It’s been a week since we had an image of Bones‘ David Boreanaz on PopWatch (and even though Abby West’s Mini TV Watch will post in a few hours, I can’t wait). So, tell us: Can Boreanaz (Special Agent Seeley Booth) and Emily Deschanel (Dr. Temperance Brennan) compete for the title of TV’s Best Chemistry? To be clear: "Chemistry" is not limited to "sexual tension" (although I’m willing to bet the clip below, from the Bones pilot, is what scored that series its original pickup). In our book, it also describes the shared sense of timing that makes Calista Flockhart (Kitty McCallister) and Sally Field (Nora Walker) a joy to watch on Brothers & Sisters; that’s earned James Spader (Alan Shore) and William Shatner (Denny Crane) each Emmys for Boston Legal. Because we’re looking for the best chemistry in TV history, feel free to nominate classic duos like The Dukes of Hazzard’s James Best (Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane) and Sorrell Booke (Boss Hogg). We’ll even accept James Best and the basset hound that played Flash, if you can make your argument in 75 words or less…
Nominate away!
UPDATE: Here’s Abby’s recap of Monday’s Bones.
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Great TV teams…sorry, ain’t limiting to 1…
Scrubs hilariously gay non-homosexuals JD and Turk.
Futurama’s Fry and Bender!
Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney on West Wing. Gotta love Donna and Josh!
Larry Sanders has several great combos to work with: Mix and match Larry, Artie, Hank. How about Hank and Darlene? Theres always goofball writers Phil and Jerry.
Simpson’s Smithers and Burns.
Mulder and Scully (D’uh!)
Law & Order’s best cop duo Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth.
Office’s Pam and Jim, or Dwight and Michael.
Best. TV. Cops. Ever. Homicide’s brilliant pair of Andre Braugher and Kyle Secor.
Greys Anatomy’s…ah, who am I kidding? They all suck.
Blair and Chuck from Gossip Girl have this amazing sexual tension and witty banter. They also wear their outfits very coordinately and do evil stuff they don’t ever ashamed of, which make them a match made in heaven (or should I say hell?)
Right now, Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell in Battlestar Galactica.
All-time, here’s a vote for Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke (or MTM and Ed Asner).
Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza are perfect for each other – not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Bones and Booth all the way. They can say more in a glance than almost anybody on tv. There are people who are expressive, but not everyone can be that expressive while looking at another character not the camera. Plus, hello! The best way to have on screen chemistry is to make the viewing audience feel they have a connection to you. Who doesn’t want to have a conversation with Bones and who doesn’t want to well… anything… with Booth?!?
Oh, and Radar O’Reily and Col. Henry Blake had some great chemistry and comic timing together. They made it seem effortless. While I’m on MASH, I’ll add Hawkeye and Trapper or Hawkeye and BJ to the list.
There are two sets of actors that immediately come to mind:
Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn from Lost;
Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard from House.
The chemistry between these actors is amazing and I can’t take my eyes off them when they’re on the screen together, especially Emerson and O’Quinn. It’s as though they were born to act with each other.
AMEN to JD & Turk from Scrubs. They’re in the same vein as Denny & Alan on Boston Legal, and Cory & Shawn from Boy Meets World… actually Cory & Shawn defined that.
Liz Lemon & Jack on 30 Rock
Jack & Chloe on 24 (someone has to put up with them and their individual quirks)
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley & Kenny Smith on The NBA on TNT
Way back to the 70’s: Starsky & Hutch (David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser).
Hutch = David Soul, Starsky = Paul Michael Glaser.
Coach and Mrs. Coach from Friday Night Lights – don’t you whisper yell at me!
How about Ned and Chuck from Pushing Daisies? Can we nominate reality competitors? Edyta and Jason! Old School – I liked Hawkeye and Mike Farrell (what was his character’s name???) on MASH. How about Carrie and Big on SATC? I could go on and on….
Starsky & Hutch!!!!
