Classic TV besties every ’90s kid obsessed over

Every week, in honor of #ThrowbackThursday, we look back at a trend that we totally forgot about, but totally shouldn’t have. Check out past #TBT columns here.

There’s nothing I love quite as much as some friendly banter between BFFs. And fortunately for me, there were lots of BFFs to choose from when I was growing up. Of course I mean my favorite TV BFFs. Not real BFFs. I’ve only had some of those. I choose BFFs wisely, you guys.

Besties are important, you guys, the real ones and the fictional ones. So in honor of besties everywhere (and Hello Giggles’ own Sophia Rossi, who kicked off her A Tale of Two Besties book tour this week) I thought we could go back and admire TV’s best BFFs. Happy #TBT, besties!

Cory/Shawn

These two. Besides a blonde girl and a brunette girl being BFFs (see Amy & Tina) this is THE DREAM. A ne’er do well bad boy and an awkward curly-haired boy growing up together is GOLD. And these two never disappointed on Boy Meets World. As a kind of goody two shoes growing up, (which turns you into an anxiety-ridden rule follower as an adult) I greatly identified with Cory and have definitely had Shawn-like friends.

Clarissa/Sam

Until I was 5, my best friends were all boys. Maybe it was just easier as a kid to have guy friends but really, I think it was just proximity. “Oh, this boy lives next door and is my age? I guess we’re best friends.” Which is really, how all little kid friendships happen. Clarissa and Sam were the greatest male/female BFF duo though because it made sense. Clarissa was the brains and Sam did the grunt work.

Dawson/Joey

Which leads us to Dawson and Joey. All throughout Dawson’s Creek we are told they are best friends but all we see is them getting into romantic scrapes together. Which I LOVED, of course. And frankly, by the end of the series you reach a point where the idea of them ever being romantically linked is simply nauseating.

Will/Carlton

I am a HUGE Will Smith fan. And I LOVED Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I’m still waiting for a replica of Will’s school jacket (to wear inside out) and I loved the Will/Carlton dynamic. Carlton is dorky and a nerd but LOUD about it. And Will is a smooth-talking slacker and it’s just perfect harmony when they are together.

Zack/Screech

Even though Zack teases Screech with the rest of them (AND KISSES LISA!) they are best friends. Zack and Screech 100% have that best friendship out of convenience and habit. They were friends when they were kids and just can’t shake each other. And sometimes those are the best friendships just because there’s a reason you never grew apart and there’s a reason you found each other in the first place. (Awwww)

DJ/Kimmy

I want to be clear, I desperately wanted to be DJ Tanner as a kid. But, I did not want Kimmy Gibbler as a best friend. I know that is so RUDE because she’s such a great friend to DJ! But I judged her by her annoying tendencies, of which there were many. Thinking about the episode with Kimmy’s birthday where DJ forgets it and messes everything up makes me so sad. These girls have been through so much together (including Kimmy hitting on DJ’s uncle repeatedly) but are still always there for each other. And it sounds like they will continue to be there for each other in Fuller House, as well!

Buffy/Willow

Buffy shouldn’t have been friends with Willow—back when she arrives in Sunnydale. They were totally different types of people—Buffy was originally super-fancy and “LA” (in that movie way), while Willow was a rad nerd. But the best thing about their friendship is that Buffy always sticks up for Willow. They’re fast friends and Willow helps her become the best Slayer she can be! They have each other’s back and as the years pass, they became a lot more alike. It helps that they can totally bond over the whole vampire underworld situation. But seriously, these are some tight fictional besties.

(Boy Meets World via, Clarissa gif via, Dawson pic via, Fresh Prince gif via, Saved by the Bell gif via, Full House via, Buffy gif via)