Bromances have been around, well, forever really, but you'd never use the term for say, Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte (48 Hours) or Paul Newman and Robert Redford (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). That just wouldn't be right! And besides that, when do "buddies" turn into "bromantic pals"? Would love to hear your thoughts on that. At any rate, "bromance" is part of our language now, and it's even the title of an MTV show starring Brody Jenner and his buds.
I'm not ashamed to say I have girl-crushes on a few TV babes (True Blood's Sookie Stackhouse springs to mind), so it's not unfeasible for a guy to have a man-crush on another guy. I don't know if that's true for all these pairings, but since I'm writing this, we'll say it is. Take a look at my top ten bromances on TV right now:
TV Squad: Top Bromances on TV Right Now
10. Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) and Tony (Carlos Bernard), '24'
These two have a long history that includes dead wives, severed alliances, and heroic entrances (remember Tony bursting into the warehouse and saving Jack's ass?). But now they're back together, and I'm guessing it won't be long before they're uttering that age-old phrase, "I love you, man." Either that or one will blow the others' head off and call it a day. It's so hard to tell with these two.
Related Links
Fox Broadcasting
9. Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (Carlos Bernard), 'Heroes'
Talk about a friendship that knows no bounds. Ando not only left his cubicle job to follow Hiro through time and space, but the two are slowly but surely saving the world from ultimate doom. We need a new phrase for these two: Super-Bros!
Related Links
NBC
8. House (Hugh Laurie) and Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), 'House, M.D.'
These two have a long history that involves makeups, breakups, and everything in between. Really, it borders on psychotic sometimes. When Wilson quit the hospital, House hired a private detective to follow him around and see if he was missing House as much as House was missing him. But all was forgiven when Wilson kidnapped House and drove him to Florida to attend his dad's funeral.
Related Links
Dean Headner, FOX
7. Tim (Taylor Kitsch) and Jason (Robert Sean Leonard), 'Friday Night Lights'
These two friends have been through thick and thin together. Tim helped Jason deal with living in a wheelchair, went to Mexico with he and Lily, and the two friends even formed a house-flipping business. But the culmination of their bromance was when Tim went with Jason to New York to get a job as a sports agent and reunite with the mother of his child. When they said goodbye, it was like Hubbell and Katie in the last scene of The Way We Were.
Related Links
Paul Drinkwater, NBC
6. Vince (Adrian Grenier) and Eric (Kevin Connolly), 'Friday Night Lights'
First they're friends, then they're business associates, then they're neither, then they're friends again ... these two have more make-ups and break-ups than Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson. But in the end, you know they'll hug it out, whether it's in an airport a la Casablanca or in the back of a Hummer.
Related Links
Claudette Barius, HBO
5. Ted (Josh Radnor) and Marshall (Jason Segel) and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), 'How I Met Your Mother'
Ted and Marshall have been best friends since college, but it's clear that Barney's got Marshall's back. Why else would he fly to San Francisco to convince Lily to come back to New York after she and Marshall broke up? It must be love.
Related Links
CBS
4. J.D. (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison), 'Scrubs'
I turned to Joel, the Squad's resident Scrubs expert, for this one: "Turk and J.D. are the bromantic couple against which all others are measured. Not only have they been around the longest, but they show more affection than most married couples do. From their pet names -- "Vanilla Bear" and "Chocolate Bear" -- to their semi-manly hugs, to goofy stuff like the Steak Night Dance, the old college buddies display a "Guy Love" that seems like it will last a lifetime."
Related Links
Justin Lubin, NBC
3. Provenza (G.W. Bailey) and Flynn (Anthony John Denison), 'The Closer'
It's been a long road for these two characters. The cantankerous Lt. Provenza and the slick Lt. Andy Flynn may seem like opposites, which is probably why they keep landing in painfully awkward situations together, like the funeral in which a dropped casket revealed a second corpse.
Related Links
TNT
2. Hank and Dale, 'King of the Hill'
These two have been friends for years, but the minute Dale suspects Hank might be working against him, Dale's yelling at Nancy to "Get me a gun!" Still, without each other, Hank would have to drink beer with Bill, and Dale would have no one to interpret his special language. They're stuck with each other. We won't call it a bromance, though. Hank would hate that.
Related Links
Fox
1. (Ryan) and (Simon), 'American Idol'
Sure, we've heard all the rumors that these two are more than just friends. On-screen, they flirt in the back of limos. Off-screen, they share dinner in a cozy restaurant. I guess they're perfect for each other because collectively, they pretty much rule the music and TV and radio business. That's a lot for an outsider to compete with, so go for it, guys.