David & Maddie from Moonlighting
Mulder & Scully from X-Files
*Buster and Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development
*Rachel and Ross on Friends
*Kevin Walker and Kitty Walker on Brothers and Sisters
*Wilson and House on House
*Sam and Diane on Cheers
*Jack, Kate, and Sawyer on Lost
I’ve got to go with Booth and Brennan too. They make the TV screen steam up with some of their “Guy hugs” and smoldering glances. They complete each other and make the other a better person, IMHO. And you just know that when they finally get together it’s going to be soooo hot that the cameras will melt. Go BB!
Another couple I really liked together was Danny and Lindsay from CSI:NY, but TPTB killed them with one badly timed “bump” in the road that led to D cheating…I HATE a cheater. (Even if Carmine Giovinazzo IS fine…)
I completely support Booth and Bones for this title. Did you see last night’s episode?! Those two work so well off each other that their bickering and bonding scenes are often more interesting than the case of the week.
**David Boreanaz is smokin’. Thanks for putting him on Popwatch again!
Wilson and House are a close second, but I hadn’t seen a chemistry like Bones and Booth in a long time, just watch yesterday episode when Booth is testifying and they make eye contact.
psych’s sean (james roday) gus (dule hill) lassie (timothy omundson)
the entire cast of the big bang theory
bones (of course) i’d have to say the whole cast
house’s house wilson & the old team
monk’s tony shalhoub and the captain
- Ned & Chuck (Pushing Daisies)
- Blair & Chuck (Gossip Girl)
- Serena & Dan (Gossip Girl)
- Kate & Sawyer (Lost)
- Pam & Jim (The Office)
I echo the vote for Janel Maloney and Bradley Whitford. The smallest conversations between them just flowed with such ease and I was hooked on them until they finally got together in the end.
The Gilmore Girls of course! Alexis and Lauren not only pulled of the mother/daughter dynamic but were also able to spit out all that rapid fire pop culture laden dialog and make it totally believable. Who didn’t want to be them or at least be their friend?
Mulder and Scully “X-Files”
JD and Turk “Scrubs”
Michael and Dwight “The Office”
(assuming it’s not limited to two people), Rose, Blanche, Sophia and Dorothy “The Golden Girls”
Tony and Dr. Melfi on “The Sopranos” (those two had great sexual tension and the stuff they didn’t say in their therapy scenes was just as strong as what was said).
House and Wilson “House”
Michael Bluth and George Michael Bluth “Arrested Development”.
Ally McBeal and Larry Paul (Robert Downey Jr.) on “Ally McBeal”
Mulder and Scully – they still set the benchmark
Eric and Tami Taylor – Friday Night Lights
Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop from Gilmore Girls – AWESOME! No pair can bring more tears to your eyes, belly cramps from laughing so hard, or cringe-inducing mother-daughter arguments than these two amazing actresses!
Runners up:
Sean and Gus from Psych – especially when they run screaming like little girls
Booth and Bones – actually, the entire cast of Bones
The Petrelli brothers from Heroes – you can really feel the love
Sydney and Jack “Spy Daddy” Bristow
Mick and Beth–Moonlight
Mulder and Scully–The X-Files
Bones and Booth–Bones
I’ll throw in a vote for Veronica and Logan from Veronica Mars. What could be better than LoVe?
I second Bones and Booth – they’re the main reason why I love that show! I’m rooting for Ned, Chuck, Emerson, and Olive of Pushing Daisies because they seem to have really gelled together throughout the season with various adventures like the mystery of the jockey serial killer.
Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy
Ben Covington and Felicity Porter from Felicity. In all honesty, I thought that whole cast had great chemistry together, it made that show very good.
Mark and Amanda on Ugly Betty (though Mark and Williamina could also take that title).
And, for the record, I think foursomes should be ruled out. Seinfeld and George are nothing without Elaine and Kramer. You can’t split that group up. Same with the SATC girls. And the Golden Girls for that matter!