-something besties Abbi and Ilana, who are played the creators of the show, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer. The series saw them trying to find their way in the Big Apple and quickly became praised as a comedy for millennial women trying to figure out how to “adult.”
These ladies showed a different side to female friendships on television. The stereotypical 2D view of female friendship often consists of women getting their nails done, shopping, and talking about men all day. Although the friendships mentioned on this list share elements from that description, they feature fleshed out characters who have more meaningful motivations. And something Abbi and Ilana have that so many other female friendships on TV don’t is the complete freedom to be improper, gross, and wild. They are the pothead female comedy duo we have been missing.
Throughout the series, the two women bond over their shared Jewish heritage, weed, the willingness to get swept up in crazy shenanigans, and their need to conquer New York together. They uplift each other. Ilana talks about how great Abbi’s posterior looks, and Abbi gets Ilana to embrace her curly hair. (Ilana also probably wants to hook up with Abbi, and the one-sided sexual tension is absolutely hilarious!)
Broad City lasted for five seasons, and the fifth season was when the creators brought more seriousness to the show. We found out how Abbi and Ilana became friends, and how trying to make it in New York was starting to weigh on them. Ilana and Abbi both decide to take huge next steps, with Ilana choosing to go to grad school for psychology and Abbi admitting that she hates living in New York. Once Abbi decided to move to Connecticut, both girls had to start envisioning life without the other being around 24/7. They had to admit that they were codependent on each other and holding each other back from growing into the women they were meant to be.
And the series finale makes it impossible to not cry. Abbi and Ilana have a final sleepover before their lives head in different directions. Luckily, the show does end by putting viewers at ease: We see that Ilana and Abbi are communicating via video chat in their respective cities. Both girls’ phones are displaying Ilana’s phone wigs as they did before, but this time, the girls seem happier and more adult. The finale ends with a wide shot of all the different types of young friendships developing in New York City, a great way of showing that friendships make life more meaningful.
Molly and Issa from Insecure
HBO’s Insecure gives us a representation of Black female friendship through Molly and Issa (played by Yvonne Orji and creator Issa Rae, respectively), something that wasn’t really common before Girlfriends began airing in the early 2000s.
And although season four left us feeling that Molly and Issa’s friendship might not last, this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be on the list. Friendships go through ups and downs, especially when you have known someone for a long time. In the season finale, Issa and Molly’s relationships ended, and there is probably no way of working it out — but the episode ends with Molly and Issa finally sitting down to talk about their friendship. That alone is an important piece of true friendship, and it’s great more series are showing it.
Outside of the meaning within their relationship, Molly and Issa are important to American television. Insecure is written by Issa Rae, a Black woman, so the dialogue between the two friends resembles how real Black girlfriends talk to one another.
And before the fallout from season four, Molly and Issa stood by each other when the other had to make a hard decision. They showed each other unconditional love, even when they made huge mistakes. Molly and Issa are both flawed women, and in season four, their perception of each other’s flaws made it hard for them to be there for one another. The question is still in the air if their friendship is worth pursuing, but whatever the two decide, there’s no denying how impactful it’s been on both of their lives.
It’s also worth noting that Insecure focuses on Issa and Molly’s relationships with men and their relationship with each other with about the same level of attention. Wondering if Issa and Lawrence will get back together is as important as knowing if Issa and Molly will stay friends. In this way, the show places importance on female friendships and shows us that life wouldn’t be as fun if we didn’t have our girls with us.
Grace and Frankie from Netflix’s Grace and Frankie
Grace and Frankie, played by the legendary Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, are inspirational examples of female friendship. In fact, Netflix’s series could easily be viewed as a love story between friends. The show also represents the lives of older women in a way we haven’t seen before. These women build new lives in their old age, and they help each other get through the rough transition.
Of course, the two weren’t always close. They tolerated each other for years because their husbands worked together at a law firm and became best friends. The two families became one big family. But that is not where their relationship ends. Sol and Robert reveal to the ladies, after long years of marriage, that they had been secretly having an affair with one another and wanted to get married. This breaks the women’s hearts and forces them to start new lives as single women. Both of them end up staying at the beach house, a place their families shared as a getaway destination, and although the setup starts off a bit rocky, they become closer dealing with the embarrassment and fear of their situation together.
Grace and Frankie are very different people, but they make great friends. Grace is classy, put together, a no-nonsense businesswoman who is a high-functioning alcoholic and passionate, kind person underneath it all. Frankie is a hippy, vegetarian, goofball artist who follows the beat of her drum. Frankie brings out the fun side of Grace and reminds her that societal standards or what people think of her don’t matter. Grace brings structure to Frankie’s life and helps her find the no-nonsense business lady inside her.