Related Links
Fox
But of course, I can't watch every show, so tell me YOUR favorite bromantic couples!
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-18-2009 @ 11:36AM
ROB said...
Hello, you guys put heroes but not the guys from Breaking Bad?
Reply
3-02-2009 @ 12:20PM
kylen_reyna said...
I like the list, but I think that Jesse and "Mr. White" from Breaking Bad would definitely be bromance-worthy if they develop their "friendship" further in the upcoming season (so if you update this list one day...)Great pairing. Although I like every episode, I didn't like it much when they were "seperated". Already in the first episode Walter was kinda protecitve and Jesse respectful ( in his way). Speaking of chemistry...
2-18-2009 @ 11:49AM
Ryan said...
Awww, no Shaun and Gus from Psych?
Also definitely liking the list better then the slide show.
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 11:54AM
CJ said...
Wow... J.D. and Turk at 4th only? And no Alan Shore + Denny Crane?
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 11:55AM
clgbutterfly said...
Shawn and Gus are life long partners.
Just recently the mention of Raj and Wolowitz from Big Bang Theory were mentioned as an eratz homosexual marriage. Very hilarious.
Another one that is currently debuting is the two stars of Trust Me.
And it should be said that guys need close guy friends as much as girls need life long girlfriends.
The relationship isn't knew in fact during the 19th century men were often more close to their male friends than their girlfriends and wives. I will say I do love the term Bromance. Thank you for who ever invented that.
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 12:04PM
kmuschal said...
What???!!! No William Shatner/James Spader pairing from Boston Legal?
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 12:14PM
Joel Keller said...
That's why the list is called "Top Bromances on TV Right Now." Boston Legal isn't on TV anymore, so that's why Denny and Alan aren't on this list.
2-18-2009 @ 12:06PM
Paul K said...
I agreed with most of your list, but seriously, Shawn and Gus from Psych belong at the top of a list like this. The banter and obvious friendship between them is heads above most of the others on your list.
Not that this belongs near the top, but Michael and Sam from Burn Notice is another one that could have been mentioned.
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 12:11PM
khamel said...
shaun and gus on psych should be at #2 with jd and turk at #1 with a big drop in between. the most recent episode of scrubs was about their unrelenting bromance (jd even used the word).
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 12:16PM
Jake said...
Please... incomplete without Sean and Gus from Psych...
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 12:24PM
sakura said...
actually, I normally don't reply when my opinion was already stated before, but....
Where the heck are Shawn and Gus!! :(
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 12:34PM
shaun said...
we need sean and gus from psych
michael and same from burn notice (good one PaulK)
TODD PACKER AND MICHAEL SCOTT (the office)
Dr.cox and Dr.Kelso (scrubs)
spongebob and patrick
as for bromances that arent around any more:
eric foreman, hyde, michael kelso, and fez nobody had as close a bond as those 4.
BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD funniest bromance ever.
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 12:32PM
Argus said...
Uggh, my NoScript hates TVSquads new way of doing lists and so do I.
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 12:41PM
Joel Keller said...
Not every list is going to have these pop-out galleries, but they are here to stay, folks. You'll probably see them once or twice per week. Considering we generally do about five to ten lists per week, the vast majority of these kind of pieces will be of the traditional variety.
2-18-2009 @ 12:51PM
S said...
Who is the fact checker for this slideshow? Ando (Heroes) is played by James Kyson Lee. Jason (Friday Night Lights) is played by Scott Porter. Vince and Eric are on Entourage.
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 1:06PM
Joel Keller said...
Not a fact-checking error, S, probably more of a cut-and-pasting error. Still, they shouldn't be there and they're being fixed as I write this.
2-18-2009 @ 12:54PM
Charles said...
From Battlestar Galactica:
Tigh and Adama
Apollo and Starbuck (oh...wait...)
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 1:19PM
jonmoporer said...
i love jd and turk!
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 1:21PM
Chris said...
Sean and Christian from Nip/Tuck?
Reply
2-18-2009 @ 2:07PM
RetUSMCGunny said...
The FIRST pair I thought of was Michael and Sam from "Burn Notice." They've gone through a lot and saved each other numerous times plus the added tension of having Sam and Fiona bicker over who is more important to Michael makes their "bromance" definitely worth consideration.
Reply