Current TV Characters You Would Be Friends With, Ranked Best to Worst

You know that feeling when a show ends and you’re genuinely bummed because you just lost your “friends” who live inside a rectangle?
That’s not you being dramatic. That’s television being extremely good at sneaking into your emotional support group chat.
And while we can’t actually grab tacos with these people (laws of physics, minor inconvenience), we can rank who would be the best
real-life friendsbased on their vibes, reliability, empathy, and whether they’d help you move a couch without “forgetting” they were “busy.”

For this list, “current TV” means characters from shows that are actively airing recently, returning with new seasons, or very much part of the
present-day pop-culture conversationespecially across major U.S. platforms (broadcast, cable, and streaming). The ranking is playful,
but the logic is real: kindness counts, chaos costs, and everyone loses points for being the type of person who texts “lol” when you say you’re
having a bad day.

How This Ranking Works

Friendship is a sport, and these are the metrics:

• Reliability: Do they show up? Do they follow through? Or do they “forget” plans the way some shows forget plot holes?
• Emotional intelligence: Can they listen without making it about themselves?
• Fun factor: Are they interesting to hang out with for more than one coffee?
• Healthy boundaries: Are they supportive without turning your life into a full season arc?
• Chaos level: A little chaos is spice. Too much chaos is a kitchen fire. (Sometimes literally.)

The Ranking: Best to Worst TV Besties

1. #1: Janine Teagues (Abbott Elementary)

   Janine is the gold standard: the friend who believes in you so aggressively that you start believing in you toowhether you asked for it or not.
   She’s optimistic without being fake, thoughtful without being preachy, and the kind of person who notices the small stuff (like when you’ve been
   quieter than usual) and checks in like a human being, not a customer service chatbot.

   Friendship upside: She’ll hype your wins, support your growth, and bring “we can do this” energy to your messiest weeks.
   
   Friendship downside: She may rope you into volunteering. You’ll complain. Then you’ll do it. Then you’ll feel proud. Annoying.

   Best hang: Weekend brunch followed by a “quick” errand that turns into a wholesome adventure.

2. #2: Mabel Mora (Only Murders in the Building)

   Mabel has elite friend potential: loyal, sharp, and actually capable. She’s the person you’d call when you’re spiraling because she won’t freak out,
   won’t judge you, and will quietly help you untangle the situation with practical steps and a perfectly timed one-liner.

   Friendship upside: Solid listener, solid ally, excellent at reading rooms and people.
   
   Friendship downside: Her life is… eventful. If you’re allergic to drama, you might want an EpiPen.

   Best hang: Cozy crafting night, true-crime podcast optional, snacks mandatory.

3. #3: Gregory Eddie (Abbott Elementary)

   Gregory is the calm, dependable friend who keeps you grounded when everyone else is acting like they’re auditioning for a reality show.
   He’s steady. He’s sincere. He’s the type to help you assemble furniture without starting a feud with the instruction manual.

   Friendship upside: Reliable, respectful, and quietly funny once you earn his trust.
   
   Friendship downside: He can be guarded, so you might do most of the talking at first.

   Best hang: Low-key dinner, long walk, and a deep conversation that sneaks up on you.

4. #4: Ava Daniels (Hacks)

   Ava is the friend who’s messy in a relatable way, not in a “you’re now legally involved” way. She’s sharp, self-aware (sometimes),
   and hilarious when she’s not sabotaging herself out of sheer anxiety. She also has that crucial friend trait: she can take a joke and
   dish one back without turning it into a personality crisis.

   Friendship upside: Great banter, creative energy, and the kind of honesty that can actually help you improve.
   
   Friendship downside: Under stress, she can spiralso you’ll occasionally be the “are you hydrated?” friend.

   Best hang: Late-night diner talk that turns into “wow, we just solved our entire lives” for two hours.

5. #5: Sydney Adamu (The Bear)

   Sydney is ambitious, smart, and intense in a way that would make you better just by proximity. She’s not the friend who says
   “it’s fine” when it’s not. She’s the friend who says, “Let’s fix it,” and then actually helps you fix it.

   Friendship upside: Growth-oriented, loyal, and deeply values craft and integrity.
   