And both ladies end up having to make hard decisions that could impact the strength of their relationship. At the end of season three, Frankie decides to move to Arizona with her new man. Grace and Frankie commiserate about their fear of being separated from each other during the finale. The following season sees the two dealing with being apart, while season five sees Grace getting married and learning to be a wife to someone she loves, all while balancing her obligation as a friend to Frankie. It’s refreshing to see a show that has characters that put so much attention to their friendships.
At the ending of the second episode of season three, Grace’s roommate says this: “I’ve had a lot of girlfriends in my life, but I’ve never had a Grace or a Frankie.” Don’t we all feel this way?
Cece and Jess from New Girl
New Girl follows Zooey Deschanel’s Jess, her male roommates, and her female best friend Cece and the crazy situations they constantly get themselves into. Cece is Jess’s best friend since middle school, and the beginning of the series, we know her as Jess’s hot model friend. As the show continues, however, viewers start to realize she’s more than that. She’s a strong, protective friend to Jess, and she has a goofy, vulnerable side as well.
Jess and Cece’s friendship shows that people who have a lot of differences can still be friends. Jess is a teacher who cares about the environment, likes to sing a lot, and likes to make crafts. Cece is a model who is constantly being chased by men and likes to go to parties. Although these two women are totally different, they find comfort in each other.
Jess and Cece’s friendship is also a relatable one. There are several moments in their relationship that are common in long-term friendships. In season one’s “Secrets,” Cece hides from Jess so she doesn’t have to admit to her that she fell in love with Schmidt. Cece and Jess know each other so well that they can’t lie to one another. After a pattern of passive-aggressive behavior in season four’s “Girl Fight,” Jess and Cece have the biggest argument of their life. To solve this problem, they physically fought each other and hash out years of resentment. In the final season, when Cece and Schmidt are finding a preschool for their daughter, Cece looks to Jess for advice.
New Girl is a comforting show that’s incredibly funny, and the characters, their relationships, and their growth are what make the series so appealing. Cece and Jess’s friendship and how they remain close only adds to this appeal.
Lucy and Ethel from I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy was the most popular TV show in America for most of the 1950s. The character of Lucy, played by Lucille Ball, was a housewife who would often get into mischief under her husband’s nose. A lot of Lucy’s ideas were harebrained and silly, but she had a willing partner who would go down the rabbit hole with her: Ethel Mertz, played by Vivian Vance.
Ethel was the wife of Lucy and Ricky’s landlord, Frank (played by William Frawley), who was also best friends with Ricky. Ethel was always visiting Lucy’s apartment, checking in on her and reporting on apartment gossip. Whenever Lucy had an idea to do something under Ricky’s nose or played a trick to make a point, Ethel was always there to help Lucy out. Ethel would try to sway Lucy in a different direction when she had some wilder ideas, but she’d support her nonetheless.
Some memorable episodes that show this dynamic in Lucy and Ethel’s friendship are “Job Switching” and “The Operetta.” In “Job Switching,” Ethel and Lucy had an argument with Frank and Ricky about whose job was harder: breadwinner or housewife. They made a deal to switch jobs; Frank and Ricky had to take care of the home while Lucy and Ethel went to the temp agency to find a job. The women were both anxious, and Lucy took the lead talking to the agent, but they were both holding on to each other sitting in one chair. You could tell they really depended on one another.
In “The Operetta,” Lucy wrote an operetta for her women’s club. She wanted to sing in the musical, but she couldn’t sing. Ethel found a way for Lucy to not embarrass herself without having to hurt Lucy’s feelings. First, Lucy wanted to play the lead, but Ethel got Lucy to see that she had the best voice and should play the lead. So Lucy let Ethel play the lead and decided to settle for the Queen of the Gypsies, which was a role that had a lot of singing. Ethel decided to get the chorus of ladies to sing over Lucy, so no one got to hear her horrible voice. This caused Lucy frustration, but it was the best way Ethel knew how to let her friend follow her bliss but not embarrass herself. Ethel was also thinking about the success of the show, which was also important to Lucy. (The show ended up being a disaster anyway, though, since it was interrupted by movers who were taking away costumes, scenery, and props because Lucy’s check bounced.)
Best friends love each other unconditionally, and Ethel and Lucy’s relationship was definitely unconditional. The two embarrassed themselves for one another and still believed in the other’s ideas despite there being plenty of reason not to. It’s nice to see female friendships this strong.
What are some of your favorite female friendships from television? Who reminds you of your own friends? Tell us in the comments below!