There have been many unforgettable friend groups on TV, like those fromLiving SingleandCheers. Some TV shows however, feature some usual friend groups that might not have gotten together if not for some unusual circumstances, factors or reasons. Take for examplethe friends inPaper Girls, who are basically forced together due to a mysterious time traveling incident. Some friend groups have no choice but to stick together.
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Thrown together and faced with some challenging and/or hilarious scenarios, these unique friend groups show us how strong and unbreakable a found family can be. Not everyone in the group has to be alike, or even share common interests. The common interest in many of these groups is just their shared enjoyment of being around each other and their love for each other. Oh yeah, and in some cases, extreme danger.
1’Derry Girls' (2018-2022)
Set in theearly 1990s during The Troublesin Northern Ireland, a group of teenagers attends the fictional Our Lady Immaculate School and get into all sorts of trouble in the meantime while they’re growing up. The series follows Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Orla (Louisa Harland), Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), and James (Dylan Llewellyn) while they are navigating their teenage years and all the issues that come with them.
This is a unique friend group because of the vastly different members included. Michelle is a confident, boy-crazy, loud-mouth, Clare is a neurotic, nervous, brainiac, Orla an air-headed nerd, Erin is chatty and slightly self-centered, and James of course, is a boy! All episodes ofDerry Girlsis streaming on Netflix.
2’Heartstopper' (2022-)
This highly rated coming-of-age series follows Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) on their journey of love and self discovery, all while they are trying to survive school and the status quo like any other teenager. Charlie is an openly gay, shy, quiet nerd and Nick is a seemingly confident “rugby lad” as Charlie calls him. They are from two different worlds with two different groups of friends, and they are trying to bring their worlds together as they explore their feelings for each other.
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Their unique friend group includes Tao (William Gao), Charlie’s outspoken and protective straight friend; Elle (Yasmin Finney), a transgender girl who recently transferred to a new school who is on her own journey, Isaac (Tobie Donovan), a quiet bookworm, and newcomers Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), a lesbian couple who are struggling with being open about their relationship. Season one is streaming on Netflix!
3’Ghosts' (2021-)
Themain friend group inGhostsis certainly a unique and complex one. Made up of a group of ghosts that have for many years haunted the Woodstone Mansion that Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar)inherit from her aunt Sophia at the beginning of the series. Soon after moving in, Sam experiences a near-death injury that gives her the ability to see and communicate with all the ghosts, which then leads to all sorts of hilarity.
The main group of ghosts consists of a witty and sarcastic Native Lenape named Sasappis (Román Zaragova), an ancient Viking who loves binge-watching TV named Thorfinn (Devon Long), a gay Revoluntiary era officer named Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky), the former lady of the manor and one of Sam’s ancestors; the prohibition-era singer with lots of spunk, Alberta (Danielle Pinnock); a hippie named Flower (Sheila Carrasco), a Girl Scout leader named Pete (Richie Moriarty), and Trevor (Asher Grodman), a Wall Street finance bro.Ghostsis streaming on Paramount+.
4’Our Flag Means Death' (2022-)
Following the 18th century adventures of The Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), who has abandoned his aristocratic life and his family for a life of piracy on the open seas with his new makeshift crew. He and his crew encounter the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) and his crew of pirates. Trouble, adventures and even heartbreak ensue.
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In his unique and unusual crew of pirates there is the cat-hating Frenchie (Joel Fry), the scribe Lucius (Nathan Foad), former Blackbeard crew member Black Pete (Matthew Maher), the quirky Buttons (Ewan Bremmer), the sweet Oluwande (Samson Kayo), the chef Roach (Samba Schutte), The Swede (Nat Faxon), the lovable Wee John Feeney (Kristian Nairn), andthe non-binary and incredibly lethal Jim(Vico Ortiz). In this group of trouble-making pirates, there is ample LGBTQ+ representation, both in identity and relationships. Season one is streaming on HBO Max.
