Best Platonic Friendships From Grey's, Chicago P.D., Vampire Diaries And More

We're all about unresolved sexual tension that keeps us tuning in week after week, but sometimes the most surprising thing a series can do is present us with a pairing that never ventures close to being romantic — even though they theoretically could.

In a refreshing change of pace, the following duos represent some of TV's best strictly platonic friends from shows such as Veronica Mars, Parks and Recreation, The Walking Dead and many more. These BFFs loved, supported and challenged each other without ever crossing the line into something more, and their relationships, not to mention their respective series, were all the stronger for it. Through these twosomes, we watched a different kind of love unfold, one just as powerful and even more enduring than a back-and-forth romance.

From a pair of Elementary partners in crimesolving to Tree Hill besties that became family, these pals never wavered in their friendships... or in their commitment to avoiding that all too common question that often plagues our favorite dramas and comedies: "Will they or won't they?" (Spoiler alert: They don't even go there, and it's more than OK!)

Scroll through the list below to review our picks, then hit the comments with your own favorite platonic besties!

Prior to his relationship with Maddie, Chimney was never great at talking to women — except for Hen, his best friend and closest confidante at the firehouse. When Hen joined the 118, Chimney welcomed her with open arms, and the two bonded over their experiences as people of color working in a predominately white environment.

One of the things we miss most about the cancelled CBS legal drama are the delightful stairwell chats between these two law school besties. In those moments of (platonic) connection, Mark and Lola effortlessly teased each other, offered unwavering support and imparted some much-needed tough love. Any court would rule the pair "guilty"... of friendship goals!

The former beat cop partners both rose up to the Intelligence unit, where they have continued to have each other's backs, professionally and personally. And in their demanding and dangerous jobs, the strength of that friendship makes all the difference when lives are on the line.

They're probably the only twosome on this list who have kissed, but considering Abed wasn't really Abed when his Luke Skywalker kissed Annie's Princess Leia in Season 2, we're not counting it against them. The fact is, Annie and Abed probably had the healthiest friendship among the Greendale 7, which began when Abed remained seated throughout Annie's excruciating Intro to Psychology experiment in Season 1. Their friendship was perhaps on best display in Season 3's "Virtual Systems Analysis" (aka the Dreamatorium episode), when Annie talked her roommate through his deep-rooted fears about his place in the study group and the world at large.

Garcia will forever be Derek's "baby girl,' and he her "sculpted god of chocolate thunder." Yet while cast member Kirsten Vangsness once ventured that Penelope was "head-over-heels, totally in love with [Derek] and has been just waiting," the fact is that the CBS procedural never leaned into the notion of actual, versus playful, sexual tension, and instead let the partners in crimesolving be the very best of friends.

Joan started out as Sherlock's sober companion, but she became so much more. As crimesolving partners-turned-trusted friends, the duo were an unbeatable pair who supported each other through serial killers, health scares and major life changes. In the end, the P.I.s solved one of TV's biggest mysteries: "How does one successfully avoid the will they/won't they trope?"

There's nothing more bonding than fighting side-by-side on the front lines. These former Browncoats may have lost the Unification War, but they won a lifelong friend in each other, sharing admirable traits like loyalty, determination and a longing for adventure. Even if Wash wasn't in the picture, we never would've wanted this friendship toyed with.

We've seen it often before, on shows such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and NCIS: Los Angeles, where the resident brainiacs realize they not only share a certain intellect, but also feelings for each other that transcend professional respect. The Flash, though, kept these team members focused on the weekly crisis (or Crisis) at hand, while directing their romantic intentions toward third parties such as Ronnie and "Jay," and Gypsy and Kamilla.

When Cristina left Seattle, it seemed impossible to imagine that Meredith would ever have such a strong friendship again. But Alex fully stepped up, taking over the title of Mer's "person" with commitment and devotion. He was there for her when she was attacked, when Derek died, when she faced losing her medical license and so much more. And she, in turn, showed up for him when life got difficult. In fact, Alex and Meredith so quickly and easily became believable as BFFs that we'll even overlook his abrupt departure via letter.

When Zoe first arrived in Bluebell, Mayor Lavon Hayes opened up his home to the New York transplant, leading to the beginning of a beautiful (and fashionable!) friendship. While Zoe sorted out her feelings for George and Wade, Lavon remained the dependable man in her life. And she helped him figure out some things, too, when it came to love and Lemon.

On paper, Don was Peggy's boss at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency. But their relationship was so much deeper — and, at times, way more dysfunctional — than that arrangement implied. He was her confidante, mentor and sometime antagonist. She was his creative spark, challenger and sounding board. (And if you want to see their relationship in microcosm, make sure to watch Season 4's masterpiece "The Suitcase.")

On any other teen drama, these two childhood friends would have been plagued by sexual tension that would have given way to a complicated love triangle a la Dawson's Creek. But from the pilot episode, when Haley wrote off the idea that she and Lucas were in "some hideous sort of 'Joey loves Dawson' scenario," the pair's bond was stronger than that of even friends; Haley and Lucas were family. (She did, technically, become his sister-in-law!)

They couldn't have been more different — she was an optimistic, go-getter out to make the world a better place; he was a gruff parks director determined to do as little work as possible — but even Ron's big, surly mustache couldn't hide the truth: He cared about Leslie and the good that she was doing in Pawnee.

The two Biblically foretold Witnesses might've flirted a bit here and there, but their focus was always on making sure that Book of Revelation-style apocalypse never came to pass. (It helped that Ichabod was married for the series' first two seasons.) They hugged, they fist-bumped, they braved both purgatory and yoga with a sense of teamwork — but that was as far as their connection went.

Some fans may have 'shipped them, but Stefan and Lexi were always destined to remain eternal BFFs — and their friendship was epic. Why else would she be the first person he saw in the afterlife? (Sorry, spoiler alert!)

After she cut him free from the school's flagpole in the pilot episode, Veronica and Wallace's friendship was cemented... and challenged. But even when V took advantage of her loyal, asks-no-questions pal, he still stood by her. For that, he was rewarded when Veronica opened up about her past and Lilly's murder in one of the most loving and vulnerable scenes between the best friends.

Though back in Season 3 of the long-running AMC drama, Carol jokingly suggested that she and Daryl "screw around," his reaction (as well as her delivery) said it all: They were and always would be buds, nothing more. Time and time again, they've had one another's backs without us ever wondering whether either of them would wind up... erm, on their back. "They are soulmates," showrunner Angela Kang told TVLine in 2019. Sex needn't be, and hasn't been, a factor in the equation.