We've asked the BuzzFeed Community over the years to tell us which TV actors have the best chemistry. And while there are always so many great submissions, I want to focus on the acting BFFs who have taken their offscreen friendships and turned them into amazing onscreen chemistry. So, here are some of the best responses:
🚨 There are obviously TV spoilers ahead! 🚨
1. First, Zach Braff and Donald Faison as J.D. and Turk on Scrubs.
Zach and Donald have remained incredibly close since they filmed Scrubs from 2001 to 2010. In fact, the duo have a podcast together called Fake Doctors, Real Friends.
2. D'Arcy Carden and Abbi Jacobson as Greta and Carson on A League of Their Own.
D'Arcy and Abbi have been friends for 15 years since they met at an Upright Citizens Brigade improv class. D'Arcy remembers thinking Abbi was "so specific and so unique," and she said it has been amazing to watch the world embrace her comedic talents.
3. Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby as Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet on Our Flag Means Death.
Taika and Rhys have been best friends in real life for over a decade, with Taika having directed Rhys in Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows. For Our Flag Means Death, they brought their chemistry in front of the camera, and they said it was hard to do the more dramatic scenes together.
4. Caleb McLaughlin and Sadie Sink as Lucas and Max on Stranger Things.
Prior to starring in Stranger Things together, Caleb and Sadie actually knew each other from their early acting days on Broadway. They've remained extremely close over the years and consider each other best friends.
5. Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe as Jamie and Claire on Outlander.
Talking about their chemistry, Caitriona called it "instantaneous in a sense." Their friendship has grown a lot over the years, with Cait saying, "Sam's just so kind. He's a really good friend. He always checks in. I don't know, he has one of the biggest hearts and smallest egos that I know."
6. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany as Wanda and Vision on WandaVision.
Lizzie and Paul have worked together so much in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and while promoting the movies that Lizzie found it odd to be without him on Multiverse of Madness. She said, "I just miss him so much and Wanda's really alone in this film and I feel it as an actor."
7. Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey as Kate and Anthony on Bridgerton.
Simone and Jonathan became incredibly close while filming Bridgerton Season 2. In fact, Simone revealed that they would leave each other gifts throughout filming.
8. Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac as Mira and Jonathan on Scenes From a Marriage.
Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac have known each other for 20 years — they attended Juilliard together — and they said they used that friendship to their advantage while filming the intimate moments in Scenes From a Marriage.
9. Asa Butterfield and Ncuti Gatwa as Otis and Eric on Sex Education.
From the moment they were cast on Sex Education, Asa and Ncuti hit it off and became good friends. "We just have a great time, and I think mine and Ncuti's relationship in real life is actually quite similar to Otis and Eric's," Asa explained. "We really just riff off each other and pull the right strings to create this friendship."
10. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Jaren Lewison as Devi and Ben on Never Have I Ever.
Even when they're not filming Never Have I Ever, Maitreyi and Jaren are hanging out together as much as possible — like they recently took a trip to Universal Studios together with a bunch of friends.
11. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder as Deborah and Ava on Hacks.
Speaking about her instant chemistry with Jean, Hannah said, "We did the first run together, and she and I shared a look that we would go on to share many times throughout the production after a good moment. It really just came so naturally, even in a very dark soundstage with a couple of spotlights on us. I could see her very subtle smile, and it told me everything I needed to know, and gave me the sense of relief that carried me through the rest of the audition.”
12. Dan Levy and Noah Reid as David and Patrick on Schitt's Creek.
Dan and Noah never did a chemistry read before Noah was cast as Patrick; however, Dan knew that he was the perfect person for the role. They've stayed close in real life since the show ended, with Dan even visiting Noah when he made his Broadway debut in The Minutes in 2022.
13. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan as Sam and Bucky on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Sebastian and Anthony have now starred in several Marvel projects together, and their offscreen chemistry is what inspired Marvel to put them together for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
14. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal as Marianne and Connell on Normal People.
Paul and Daisy have remained close since Normal People and have talked about how much they bonded while filming, especially because of the number of sex scenes they shot for the show.
15. Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer as Eve and Villanelle on Killing Eve.
Speaking about her connection with Sandra, Jodie said, "Those relationships where you don't have to say an awful lot. We don't actually see each other an awful lot when we're off set but then when you're on set and you're doing the material, it's all kind of fizzing away. She's been incredible to me."
16. Dulé Hill and James Roday Rodriguez as Gus and Shawn on Psych.
Speaking about the first time he met James on set, Dulé recalled, "He was riffing and improvising and he was doing really great at it, but I’m coming from the world of Aaron Sorkin and 'No what is written is what you say.' At first I’m like, 'Brother, are you trying to sabotage my meeting right here?'"