   Friendship downside: Her standards are high. If you’re chronically late, Sydney might stage an intervention.

   Best hang: Trying a new restaurant, analyzing everything, and somehow leaving inspired to reorganize your entire life.

6. #6: Lucy MacLean (Fallout)

   Lucy has that rare “good heart plus real backbone” combo. She’s curious, brave, and surprisingly adaptablemeaning she’ll support you
   through change rather than treating your growth like a personal betrayal. She’s also the friend who still believes people can be decent,
   which is honestly refreshing in 2025.

   Friendship upside: Earnest, supportive, and brave enough to stand up for you.
   
   Friendship downside: She might be a little idealisticso you’ll be the one reminding her to read the fine print.

   Best hang: A long road trip playlist that somehow becomes a therapy session (in the best way).

7. #7: Charles-Haden Savage (Only Murders in the Building)

   Charles is quirky, tender-hearted, and more emotionally sincere than he sometimes knows how to express. He’s the friend who will
   show up with a thoughtful gesture that makes you go, “Wait… you listened. You actually listened.”

   Friendship upside: Gentle, loyal, and quietly supportive.
   
   Friendship downside: He can overthinkso you’ll occasionally need to pull him out of his own head.

   Best hang: A quiet museum day followed by snacks and a surprisingly profound conversation.

8. #8: Deborah Vance (Hacks)

   Deborah as a friend is… a premium subscription. High value, high maintenance. If she likes you, she’ll open doors, protect you in rooms
   you didn’t even know existed, and make you laugh so hard you forget you were stressed. But she’s also intense and used to being in charge.

   Friendship upside: She’s loyal in her own way, and her confidence is contagious.
   
   Friendship downside: She may treat your casual hangout like a performance review.

   Best hang: A glamorous night out where you feel like you’re in a movieuntil you realize she runs the movie.

9. #9: Richie Jerimovich (The Bear)

   Richie is the friend who talks loud, feels everything, and sometimes makes questionable choicesbut is also fiercely loyal. If you’re in trouble,
   Richie is showing up. Possibly yelling. Possibly overreacting. But showing up, absolutely.

   Friendship upside: Protective, passionate, and surprisingly sentimental.
   
   Friendship downside: His chaos can be contagious. Your calm day may become a full event.

   Best hang: Watching a game together while he narrates life like he’s on stage.

10. #10: Oliver Putnam (Only Murders in the Building)

    Oliver is the friend equivalent of a confetti cannon: delightful, dramatic, and absolutely not subtle. He’ll bring excitement to your life,
    even if you were just trying to have a normal Tuesday. If you need a hype person? Oliver is that, times ten.

    Friendship upside: Always entertaining; always all-in.
    
    Friendship downside: He can make your problem everyone’s problemmostly because he’s already writing a musical about it.

    Best hang: Anything involving theater, storytelling, and snacks he insists are “essential to the creative process.”

11. #11: Dylan G. (Severance)

    Dylan is funny, loyal to his people, and powered by a mix of curiosity and stubbornness. As a friend, he’s the guy who will joke
    to lighten the moodbut also step up when it matters. You want a Dylan in your corner when things get weird.

    Friendship upside: Humor + loyalty is a strong combo.
    
    Friendship downside: He can get fixated, so you may need to redirect the energy sometimes.

    Best hang: Competitive board games where he refuses to lose with the intensity of a championship athlete.

12. #12: Helly R. (Severance)

    Helly is brave and rebellious, which is admirableuntil you realize she might recruit you into a moral crusade when you were just trying
    to relax. She’s the friend who inspires you to stand up for yourself… but also the friend who might turn a minor inconvenience into a revolution.

    Friendship upside: She’ll encourage you to be bold and honest.
    
    Friendship downside: She’s not always in “chill hang” mode.

    Best hang: A “quick coffee” that turns into a deep debate about freedom, identity, and why your boss is weird.

13. #13: Mark Scout (Severance)

    Mark has a fundamentally decent core, but he’s carrying a lot. As a friend, he’d be kind and thoughtfulyet sometimes emotionally unavailable,
    not because he doesn’t care, but because he’s still figuring out how to be okay. He’s the friend you root for… and also gently remind to eat lunch.

    Friendship upside: Quiet loyalty and real empathy once he opens up.
    
