25 Acting Duos Who Have Such Undeniable Chemistry On TV, It's Hard To Believe They'd Never Met Before

"I believe that we can be extraordinary together rather than ordinary apart."

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A while back, we asked the BuzzFeed Community which TV actors have the best chemistry. There were so many great responses, and a lot of them included actors who met for the first time on their shows. So, here are some of the best acting duos whose chemistry is so incredible, it's shocking they didn't know each other before:

1. Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer as Eve and Villanelle on Killing Eve.

BBC America

Suggested by: metropolisjo

Sandra and Jodie met for the first time during their chemistry read for Killing Eve. Sandra recalled the moment, saying, "I knew that we had good chemistry. I could just tell. It was the way that we were listening together and the way that I could feel how she was receiving anything that I was giving to her and she would react. I think chemistry, in some ways, between actors is about listening."

2. Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe as Jamie and Claire on Outlander.

Starz

Suggested by: madoctopus

Caitriona and Sam first met at their original chemistry test for Outlander. Caitriona said their chemistry was "instantaneous" and she was quite nervous during the audition process, but Sam helped put her at ease. Before they went to Scotland to begin filming, Sam and Caitriona took this "long walk in Hyde Park" and just got to know each other and discussed their characters.

3. Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page as Daphne and Simon on Bridgerton.

Netflix

Suggested by: noradominick

Director Julie Anne Robinson recalled Phoebe and Regé meeting for the first time during auditions, saying, "We managed to have this magical audition process with Shonda [Rhimes] there where we put them together and I was able to direct them. Regé was already pre-decided but Phoebe came in and read. She was fantastic and got the role." Phoebe said when she first met Regé she immediately thought, "That he was the perfect Simon. He's very polite and gentlemanly and all the things that Simon is."

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4. Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero as Jake and Amy on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

NBC

Suggested by: applesrobin13

Creator Dan Goor recalled being in the casting room when Melissa met Andy, and he said Melissa was the only one who improvised with Andy really well during the chemistry read. Also, Dan said in that moment everyone felt "very confident" that Jake and Amy would become a beloved couple. In fact, when the show later did a screening for an audience before the series premiered, Jake and Amy's chemistry tested "through the roof."

5. Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge as Fitz and Simmons on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

ABC

Suggested by: inspire_forever

Elizabeth first met Iain at her final audition for Simmons at Disney. Elizabeth recalled the day, saying Iain was the "only Fitz" she hadn't run lines with before going into their chemistry test together. After she booked the role, the first thing Elizabeth asked was "Who is Fitz?" because she hoped it would be Iain.

6. Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen as Will and Hannibal on Hannibal.

NBC

Suggested by: missmilyn

Hugh and Mads met officially during the casting process for Hannibal, and from the start Mads could tell that they had "great chemistry in that awkward way it was supposed to be." Before reading with Hugh, Mads was skeptical about the casting process because he just doesn't like it, but once he did a few scenes with Hugh, he fought hard for the role.

7. Zach Braff and Donald Faison as J.D. and Turk on Scrubs.

NBC

Suggested by: joeb40d699a5a

Zach and Donald didn't meet until the first table read for Scrubs, but Zach knew instantly that they'd become great friends. He said, "I was so nervous for the table read, and I knew who Donald was as an actor, and he turned around and gave me the warmest smile and a big hug and then of course when we were shooting the pilot I could feel that we had really good timing together."

8. Katherine Barrell and Dominique Provost-Chalkley as Nicole and Waverly on Wynonna Earp.

SYFY

Suggested by: kaylaharrington

Kat and Dom met when Kat first arrived on set to start filming Wynonna Earp. Dom recalled the moment, saying, "You walked up with your cap, and you were getting your hair done so your hair was all back, and you looked so cool. And I thought, 'Oh no, she's gonna think I'm such a geek.'" Then, Dom said she went up to Shamier Anderson and said, "My girlfriend's here. My girlfriend's here."

9. Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey as Meredith and Derek on Grey's Anatomy.

ABC

Suggested by: diananhinguyen

Even though Patrick had starred in several movies before Grey's Anatomy, Ellen said she'd never seen any of them. Ellen remembered meeting Patrick during the audition process and thinking, "It's got to be this guy. This is the guy." She also said they had "instant chemistry from the minute we met." 

10. Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams as April and Jackson on Grey's Anatomy.

ABC

Suggested by: aliwes

Talking about their incredible friendship and chemistry, Sarah said, "You just bond doing stuff that is that heart-wrenching and that intense. We really cared about how our story was told. We rehearsed like crazy and we talked to the writers and made adjustments. We were always thinking ahead. It felt really good that we could 100% lean on one another and trust one another." 

11. Dan Levy and Noah Reid as David and Patrick on Schitt's Creek.

Pop / CBC

Suggested by: natkaymmerrick

Dan and Noah met when Schitt's Creek was casting for the role of Patrick and at a time where Dan knew the show needed an earnest love interest for David. Dan recalled casting Noah, saying, "Noah could have come into the show and we could've gotten along, but there wouldn't have been the same spark. [But instead, Noah] brought a stability and a sense of calm."

12. Zooey Deschanel and Jake Johnson as Jess and Nick on New Girl.

Fox

Suggested by: harmonysalazar

When New Girl was being cast, the producers could tell Zooey and Jake had chemistry, not just romantic, but also that they had a great ability to riff off of each other. The writers originally "fought against" putting Jess and Nick together romantically. Zooey joked that they would film scenes early on and the writers would be like, "Don't touch him. Don't look at him," because there was "too much chemistry."

13. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as Jen and Judy on Dead to Me.

Netflix

Suggested by: inanimateclock2

Even though they both knew each other's work, Christina and Linda didn't personally know each other before filming Dead to Me. Once they were both hired as Jen and Judy respectively, they had lunch together and instantly became great friends. Christina said, "We were in love from the get-go."

14. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal as Marianne and Connell on Normal People.

Hulu

Suggested by: sararr11

Daisy and Paul brought the "room to tears" the first time they met during the audition process. Director and executive producer Lenny Abrahamson said, "There was such an electricity between them" from the start and he remembered thinking this was an onscreen relationship that didn't need a lot of direction, the chemistry was just there between Daisy and Paul.

15. Freddy Carter and Amita Suman as Kaz and Inej on Shadow and Bone.

Netflix

Suggested by: noradominick

Freddy and Amita first met during the Shadow and Bone audition process. Amita said that she and Freddy didn't have "any chemistry reads" beforehand, but once Freddy "walked through the door" she knew that he was "the perfect Kaz." She did have a chemistry read with Kit Young, who plays Jesper.

16. Dulé Hill and James Roday Rodriguez as Gus and Shawn on Psych.

USA

Suggested by: danielleh1265

Dulé and James met during their first chemistry read for Psych. Dulé recalled the moment, saying he was "shocked and thrown off" because James "wasn't staying on dialogue. He was riffing and improvising." And since Dulé had just come from The West Wing, where "what is written is what you say," he jokingly thought James was "trying to sabotage" him.

17. Kristen Bell and William Jackson Harper as Eleanor and Chidi on The Good Place.

NBC

Suggested by: maverickchiefeditor

William first met Kristen when he was brought in to read for a character named Chris, who ultimately became Chidi. William said it took him a little while to "just get over the fact that I was going to be working opposite Kristen Bell so much," but their chemistry came naturally because Kristen is "an incredibly warm, open person."

18. Jennifer Morrison and Colin O'Donoghue as Emma and Hook on Once Upon a Time.

ABC

Suggested by: cammiekinz

Jennifer and Colin's chemistry was apparent from the start, so much so that Colin was bumped up to a series regular before his first episode even aired. When Hook and Emma's first kiss finally happened, Colin said the pairing was something that was "always sort of in the background."

19. Melissa Benoist and Katie McGrath as Kara and Lena on Supergirl.

The CW

Suggested by: sarah39420

Melissa and Katie first met when Katie was cast as Lena in Supergirl Season 2. Talking about their onscreen chemistry, Katie said, "Whatever [the writers] want to write, I’m game for doing, but I feel so lucky that I get to be able to play this role and to have an actress like Melissa to play with. It’s rare that you get that."

20. Donald Glover and Danny Pudi as Troy and Abed on Community.

NBC

Suggested by: silverliningsp

Donald and Danny's chemistry was electric from the beginning, so much so that they often improvised Troy and Abed moments. Danny said that a lot of the tags featuring the two of them were improvised, like when Troy and Abed are making up voices for all the people outside. Also, even some scripted moments, like the rap, were born from Donald and Danny just having fun with each other off set. 

21. Amy Poehler and Adam Scott as Leslie and Ben on Parks and Rec.

NBC

Suggested by: marleedawson7

Amy and Adam met briefly backstage at SNL before Adam was cast on the show, but they didn't really know each other. Adam officially met Amy for the first time when he auditioned for Parks and Rec the second time. Before landing the role of Ben, Adam actually read for the character that would become Ron Swanson. 

22. Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards as Oliver and Felicity on Arrow.

The CW

Suggested by: jmdooz

In the documentary episode Arrow: The Final Bow, the creators discuss how Emily was originally hired as a one-day guest star, but her chemistry with Stephen was so amazing, they kept having her come back for more episodes. Eventually, Emily was promoted to a series regular and it ultimately changed the course of the entire show.

23. Indya Moore and Angel Bismark Curiel as Angel and Papi on Pose.

FX

Suggested by: hannahs48f36045b

While Indya and Angel met while filming the first season of Pose, it wasn't until the Season 1 finale that creator Ryan Murphy saw Angel as a "leading man." When Angel and Papi started to have a romantic relationship, Angel was so excited. He said, "I think of Papi as someone who has always been very loving and protective about his family. And obviously, Angel to Papi is, like to many others, such a beautiful, strong woman that I think he was just very attracted to that."

24. Bob Morley and Eliza Taylor as Bellamy and Clarke on The 100.

The CW

Suggested by: llin422

Bob and Eliza met on The 100 set and eventually got married in 2019. Speaking about their onscreen chemistry, Bob said, "To be honest, that chemistry is a surprise to Eliza and myself. We never intended to create that tension between the characters. I feel it is more the tension of the scenario that is at play."

25. And finally, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as Sam and Dean on Supernatural.

The CW

Suggested by: singularity000

Jared and Jensen first met at the audition for Supernatural in 2005. They immediately bonded over both being from Texas and their love for the Dallas Cowboys. Jensen hilariously said his first impression of Jared was "Wow, this guy's really tall and skinny."

We can't fit everyone into one post, so which other TV actors who had never met before but have amazing chemistry do you love?

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