5 Shows with Fantastic Female Friendships

I love watching on-screen female friendships in my favourite shows, and I think friendships can even trump relationships- especially when you find friends that seem realistic, relatable, and make you very envious of their fantastic, platonic chemistry.

There are so many reasons to love fictional female friendships when it comes to shows, books, or films. They often last much longer than relationships, and they can be so much more interesting to the storyline.

Below, I’ve put together a list of my 5 favourite female friendships! These shows are all brilliant choices to try out this summer- and their friendships are truly enviable!

Sex Education

Three characters from the cast of 'Sex Education' stand by the lockers of a high school
Picture credits here

I love this show, and it’s full of fantastic, diverse storylines which are relatable to young people everywhere. The female friendships in this show, particularly the second series, are beautifully written to make them interesting, funny, and heart-warming.

In the second series of this show, one of the young girls, Amy, is harassed on the bus to school. She can’t get back on the bus, and it starts to affect her personal and school life. The other girls at school, led by Amy’s best friend Maeve, encourage her to express her anger and sadness and they get on the bus with her next time she goes to school.

This iconic scene is touching, and a real show of fantastic female friendship in this show can’t be beaten!

The Bold Type

The three main female friends from 'The Bold Type' series stand in the fashion closet
Picture credits here

I just finished watching this series, and honestly the fantastic female friendships in this show are what make it so amazing! Jane, Sutton, and Kat are great friends, all helping each other navigate their unique and individual experiences of life.

I love the fun aspects of their friendship, but it is also so heart-warming to watch. Sometimes they fight, sometimes they cry on each other, and sometimes they get drunk together- but their fantastic friendship is really what holds the show together.

Gilmore Girls

Lorelai and Rory Gilmore stand together in a still from the series 'Gilmore Girls'
Picture credits here

In ‘Gilmore Girls‘ the show focuses on the relationship between a young mother and her teenage daughter, but there are so many other interesting and relatable friendships than just this one!

I love the fun and loyal friendship between Lorelai and Sookie, and Rory and Lane have a cute childhood friendship that spans the years.

I also love Rory and Paris’ story, and how they are enemies first and friends second. It’s a great show full of lively, complex, and fantastic characters and I really recommend checking it out if you haven’t already.

Emily in Paris

The character Emily from 'Emily in Paris' holds a bag and smiles at the camera.
Picture credits here

I really enjoyed this light-hearted series about one woman’s adventures in Paris. Although it was so unrealistic and incredibly cheesy, I loved the female friendships in this show. Emily meets Mindy, a young woman from China living and working as a nanny in Paris, and they soon start a fun and cute friendship.

Emily also makes friends with her good-looking neighbour and his girlfriend, Camille, and I loved following these fantastic female friendships through the twists and turns of the series.

Gossip Girl

The cast from 'Gossip Girl' stand on the steps of the Met
Picture credits here

‘Gossip Girl‘ is one of my favourite shows, and it is full of amazing female characters that are strong, and great fun to watch. I love Blair and Serena’s on-and-off friendship- it’s up and down so much, which makes for an amusing watch!

I also love how the characters have such a fraught relationship, but they know deep down that they will always be friends- despite saying some awful things to each other. By the end of the show, they are basically family to one another, which I find very touching.

Do you like watching female friendships unfold during a TV series? What is your favourite fantastic female on-screen friendship? What do you think of my choices?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x

74 thoughts

  2. Love this post! Can’t agree more with Gilmore Girls! I also loved the friendship in Good Girls and Desperate Housewives. I really need to watch Sex Education! my sister keeps recommending it to me! x

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  4. oh, I also love such shows that portray friendship bonds! Currently watching the bold type and totally loving it and adding sex education and Gilmore girls to my list! Thanks for sharing xx

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  5. I’ve watched all of these before and love them all! Every couple of years I’ll rewatch Gossip Girl. Blair and Serena’s friendship is friendship goals!

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  6. Emily in Paris is my favourite out of all of these. I cant wait for the next season to start. I have watched The Bold Type and Gossip Girl. I am not a fan of Gossip Girl. I have never watched Sex Education or Gilmore Girl but I want to see them. Thank you for sharing.

    goalofhappiness.com

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  23. I know some titles here but honestly, I haven’t watched all of them 😭 I bet they’re really good shows. Thanks for sharing this! I hope I can watch one of these once I have free time x

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  24. I recently checked out Emily in Paris and thought that it was super sweet. I love the relationship that the girls form – the fact that they came together while she was so desperately in need of a local friend made me smile. I am a huge fan of Grey’s and Station 19, and recently I’ve been IN LOVE with the friendship between Andy and Maya on Station 19. The fact that they are for each other through the good times and the bad is so heartwarming.

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  28. It seems that a lot of the great female friendships exist mainly in shows that are targeted at a female audience. Are female friendships completely overlooked if the show’s aren’t targeted to those that identify as female?

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    1. Hmm I’m not sure, it could be that they know what will be relatable to the audience as I don’t watch many shows with male main characters, I just don’t find them quite as relatable (although there are exceptions of course) 🙂

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  29. Ah, my life is all about people telling me about these great shows and me telling them that I’ll surely try their recommendations without ever doing so. I like this list and will probably start with Emily in Paris. 😛 Thanks for sharing. xx

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  30. I’ve been wondering whether to watch Sex Education and now I’ll definitely give it a go now – thanks for the recommendation! I love seeing strong female friendships on sceen, too. Netflix seems to be pretty great at this!

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  33. Would you believe I’ve never watched any of these?! Crazy I know lol.. Sex Education looks so good though, definitely gonna check it out x

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  36. I have only seen Gilmore Girls (currently almost done with season 1) and I love the strong female friendships! We need more examples in the media. I will have to check out the other shows now. Thank you for sharing!

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  38. Oh I just love Sex Education, it’s an amazing series which had me hooked from day one. I love seeing strong female friendships form within a series, it almost makes you feel like your part of it. I haven’t watched any of the other series you’ve mentioned so I best get catching up haha Xo

    Elle – ellegracedeveson.com

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