The 411 Top 5 07.12.06: Week 17

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 07.12.2006

The Top 5 Television Onscreen Duos

For the last couple weeks we've taken a look at the best and worst characters televsion has had to offer us over the years, but in doing so we overlooked one of the most enduring formulas on TV: the onscreen duo's. As we all know, certain characters just work better when put together with another, and in some cases those pairs become so ingrained in our heads that it is impossible to think of one without the other. It's time to celebrate those unique duo's, with a look at:

THE TOP 5 TELEVISION ONSCREEN DUOS


Trevor Snyder

5) Jack & Karen (Will & Grace)
4) Dr. Forrester & TV's Frank (Mystery Science Theater 3000)
3) Bo & Luke Duke (Dukes of Hazzard)
2) Mulder & Scully (The X-Files)
1) Turk & J.D. (Scrubs)

5 – Yeah, the show was called Will & Grace, but it didn't take long for audiences to realize this was a show dominated by the "sidekicks." And as funny as the self-absorbed Jack and the pill-popping Karen were by themselves, they were absolutely hilarious when put together. Two characters that couldn't seem to care any less about other people's feelings, and yet were able to form a uniquely strong bond because of that very shared outlook. Thankfully, NBC didn't try to capitalize on their popularity by giving them their own spin-off, and so while they often stole the show, they never completely overtook it, thus ensuring they never really wore out their welcome. This is a good part of the reason they made my list even though Will & Grace, as a whole, probably ran a couple years too many. Still, I'm sure I'll be laughing at Jack & Karen in re-runs for years to come.

4 – The evil genius and his eager but incompetent sidekick has long been a staple of both film and television, but my personal favorite incarnation of the theme was MST3K's villainous pair. Although the two usually only appeared at the beginning and end of each episode, they were often the highlight, particularly when showing off their latest evil creation during the "invention exchange" (and sometimes not so evil creations – like "chinderwear," little pairs of underwear for people with "butt chins"). It wan never really clear how exactly Dr. Forrester planned to achieve world domination by forcing one man to watch countless bad movies, and it was even less clear why he would continue to put up with the bumbling antics of the sweet-natured TV's Frank, but who cares? They were good for countless laughs, and that's all that really matters.

3 – For anyone who doesn't think the original bootlegging, hell-raising cousins of Hazzard County (as portrayed by Tom Wopat & John Schneider) don't deserve a spot on this list, I have three little words: Vance & Coy. Actually, let me expand on that: you can also check out Johnny Knoxville & Sean William Scott painfully trying to recapture the magic that Wopat & Schneider brought to the roles. After watching either of those two imposter pairs, it becomes even more obvious how perfect the two actors were for the roles, and how the obvious fun they were having playing the parts translated onto the final product. Dukes of Hazzard may have been complete nonsense, and one of the most brainless smash hits ever, but the charisma and charm of its two leads is undeniable, and a big part of the reason it remains popular in re-runs even today.

2 – It's almost hard to remember today what a cultural phenomenon The X-Files was during it's prime, but there was a time when you couldn't turn anywhere without seeing it plastered across magazine covers and merchandise (something I never complained about, since a picture of Gillian Anderson is never a bad thing). Here was a TV coupling with a perfect formula: the skeptic and the non-believer. Every week we watched and sympathized with Mulder as Scully shot down his numerous theories (after all, we the viewer knew that Mulder was right). Audiences couldn't wait for the moment when Scully would finally discover for herself that "the truth is out there," almost as much as they couldn't wait for the sexual tension between the two to finally boil over. Although X-Files producers and writers were often quoted as saying Mulder and Scully would never become an item, the audiences wishes eventually won out; a testament to just how much people really wanted these two to be together and happy. The long-rumored second X-Files never seems to come to fruition, but I for one am still holding out hope for the day when we'll see Mulder & Scully, together again, continuing their search for the truth.

1 – In a show full of entertaining relationships (JD & Cox, JD & Janitor, Turk & Carla, Kelso & Ted), none shines more than the heterosexual (well, for the most part) love of best friends Turk and JD. I think every guy can relate to these two; either you have a best friend who understands you as much as these two do with each other, or you wish you did. The fact that JD was allowed to live with Turk & Carla for some time even after their marriage speaks volumes towards the strength of their friendship, and the fact that audiences never questioned it just goes to show how much they buy into the duo. This might be the most two TV characters have ever been on the same wavelength, and watching these two look out for each other and share their unique opinions and inside-jokes is one of the greatest pleasures on TV today. On a show that is often very surreal, a very-real feeling friendship like this one is exactly what is needed to keep it all grounded in reality.