    Friendship downside: He can withdraw, so the friendship might take patience.

    Best hang: A peaceful walk where you don’t have to fill every silence with noise.

14. #14: The Ghoul (Fallout)

    Look, he’s fascinating. He’s capable. He’s survived everything. But “friend” is a strong word for someone whose default mode is
    morally complicated and emotionally guarded. You’d learn a lot around himmostly about how fast you can regret trusting the wrong person.

    Friendship upside: He’s resourceful and weirdly insightful.
    
    Friendship downside: Trust issues: his, yours, everyone’s.

    Best hang: You don’t “hang.” You “negotiate.”

15. #15: Homelander (The Boys)

    This is the “absolutely not” tier. Being friends with someone who needs constant admiration, treats people like props, and can’t handle
    criticism is like hugging a cactus: painful, pointless, and you’re the only one surprised it went badly.

    Friendship upside: None that are worth the cost.
    
    Friendship downside: Unpredictable, controlling, and emotionally unsafe. Hard pass.

    Best hang: No.

What This List Says About the Friends We Want

The “best” TV friends aren’t perfect. They’re consistent. They show care in tangible ways. They don’t treat your life like content.
That’s why characters like Janine, Mabel, and Gregory float to the top: they balance humor with humanity, and they have the rare skill of being
supportive without swallowing the room.

The “worst” aren’t just rudethey’re unsafe, unreliable, or self-centered to the point where friendship becomes a one-way donation.
TV is fun, but real friendship needs mutual respect. If a character fails that test, they drop in the rankings fast.

Extra: of “Been There” Experiences About TV-Friendship Energy

If you’ve ever binged a season in two days and then felt oddly lonely on day three, congratulations: you’ve experienced the world’s most
socially acceptable emotional whiplash. It’s not that your real friends vanished. It’s that your brain just spent hours watching people
share inside jokes, solve problems together, and comfort each other through chaosso it starts treating those characters like part of your
social circle. That’s why finishing a show can feel like moving away from a neighborhood you didn’t realize you lived in.

The funniest part is how quickly we turn this into a personal friendship draft. You watch Abbott Elementary and immediately think,
“Janine would absolutely gas me up before a big presentation.” You watch Only Murders and you’re like, “Mabel would help me pick paint colors
and also tell me the truth if the color is ugly.” And then you watch something like Severance and you realize you’re not choosing friends
you’re choosing survival teammates. Suddenly, “good listener” is nice, but “won’t betray me to a mysterious corporation” becomes the top priority.

These characters also mirror the friendships we’re chasing in real life. Most of us don’t actually want nonstop excitement. We want the friend who
texts back, shows up, and doesn’t make every conversation a competition. That’s why the “best friend” characters often aren’t the flashiest ones.
They’re steady. They’re present. They don’t treat your bad day as their chance to perform.

And yes, sometimes we want the chaotic friendjust in controlled doses. A Richie or an Oliver can be hilarious as long as you’re not relying on them
to be calm during a crisis. They’re the “let’s go out” friends, not the “please help me file taxes” friends. The trick is knowing which role someone
plays in your life. TV makes this easier because the edit tells you who’s trustworthy. Real life? Not so generous. Real life will let someone be funny
for six months and then reveal they’re emotionally a raccoon in a trench coat.

The best takeaway is simple: the TV friends we love tend to value empathy, honesty, and follow-throughbecause those are the qualities that make real
friendships feel safe. So the next time you’re ranking characters in your head, you can also ask: “Which qualities am I craving right now?”
If the answer is “peace,” you’re probably looking for a Gregory. If it’s “confidence,” you might be drawn to a Deborah (with boundaries). And if the
answer is “I want someone who makes me feel seen,” you’re basically describing why characters like Janine and Mabel land at the top every time.

Conclusion

TV characters make great imaginary friends because they’re consistent, well-written (usually), and never “forget” your birthday unless the writers do.
But the real fun is using these rankings to identify what we value in friendship: kindness, reliability, humor, and boundaries that don’t feel like a
courtroom. If your dream bestie is Janine, you’re craving warmth and support. If it’s Mabel, you want loyalty with a side of competence.
And if your dream bestie is Homelander… please log off and drink water.