The early part of the 21st century has seen television ascend to be among the greatest storytelling mediums, with everything from fantasy epics to crime dramas, and even sitcoms experiencing something of a golden age. While this has been brought on by ambitious stories, increased resources, and an influx of major Hollywood talent transitioning from feature film to TV, one apparent reason for television becoming such a powerhouse has been the vast array of exceptional characters modern series have created.
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The 2010s especially were incredible for this, with the dynamics between characters in many TV shows thriving off the back of excellent writing and note-perfect performances. Be they heartfelt friendships, touching romances, or even reluctant acquaintances forced together by circumstance, these 10 iconic duos went a long way to defining the television experience of the 2010s.
10 Rustin Cohle and Marty Hart
‘True Detective’, Season One (2014)
Image via HBO
Regardless of what one thinks of the following installments, the first season of True Detective was undeniably one of the greatest individual seasons of television of all time. It also gave audiences two of the best crime show protagonists in Rustin Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson), chronicling the lives of the two detectives across two decades and centering on their investigation of a murdered woman which bears a disturbing occult slant.
The duo’s conversations, defined by the clash between Rustin’s deep philosophical pessimism and Marty’s more casual demeanor, became instantly iconic. Throughout the season, it was easy to view them as a dramatic, contemplative odd-couple, with Rustin being a gifted detective marred by a grating and difficult personality, while Marty’s stability in his job was undermined as his family life descended into chaos due to his alcoholism and adultery. The stark contrasts in their personalities—as well as the natural chemistry between the two leads—makes for a fantastic character dynamic.
True Detective
Release Date January 12, 2014
Creator Nic Pizzolatto
Rating TV-MA
Seasons 4
Studio HBO
Watch on MAX
9 Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele
‘Key & Peele’ (2012-2015)
Image via Comedy Central
A sketch comedy series that spawned plenty of iconic moments, Key & Peele served as a bastion in modern comedy throughout the first half of the 2010s. With the combined talents of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the series consisted of five seasons and a special episode across its three-year run, with many of its bits focusing on contemporary America, stereotypes, and the nation’s social awkwardness surrounding race.
This resulted in numerous hilarious skits, including the East/West Bowl Football Players and Key’s enraged substitute teacher, Mr. Garvey, while parodying everything from trending hit series to classic films. The series was canceled by Comedy Central in 2015, with Peele pivoting to become an acclaimed horror filmmaker, while Key has used his comedic talents in some of the biggest animated films of recent years.
Key and Peele
Release Date January 31, 2012
Rating TV-14
Seasons 4
Studio Comedy Central
Watch on Hulu
8 Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins
‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009-2015)
Image via NBC
The 2010s saw more positive, feminine friendships hit screens than ever before, with the bond between Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) an iconic highlight for women in television. With Leslie working as the Parks Deputy Director in season one, her famous friendship soon blossoms when Ann starts attending meetings that Leslie is overseeing after Ann’s boyfriend (Chris Pratt) was seriously injured falling into a large construction pit.
From there, the two became the very definition of BFF, with their powerful bond being built off what they have in common, as well as the many ways in which they compliment each other’s personalities. While they had some minor fights along the way, their support for one another was undying, regardless of whether the obstacles they faced were professional or personal.
Parks and Recreation
Release Date April 9, 2009
Creator Greg Daniels, Michael Schur
Rating TV-14
Seasons 7
Studio NBC
Watch on Peacock
7 Rick and Morty
‘Rick and Morty’ (2013-)
Image via Adult Swim
While adult animation has been prevalent on television for decades, the 2010s saw a number of series take the genre in many new and interesting directions, with Rick and Morty being a popular standout. The series follows the titular duo – a nihilistic, alcoholic scientist and his awkward teenage grandson – through their many scientific misadventures, which often include venturing to distant worlds and even parallel universes.
Juggling meta-comedy storytelling, off-hand engagement with its intensive sci-fi elements, and a wacky, offbeat sense of humor, Rick and Morty became one of the most successful series on streaming, excelling as a ratings hit since its very first season. As a result, the central relationship between the two eponymous characters has become a defining duo in 2010s television, and one of the most iconic pairings in the history of adult animation.
Rick and Morty
Release Date December 2, 2013
Rating TV-14
Seasons 6
Studio Cartoon Network
Watch on Hulu
6 Mike Wheeler and El
‘Stranger Things’ (2016-)
Image via Netflix
An instant sci-fi sensation from Netflix, Stranger Things excelled off the back of its familiar, gorgeously retro 80s setting which hearkened back to blockbuster adventures from the likes of Steven Spielberg. While the series has given fans many memorable pairings, it has been the relationship between Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven, or El (Millie Bobby Brown) which has served as the core of the series throughout its four seasons thus far.
With the show realizing the friendship and eventual romance between the outcast duo with plenty of charm, even as Hawkins has been engulfed in horror and mystery, the two struck up a bond which immediately won over the audience. While technically only the series’ first three seasons were released in the 2010s, that was still more than enough time for Mike and El to become a duo which defined audiences’ hysteria surrounding Stranger Things.