Tim O'Sullivan

Honourable Mentions: Michael and George Michael (Arrested Development), JD and Janitor (Scrubs), JD and Cox (Scrubs), Alan and Lynn (I'm Alan Partridge), Brent and Finchey (The Office), Andy and Maggie (Extras), Kramer and Newman (Seinfeld), Jack and Chase (24), Jack and Tony (24), Michelle and Tony (24), Larry and Jeff (Curb Your Enthusiasm)......and many more that I can't remember.

5. Tie: JD and Turk (Scrubs)...and...Ross and Rachel (Friends)...and...Max and Paddy (Phoenix Nights)
4. Tim and Dawn (The Office)
3. Tim and Gareth (The Office)
2. GOB and Franklin (Arrested Development)
1. Joey and Chandler (Friends)

5. For the second week in a row, this was a tough one to call, hence the number of honourable mentions. Not just that, but a three way tie for fifth. With JD and Turk you constantly get witty, yet zany comedy just from them knowing each other well and being the best of friends. Ross and Rachel aren't higher because they started to get on my nut, but during those first four and a half seasons I watched 'Friends' every week hoping they would get/get back together. Max and Paddy are geniuses. They never look like good friends, but they are always next to each other and remain the best doormen in television history. "That my friend is a Broomhandled Mouser." Genius.

4. The first of two entries for the legendary Tim Canterbury. I relate to him a lot, because of his sarcasm, but I'm not living with my parents now, let alone when I'm 30, and I would never have the gusto to keep trying with a broad that wasn't interested. Well, we could always tell that Dawn was interested, but she never had the balls (metaphorically) to leave her dickhead fella. We could all feel the pain Tim was going through, and that culminated in the most painful, yet brilliantly shot scene, in the series two finale. That anguish made the payoff in the final ever episode all the more sweeter, and although it didn't have the Hollywood perfection of Ross and Rachel's infamous kiss from season two of 'Friends', it was even more special and poignant.

3. The aforementioned storyline showcased Tim's sensitive side, but it was his piss taking of Gareth that made him a hero from the outset. Mocking his army past and overall gayness was funny, and that paid off because of Mackenzie Crook's superb portrayal of Gareth. He was exactly what Tim said he was in the first ever episode - "your a cock, your a cock, your a cock!"

2. Now, this may be a wierd choice too many, but it left me in hysterics every time they appeared together. GOB's persona is crazy enough on it's own, but put him with a puppet.....in a recording studio, and you have comedy gold right there. And he took it seriously! That was the kicker right there, especially when George Snr. took something Franklin said seriously and attacked the puppet instead of GOB. Just gold.

1. Such a safe choice I know. This was one of the only things you could always rely on in Friends. As men, they were the epitome of the "chalk and cheese" adage, but opposites attract and all that jazz. They worked perfectly together from the pilot, to the surprisingly excellent finale. An example of that is when they get robbed, and there is just a still shot of them in the canoe as the credits roll. Chandler is so gutted, whilst Joey is okay with it. I wonder what Joey is going to do next time he sees the robber?


Ben Moser

5) Barry & Levon, The State
4) Hawkeye Pierce & B.J. Hunnicut, M*A*S*H
3) Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck, Saturday morning cartoons
2) Turk & J.D., Scrubs
1) Dan Rydell & Casey McCall, Sports Night

5. They were only on a handful of episodes, but that was all they needed. Michael Ian Black and Thomas Lennon's characters arrived with $240 worth of puddin' and never let you stop laughing. Wearing ruffled shirts and crushed velvet jackets, they expressed the sensuality of the pudding, a love seat(not a couch, not a sofa), and another world. Of course they were ridiculous, but they were the kind of ridiculous that warms you like a shot of cheap whiskey. If they'd been on Saturday Night Live, we would have been treated to a Barry & Levon movie that would have destroyed the characters (see Guys, Roxbury). Thankfully, they were on The State, and I can remember them for what they were: great, hilarious characters.

4. I'm too young to have experienced it, but I'm sure that when Trapper John was written off of the show, many a fan questioned whether anyone could have the same chemistry with Alan Alda that Wayne Rogers had. Enter Mike Farrell. He wasn't as good, he was better. M*A*S*H was always good at replacing characters with better characters (BJ in for Trapper John, Charles in for Frank, Potter in for Blake), and the B.J./Hawkeye duo is the best example of why. The cutting up was more fun to watch, and the friendship more balanced and believable. They made you want to hang out in military OR's.