5’What We Do in the Shadows' (2019-)
A mockumentary style sitcom that follows the nightly shenanigans of a group of three vampires Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), her husband Laszlo (Matt Berry) and Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), an energy vampire named Colin (Mark Proksch), and their sarcastic and reliable familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) in Staten Island. The group spends four seasons (so far) getting into all kinds of trouble.
The sheer idea of four different vampires from different eras living together is hilarious on its own, but add to the mix an exhausting energy vampire and the smarter than everyone familiar, the show makes for delectably hilarious content as viewers watch these arguably idiotic vampires try to navigate modern day Staten Island one night at a time.
6’A League of Their Own' (2022-)
Based on the original movie from 1992, the show also follows the All-American Professional Women’s Baseball League teamthe Rockford Peaches during WWII. A group of young women from across the nation come together to join the AAPWBL to support the U.S.A. during its time of war, when men were at war and couldn’t entertain the nation with baseball.
The show is also a love story between Carson (Abbi Jacobson) and Greta (D’Arcy Carden), two players on the team. It also follows Maxine (ChantéAdams), a queer Black woman who desperately wants to play Major League Baseball. Other amazing team members include Lupe (Roberta Colindrez), Maybelle (Molly Ephraim), Jo (Melanie Field) and Esti (Priscilla Delgado) plus many more. The show is streaming on Prime Video.
7’The Midnight Club' (2022-)
The Midnight Clubisone of Mike Flanagan’s dark creations, centering around a group of eight young teenagers who are terminally-ill patients at the Brightcliffe Hospice. These doomed teens meet regularly at midnight to swap horror stories and explore the depths of the supernatural together. They also share a dark pact that whoever dies firstmustcommunicate with the others from the beyond.
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Naturally, the concept is dark and tragic and this group of friends is brought together by force due to their illnesses. Though they find friendship in the darkness, they still must face the darkness of the supernatural while doing so. The cast includesRuth Codd,Adia,Igby Rigney,Iman Benson,Chris Sumpter,Sauriyan Sapkota,Annarah Cymone, andAya Furuwaka.
8’Paper Girls' (2022-)
This show features a case of a group of friends that are thrown together by force. It follows a group of young paper girls who get thrown together by chance after Halloween 1988, when they get caught up in a time-travel war while completing their usual delivery routes. These events not only bring them together but completely alter the entire course of their lives.
Paper Girlseven showcases the girls at different ages with younger and older actresses (Ali Wong,Sekai Abenì,Delia Cunningham), proving how their lives are changed forever. Tiffany (Camryn Jones), Erin (Riley Lai Nelet), Mac (Sofia Rosinsky), and KJ (Fina Strazza)are the main characters. Season one is streaming on Prime Video.
9’Pose' (2018-2021)
StarringBilly Porteras Pray Tell, this show follows a group ofoutcast and misfit LGBTQ+ charactersin New York of the late 1980s and early 1990s that have created their own found family after being rejected by their blood families for their identities and sexualities. The show touches on the LGBTQ+ ballroom scene of the era, and also honestly discusses the reality of the AIDS crisis during that time.
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Some of the iconic main characters of this show include House mother and openly trans woman Blanca Evangelista (Michaela JaéRodriguez), Elektra (Dominique Jackson), Angel (Indya Moore), Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain), Candy (Angelica Ross), Lulu (Hailie Sahar), and Ricky (Dyllón Burnside). All seasons of this show are streaming on Hulu.
10’Sex Lives of College Girls' (2021-)
Focusing on four girls who are paired up as roommates at Essex College,Sex Lives of College Girlsis another beloved project fromMindy Kaling. An aspiring comedy-writer named Bela (Amrit Kaur), a quirky small-town girl named Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet), Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott), the daughter of a Senator with lots of eyes on her, and the slightly spoiled and secretly lesbian Leighton (Reneé Rapp).
They are as different as any group of girls can be, but manage to grow close despite this. They lean on each otheras they face all Essex Collegehas to throw at them. The show also starsGavin LeatherwoodfromThe Chilling Adventures of Sabrinaas Leighton’s trouble-making and smoking hot brother Nico. Viewers can watch the first two seasons of this show on HBO Max.
