Situation comedies have been a popular form of entertainment for decades. Going all the way back to shows like I Love Lucy, audiences have enjoyed watching relatable characters live their lives in a slightly more exaggerated and dramatic way than would ever happen in real life. The formula these shows established is still followed in more recent years in popular sitcoms, like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and Full House.
Included in this tried and true formula is the conflict between two best friends. These shows often establish a close friendship between a couple of characters, and those pairs will inevitably end up in a larger-than-life and often comical argument. While a happy resolution is always guaranteed, these big sitcom fights between best friends left audiences wondering how they could ever recover.
Monica And Rachel (Friends)
When Friends besties Monica and Rachel are invited to a movie set, they are both over the moon to see the famous action star, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Monica sends Rachel over to ask him out for her but is frustrated when Rachel returns with a date with him herself. This leads the two into the worst fight of their friendship.
Back at Rachel and Monica's apartment, sweaters get torn apart, marinara sauce gets poured into handbags, and Phoebe ultimately must grab the two by their ear in order to get them out of a wrestling match on the floor. Ultimately, the two decide that their friendship is more important than a date with a movie star but it did seem so strange to see these two at loggerheads.
Ted And Marshall (How I Met Your Mother)
In How I Met Your Mother, Ted and Marshall are one of the best friend duos on HIMYM and have been roommates since college, with Marshall's girlfriend Lily staying with them so frequently (although many did assume that she lived there too). However, when Marshall and Lily decide that it's time for her to move in officially, Ted starts to worry that they plan to slowly push him out of the apartment.
After a grand confrontation from Ted, he and Marshall end up locked in a dramatic sword fight. They start to feel pretty pumped by their own Mandy Patinkin-level sword skills when they end up accidentally stabbing Lily in the shoulder. Ultimately, this helps them realize how silly they were being from the start, but the swords would continue to be a method of solving conflict as the show goes on.
Cory And Shawn
Cory and Shawn from Boy Meets World grow up together right in front of audiences' eyes. However, not everything is always sunshine and rainbows for the best pals. In one episode, Cory is excited when he captures footage of some thieves and plans to submit the tape to a local news contest, not knowing that the thief in question is a member of Shawn's family (which is why Shawn encourages him not to submit it).
Assuming that Shawn is jealous, Cory becomes angry. The two become physical, smashing each other into lockers and rolling around on the floor. Ultimately, Shawn realizes that his friendship with Cory is just as strong as a familial relationship, and the two make amends.
Will And Carlton
Will and Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are as different as two cousins can be, but they develop a close bond over the course of the show. However, in one episode, when Carlton is rejected by a girl that he likes and he discovers that Will has started dating her in secret, the two struggle to figure out how to get along.
They end up being forced to stay near each other when they both come down with the flu and must recover in the family's pool house. As can only happen when two angry teenagers are stuck sick together in bed, a pillow fight ensues, leading to Carlton actually landing a punch on the street-smart Will. This ultimately leads the two to let the situation go but would be far from the last conflict between the cousins.
JD And Carla
In Scrubs, JD and Carla develop a very special friendship. They bond over their care of patients, as well as their mutual love of Turk. However, as JD begins to develop more confidence as a doctor, conflict develops between them as he starts to treat Nurse Carla like she is less than him.
JD often unintentionally has a pretentious attitude, but when it starts to lead Carla to feel bad about herself, she puts her foot down. JD learns that if he values that friendship, he has to take into account Carla's experience and treat her with the respect that she deserves.
Joey And Chandler
Joey and Chandler from Friends are one of the most beloved friendships on television. However, they aren't without faults either as they have also experienced several betrayals and too. As many Friends fans remember, one of the worst things Chandler did to Joey was when he fell in love with Joey's girlfriend and things end up sticky between them. Chandler ends up kissing Kathy, and the two come clean to Joey (who feels understandably betrayed).
Chandler works hard to make amends, but Joey refuses to give in, putting loyalty in friendship above anything else. However, when he sees how in love Chandler and Kathy are, he ends up giving way to his own kind heart and forgives them, giving his blessing to their relationship. After everything they went through, it was kind of nice to see the two friends refuse to allow anything to come between them.
DJ And Kimmy
DJ and Kimmy from Full House are another popular TV friendship that has a very unique relationship. They love each other but often find themselves in each other's way. This happens yet again when DJ hired Kimmy to write for the school paper but ends up not agreeing with the way that Kimmy chooses to write.
The two fight over her columns, both saying hurtful things to the other. They end up calling off their friendship and make efforts to return each other's belongings. However, when they end up reminiscing over some of the weird items that they have of each other's, they find themselves unable to keep from laughing. It's quite a nice and light-hearted moment that fans remember fondly.
The Ricardos And The Mertzes
The Ricardos and the Mertzes from I Love Lucy are two of the original friendships in sitcom history. Lucy and Ethel alone are notorious for their bond, often getting themselves into trouble together. As well as this, their husbands always find a way to get into some trouble of their own.
However, when the Mertzes become frustrated with the amount of noise that the Ricardos make in their apartment, a spat ensues. The Ricardos announce that they will move out, but the Mertzes demand the remainder of the year-long lease. In order to escape paying, Lucy decides that they will be the worst tenant possible. However, the pairs ultimately remember how much they miss each other and make up, much to the delight of fans.
JD And Turk
JD and Turk have the bromance to top all TV bromances and together, they serve as the best choice of protagonists for Scrubs. In common sitcom fashion, the two have been friends since college and have therefore witnessed the other at their most immature. This leads JD to struggle to trust Turk when he is scheduled to remove JD's appendix.
When JD voices this, Turk's feelings are hurt and he gives JD the silent treatment. However, when JD ends up needing an emergency appendectomy in order to save his life, Turk steps up and does a perfect job, leading the two to call a truce.
Ted And Barney
Barney is not always capable of being the greatest of friends. In How I Met Your Mother, he often struggles to think of others before himself, leading his friends to, at times, get left behind. This is what happens when Barney sleeps with Ted's ex-girlfriend Robin and instead of being honest, goes through efforts to cover it up (which is why many HIMYM fans don't consider them to be real friends).
Ted decides that this is the last straw for their friendship and cuts off all contact going all the way into the next episode. But, Ted ends up in a minor car accident, causing Barney to selflessly run to the streets to get to the hospital. Just before he enters the building he is hit by a bus, showing Ted just how selfless he can actually be.