3. Duck season! Wabbit season! Almost the same character when separated, always at odds when paired; Bugs and Daffy in the same cartoon was an event when I was a child. Punches to the shoulder were delivered for any sibling who dared interrupt this pairing. Bugs' cool, cocky style played against a hyper-active and paranoid Daffy perfectly. Whether a mindless Abominable Snowman or a clueless Elmer Fudd caught in the middle, it's still a good time to see the duo in the same short.

2. When the 4th season of Scrubs hits DVD, buy it and watch the first 3 minutes (give or take, of course) of the first episode, when Turk comes back from his honeymoon. It's perfect television and a perfect example of what makes these two great TV friends. They're just like you and your friends. They speak their own language, they have inside jokes, and they aren't aware that they come off as just a little bit gay to an outsider. The few things they have in common are pure geek. They always have the other's back. They have all of the ups and downs of a real friendship. They're always a joy to watch.

1. Aaron Sorkin's calling card is smart, lightning-fast dialogue. Josh Charles and Peter Krause nail it every time, but never better than when they're on the screen together. Everything I said in the last 3 sentences for my number two pick goes for this pair, only double. When they're on the same page it's incredibly funny and entertaining. When they're not, you get the impression that it really hurts them. I consider Sports Night to be the finest television show ever made, these two are the biggest reason why. I would that all TV buddies were this real while being this entertaining.


Bryan Kristopowitz

Honorable Mentions

-Rick Simon and AJ Simon - Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker - Simon & Simon

The show was on for eight years (and is now shown daily on the great cable channel Sleuth) and had the private detective duo getting involved in all kinds of crazy stuff. McRaney and Parker had amazing chemistry as opposite brothers out looking for the next paying gig. They did a reunion movie in 1995, which was okay. They still had the old chemistry, though.

-Captain H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock and Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus - Dwight Schulz and Mr. T - The A-Team

Murdock was "insane" and talked quite a bit. Nonsense mostly. B.A. could barely stand the nonsense and would complain that if Murdock didn't stop he'd knock him out. Sure the little back and forths were cheesy, but Schulz and Mr. T made it work. It's still funny twenty years later.

-ADA Jack McCoy and ADA Abbie Carmichael - Sam Waterston and Angie Harmon - Law & Order

This was probably the nest Assistant ADA pairing in the series. McCoy's leftist liberal 1960's hippie hooey clashing with Carmichael's right wing conservative views always made for great conversations in the DA's office with Adam Schiff (Steven Hill). It was sad when Carmichael told McCoy that she was leaving the office (I always figured that there was a kind of unmentioned assumption that, much like the affair McCoy had with Jill Hennesey's Claire Kincaid, Jack was hoodooing Carmichael). They really haven't found anyone as good as her since.

-Jay Sherman and Alice Tompkins - voice of John Lovitz and voice of Park Overall - The Critic

Who would want to date, spend time with, and ultimately have sex with morbidly obese film critic Jay "It stinks!" Sherman? Southern single mother Alice, who became Sherman's personal assistant at Duke Phillips Broadcasting. Alice was brought in for the second season to give Sherman a love interest, and it helped make the show even better (I'll always have an affinity for the show. It's great and always will be). It's just too bad we never got more of them together.

-Al Bundy and Jefferson D'Arcy - Ed O'Neill and Ted McGinley - Married… with Children

That whole bit where, with the help of the others in NOMAAM (National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood), Al and Jefferson started their own church, or when they started selling old 70's shoes Al found behind the wall in the store, or when they took over Jerry Springer's TV show and made pleas to the men watching to start acting like real men again are classic moments. I never thought that Jefferson would work for that long, figuring that he's eventually be gone and someone else would become Al's neighbor. But he lasted and, while not as good as Steve Rhodes, he helped Al Bundy continue to lose again and again. Great stuff.

5) Michael Knight and KITT - David Hasselhoff and the voice of William Daniels - Knight Rider
4) Adrian Monk and Sharona Fleming - Tony Shaloub and Bitty Schram - Monk
3) Special Agent Fox Mulder and Special Agent Dana Scully - David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson - The X-Files
2) Al Bundy and Steve Rhodes - Ed O'Neill and David Garrison - Married… with Children
1) Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton - Jackie Gleason and Art Carney - The Honeymooners

5 - Man and machine. Tough as nails ex-cop Michael Knight and his talking car KITT go where they are needed to fight for justice and the underdog and all that stuff. Daniels' smooth British voice perfectly compliments Hassheloff's cheesy heroic swagger and macho bragging thing, and when the going gets tough it never seems ridiculous that the driver is talking to his car and the car is talking back. While the show only lasted four seasons, "Knight Rider" still lives on because of these two. That's got to count for something.