Stranger Things
Release Date July 15, 2016
Creator Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Rating TV-14
Seasons 5
Studio Netflix
Watch on Netflix
5 Arya Stark and Sandor “The Hound” Clegane
‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019)
Image via HBO
Few series have dominated any period of time to a similar degree to which HBO’s fantasy drama Game of Thrones enthralled viewers throughout the decade. With the land of Westeros breaking out into all-out war, the series follows a great many characters, covering everything from romances and friendships to vicious rivalries and deadly feuds. However, the best of them came in the form of the unlikely bond between Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) and Sandor Clegane, otherwise known as the Hound (Rory McCann).
Given there had been a tension between the two ever since Clegane killed Arya’s friend under Joffrey’s (Jack Gleeson) orders, the two characters didn’t get off to the best of starts when they finally became road buddies in season three. In fact, Arya had plans to kill Clegane to cross a name off her famous list while the Hound only protected Arya as he hoped to ransom her to the Starks. With tough love, an abundance of profanity and violence, and a genuine comedic punch, Arya and the Hound became one of the most notable duos of 2010s television.
Game Of Thrones
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for a millennia.
Release Date April 17, 2011
Creator David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Rating TV-MA
Seasons 8
Studio HBO
Watch on MAX
4 Fleabag and The Priest
‘Fleabag’ (2016-2019)
Image via BBC One
While the 2010s had a vast array of intelligent, timely, and hilarious comedy series – many of which were criminally underrated – few matched the impact and brilliance of the two-season dramedy Fleabag. Starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who adapted the series from her own stage play, Fleabag followed an angry and grief-stricken woman as, with a venomous wit and a socially rebellious effervescence, she navigates life in London.
The second season introduced the priest (Andrew Scott) to the fold, becoming an instant main character as he and Fleabag struck up a friendly relationship defined by excellent comedic chemistry, an underlying sexual tension, and no small amount of heart thanks to the razor-sharp screenplay and Waller-Bridge and Scott’s wonderful performances. Witty, cheeky, and managing to be tragic and funny simultaneously, the bond between the priest and Fleabag was emblematic of the series at large, an unforgettable romance filled with potent and aching longing.
Fleabag
Release Date September 16, 2016
Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Rating TV-MA
Seasons 2
Watch on Amazon Prime
3 Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ (2013-2021)
Image via NBC
Thriving as one of the most popular sitcoms of the 2010s, Brooklyn Nine-Nine used its irreverent comedy, distinct characters, and the arsenal of comic talent it has at its disposal to be a consistently hilarious police procedural comedy. It also featured one of the most heartfelt romantic subplots the television genre has seen, with Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) a TV couple for the ages.
With Jake’s energetic, often reckless eccentricity and Amy’s strict adherence to the rules, the duo started the series as workplace rivals, with each one striving to be viewed as the best detective in the precinct. They began dating, albeit secretly, at the beginning of season three, with the duo getting married in the fifth season. It marked what was unequivocally the best sitcom romance of the decade with its comedic odd-couple dynamic and its sense of sincerity and charm.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Release Date September 17, 2013
Creator Dan Goor, Michael Schur
Rating TV-14
Seasons 8
Watch on Peacock
2 Sherlock Holmes and John Watson
‘Sherlock’ (2010-2017)
Image via BBC
For decades, television icons have come in the form of ingenious, sometimes quirky sleuths who apply themselves to solving murders with the help of loyal, dutiful sidekicks who help them navigate the turbulent society around them. Among the best of these pairings that the industry has ever seen was between Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman’s John Watson in the hit BBC series Sherlock.
Offering a modernized take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, the dynamic between the two characters was superbly written and even better performed, with Cumberbatch exceptional as the brilliant, sociopathic genius seemingly incapable of forming genuine human relations, while Freeman was the perfect foil as the hard-edged, compassionate, and inquisitive John Watson. The pairing went from strength-to-strength across the series’ four seasons, becoming ingrained as a mainstay icon of modern pop-culture in the process.
Sherlock
Release Date July 25, 2010
Rating TV-14
Seasons 4
Studio BBC America
Buy on Apple TV+
1 Walter White and Jesse Pinkman
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008-2013)
Image via AMC
Among the greatest television series ever made, Breaking Bad became an engrossing series following Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a high school science teacher who, when diagnosed with terminal cancer, takes to cooking crystal meth as a means to leave money for his family. Helping him along the way was his former student and drug dealer, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).
It didn’t matter whether they were immersed in their petty squabbles, celebrating their successes, or actively trying to ruin each other’s lives and even kill one another, the duo always made for captivating viewing when they shared the screen together. As the characters changed over the course of its five seasons, the relationship between Walt and Jesse became increasingly complicated. Unsurprisingly. Cranston and Paul won a combined total of seven Primetime Emmys for their respective performances, with both actors excelling at whatever tone the show demanded to be arguably the greatest television duo of all time.
Breaking Bad
Release Date January 20, 2008
Creator Vince Gilligan
Rating TV-MA
Seasons 5
Watch on Netflix
KEEP READING: The 10 Best 2010s TV Series, Ranked According to IMDb