Originally, women’s friendships within TV shows did not have the representation they deserved, either due to not being the main plot of TV shows or the friendships were entirely filled with jealously and competition. Within the 21st- century, there has been an increase in healthy representations of on screen female friendships. From the TV show “Friends” who helped build each other up, “Gilmore Girls” showing the importance of family friendships, to “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, and being there for each other in a male-dominated field.
Friends – Monica, Rachel and Phoebe
The TV show Friends had many honourable moments showing the support they had for one another. In the beginning of the show, Rachel runs away from her wedding, as she did not want to get married so young and to the wrong guy. Monica, who was friends with Rachel in High School, allowed Rachel to live in her apartment. With the support of Monica and Phoebe, Rachel became more independent and focused on her career. This shows how important female friendships are and how they should help one another. Rachel was in a vulnerable position running out on her wedding day, Monica and Phoebe didn’t judge her and instead comforted and guided Rachel to her new, independent life in the city. Throughout the series, the three girls always comforted and supported one another, through career opportunities, break-ups, babies, weddings etc.
Gilmore Girls – Lorelai and Rory
This mother daughter-duo has certainly been a new concept in 90s TV shows. One factor of their strong bond was how they supported each other in different phases of their lives. Lorelai, a teen mother, encourages Rory to live a better life than Lorelai ever did. Lorelai constantly encourages Rory to have fun and continue pushing forward when Rory is stressed about her school grades, friendships and heartbreaks. With Lorelai, Rory constantly helps her mother follow and advance her career. The duo have a close-knit relationship that allows each other to grow in many aspects of their lives. Although in different stages of their lives, they’re both constantly there for one another.
Brooklyn Nine-nine – Amy and Rosa
Within Brooklyn Nine-Nine, an important and my personal favourite duo is Amy and Rosa. Amy is an anxious individual, always wanting everything to be perfect. Rosa is much more relaxed and has more of a nonchalant personality. An important part of their friendships was working in the police force, and being the only two police officers within their department. From this, gendered bias occurred within the work force. Amy and Rosa always had each other’s backs and supported one another to get far within their careers. I love how their friendship builds and evolves along the series, gaining a more close-knit bond within the later seasons of the show.