4 - The new assistant, Traylor Howard, is good and funny, but she can't replace Bitty Schram's Sharona. She worked best with Shaloub's obsessive compulsive detective, always appearing exasperated with every new nuance of her boss's many phobias and problems. When she screeched at Monk, "Adrian!," it was a sort of weird beard reverse "Rocky" thing. And I always wondered why Monk never asked what was in Sharona's giant purse. Their best teaming, besides the episode where they go to Mexico and she thinks Monk has been killed, is when they go to New York City. When they both notice the guy urinating in the subway… just good stuff. It's too bad that she had to leave. It'd be great if they could get her to come back to do a guest starring thing.

3 - Mulder's willingness to believe in the unbelievable and Scully's scientist brain there to swat down whatever oddball theory Mulder would come up with still make for great television (and a pretty nifty movie). Even when they appeared for the first time in the pilot episode both Duchovny and Anderson seemed so at ease with one another, like they actually belonged together and complimented one another in their search for "the truth." The scene in the pilot when Scully runs into Mulder's hotel room in her underwear because she's worried about a bump on her skin she can't see is proof of that. The show, now in reruns, will be able to play for dang near ever because of them. If they ever do get around to making another movie, both Mulder and Scully will be very, very welcome.

2 - Al Bundy and Steve Rhodes going camping in the woods with their wives, having brought them during their "periods," or when they bought all of those "Blue suede shoes" because a bunch of rubes believe that Al sweated Elvis' face in the armpit of a T-shirt, or when they go camping again in the woods with a bunch of kids from the neighborhood and Steve rubs poison oak on his tongue and Al can't do anything about it are all classic TV moments. Garrison's Rhodes was the well to do yuppie guy that knew right from wrong but was often just as morally bankrupt as the unrepentant slob Al Bundy still makes for great television. If only the Broadway stage didn't beckon to Garrison there would never have been a Jefferson D'Arcy, and Steve never would have killed that sea turtle by throwing it into Lake Michigan or stolen those endangered bird eggs from that national park. He would have been the one going to England to get spanked as a "Bad American." Just watch "the lost episode" where Steve and Al have to argue before a jury about a hotel sex tape. Great stuff.

1 - Without question the best duo ever on television. The blustering fool Ralph Kramden and the loveable goofball Ed Norton, always involving themselves in crazy schemes to get rich but never getting there because, well, the schemes were crazy. From the exaggerated hand movements to the "Will you come on!," the two were and still are pure gold. Watch the episode where they buy a television together and argue over who gets to watch it when (the TV is left in Ralph's apartment, and Norton keeps coming down late at night to watch movies or "Captain Video!" and they argue over it). Or when the two decide to do a live commercial on TV for a new kitchen appliance that can "core a apple." It's still funny as all heck.
"Address the ball." "Hello ball!"



Cris Murphy

5) Bo & Luke Duke - The Dukes of Hazzard
4) Johnny Drama and Turtle - Entourage
3) Angel and Spike - Angel
2) Jack Bauer and Chloe Sullivan - 24
1) Agents Mulder and Scully - X-Files

5. Bo and Luke Duke: Cousins to the end, and the protagonists who never leave each other's side. Sounds a little homoerotic, but wasn't. Jeez, they're cousins for crying out loud! But, there's no one else on this list who drove one of the coolest cars in television history and shot flaming arrows out of it. So, they made my list.

4. Johnny Drama and Turtle: These two can't function without each other or their benefactor, Vincent Chase. However, from Drama's name dropping to Turtle's wheeling and dealing, they provide most of the laughs on one of my favorite shows, Entourage. VICTORY!

3. Angel and Spike: Two vampires who truly hated each other for centuries. Throw in the fact that they both have souls and both vie for a coveted prophesy that saves the world and makes them human. Throw in the fact that they both love the same vampire slayer and they love to drive each other bonkers, and you get one of the most hilarious and tension driven duos on this list.

2. Jack Bauer and Chloe Sullivan - You hardly ever see these two onscreen together, yet they make one of TV's best working duos. That's because they're in constant communication with each other, and Chloe spends most of her time covering Jack's ass. It's a great dynamic because Jack does all these badass things, and you know that he'd get none of them done if it weren't for a fairly cute, somewhat neurotic, computer jockey.