17. Danielle Savre and Stefania Spampinato as Maya and Carina on Station 19.
Outside of starring on Station 19, Danielle and Stefania have supported each other behind the scenes. The duo have attended multiple fan conventions together, where they've spoken up about how important the LGBTQ+ community is and the community's love and support has affected them.
18. Tom Ellis and Lauren German as Lucifer and Chloe on Lucifer.
Tom and Lauren had a hilarious time filming Lucifer together for six seasons, so much so that the numerous blooper reels are often filled with the two of them not being able to keep a straight face.
19. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as Sam and Dean on Supernatural.
Jared and Jensen have had a brotherly bond since starring on Supernatural together, and even though the show has ended, they've remained in each other's lives. In fact, Jensen recently directed Jared in an episode of his new series Walker.
20. Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring as Veronica and Logan on Veronica Mars.
Since Kristen and Jason had been working together on Veronica Mars since 2004, Kristen said it was heartbreaking to find out what happens to Logan in Season 4. "We were mourning him on set," Kristen recalled. "We love each other so much."
21. Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan as Cheryl and Toni on Riverdale.
Madelaine and Vanessa were actually friends before Vanessa was cast on Riverdale, so they already had a great dynamic together. Madelaine actually sent a fan comment to creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa during Season 2 that read, "Vanessa and Madelaine are best friends in real life. Like, it’d be crazy if they, you know, got together on the show," and the rest is history.
22. Mary Mouser and Xolo Maridueña as Sam and Miguel on Cobra Kai.
Xolo and Mary have been very good friends since filming Cobra Kai Season 1. In fact, Xolo hilariously recalled what it was like having to kiss Mary the first time after they became BFFs.
23. Gabriel Macht and Sarah Rafferty as Harvey and Donna on Suits.
Gabriel and Sarah have been friends since they attended drama school together. In fact, Gabriel has talked about how both of their families are incredibly close IRL, especially their daughters.
24. Nicholas Holt and Elle Fanning as Peter and Catherine on The Great.
Nicholas and Elle are close offscreen; in fact they absolutely crushed this costar test where they were both hilariously stunned that Nicholas knew Elle's exact birthday.
25. Danielle Galligan and Calahan Skogman as Nina and Matthias on Shadow and Bone.
Danielle and Calahan have posted a bunch about hanging out behind the scenes of Shadow and Bone, and the cast adorably refers to them as "mum and dad."
26. David Tennant and Michael Sheen as Crowley and Aziraphale on Good Omens.
David and Michael's offscreen chemistry actually influenced Good Omens from day one. Speaking about the first table read, Michael recalled, "I remember the character that sort of came out of me at the very beginning of the table read wasn't the character that I was playing at the end of the table read. And that was because of how we, kind of, reacted to each other and adapted to each other."
27. Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson as Randall and Beth on This Is Us.
Sterling and Susan actually met during grad school at NYU and reconnected when they were both cast on This Is Us.
28. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as Jen and Judy on Dead to Me.
Even though Christina and Linda have both been working in Hollywood for years, they actually didn't know each other before Dead to Me. However, their chemistry was so instantaneous that they spent a lot of Season 1 just getting to know each other and becoming BFFs in between takes.
29. Dominique Provost-Chalkley and Katherine Barrell as Waverly and Nicole on Wynonna Earp.
Speaking about being able to bring Waverly and Nicole's relationship to screen with Kat, Dom said, "All of these WayHaught moments felt really important. Just being able to represent this relationship on screen for the queer community is huge. I feel so lucky that we got to experience their relationship together."
30. Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams as April and Jackson on Grey's Anatomy.
Over the years, Sarah and Jesse have remained incredibly close, so much show that they have always hoped their "partnership" would lead to a Jackson and April spinoff series. Earlier this year, Sarah adorably surprised Jesse at a performance of his Broadway play Take Me Out.
31. And finally, Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn as Olivia and Fitz on Scandal.
Speaking about working with Kerry, Tony said that she helped maintain "a sense of family" on the Scandal set. "I've been an actor for multiple decades, and the person who is your team captain really defines the culture that you work under, and Kerry Washington, as I've embarrassed her before by saying, is the greatest team captain you could ever want." The duo recently reunited on Kerry's video series Street You Grew Up On.
We can't fit everyone into one post, so which other acting BFFs brought their offscreen chemistry to two iconic TV characters onscreen? Tell us in the comments below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.