1. Agents Mulder and Scully - Literally, you can't say one name without the other. These federal agents in search of a wide-spreading alien conspiracy had more built-up sexual tension than than the entire 1950's. Oh, what I wouldn't do to Scully... The fact that the Doggett years of The X-Files were the least watched showed that you can't have a Scully without a Mulder.


JT

5. Bo and Luke Duke - John Schneider and Tom Wopat - Dukes of Hazzard
4. Dr. Perry Cox and Jordan Sullivan - John C. McGinley and Christa Miller Lawrence - Scrubs
3. Ray, Debra, Robert, Frank, and Marie Barone - Ray Ramono, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Peter Boyle, and Doris Roberts - Everybody Loves Raymond
2. Dr. Sam Beckett and Rear Admiral Al Calavicci – Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell - Quantum Leap
1. Dr. John 'JD' Dorian and Dr. Christopher Turk - Zack Braff and Donald Fiason - Scrubs

5. Bo and Luke Duke - John Schneider and Tom Wopat - Dukes of Hazzard

Like Murphy said, it's really that simple. Good ol' boys that drove one of the most recognizable and famous cars on the entire planet; and yes, that shooting flaming arrows out of the car isn't bad either. Always one to outsmart (and escape) the law, these two cousins had fun, got girls, and could solve anyone's problem in sixty minutes. To this day that show is still one of my all time favorites from my childhood.

4. Dr. Perry Cox and Jordan Sullivan - John C. McGinley and Christa Miller Lawrence - Scrubs

If I ever marry a woman, bitterly divorce her, fall back in love with each other, have a child, and are now pregnant again, this is EXACTLY what I want my relationship to be. These two are so PERFECT for each other it isn't even crazy. I love how they have evolved to the point where they know everything about the other and have completely accepted that they are who they are. They are really the only people who can even compete when it comes to being the type of people that they are. Who else stands a chance against Dr. Cox? Or Jordan for that matter? Nobody – except themselves. Clearly from me picking two from Scrubs, it's a favorite of mine, but these two just slay me on an every episode basis.

3. Ray, Debra, Robert, Frank, and Marie Barone - Ray Ramono, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Peter Boyle, and Doris Roberts - Everybody Loves Raymond

No bullshit, pick any two. Any combination of any two of those five people, and you have my #3 pick. I was going to try and pick two, but I simply could not. They were all just entirely to fabulous with one another to pick a particular combo. How can you pick between Robert/Ray… or Ray/Debra… or Debra/Marie… you can't. I love this show, and it's because of the chemistry that all five of them had together that made it so great. There was no one who didn't pull their weight; as I said, pick any two, and I'm fine with it.

2. Dr. Sam Beckett and Rear Admiral Al Calavicci – Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell - Quantum Leap

"Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and Vanished...He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home."

Famous words, my friend. Again, one of my all-time favorite shows. Probably a forgotten gem (which is sad in itself), not only were these two great together, they were necessary together. Without one, you had nothing. They were each other's only connection between the current predicament and the real world. I always considered Sam Beckett to be kind of a superhero, especially considering that he was in fact always in disguise. The difference being he had the added advantage of Al. He was like a psychic Batman. Okay, maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but these two were great together. The ultimate good guy in Sam mixed with the partying, womanizing (and most importantly, always there in the clutch) Al. The two developed a friendship over the years that couldn't even be broken by the laws of space and time. Again, I pick them as a fan, and while I thought it was a shame they had to end the show, it was a damn fun ride; aside from the writing, I contribute that to the fact it was these two.

1. Dr. John 'JD' Dorian and Dr. Christopher Turk - Zack Braff and Donald Fiason - Scrubs

These two work so well because there is hardly a male – of any age – in the country that cannot relate to their relationship. The writers have captured the epitamy of what it is to be a best friend. If you're younger, you're almost there (adulthood). If you're their age, then you're there right now; and if you're older, you remember being there. The undying sense of loyalty to one another, even in the face of growing up and establishing a life, family, and independence, is portrayed perfectly. That doesn't even begin to mention how completely hilarious they two are with one another. The nicknames, the little games, the secret whatever, all of it… pure gold. I'm ending here, because it is nearly – and literally – indescribable. You have to see it to understand the justice it deserves.

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"Trevor," I can hear you saying, "this is all well and good, but what about the onscreen duo's that have made movie magic over the years? Aren't you ignoring them?"

Calm down, would you! I'm only human, and we can only do one topic a week (or, at least, we choose to). But don't worry, we'll be showing the silver screen some love next week, when we do in fact take a look at the Top 5 Movie Onscreen Duo's.