The term “Bromance” may have been created for Brody Jenner’s MTV reality show, but the concept of platonic man love is nearly as old as TV itself.After falling out with Spencer Pratt, his best pal on The Hills, Jenner launched his own spin-off in search of his next man-crush. Consider the show a male version of Paris Hilton’s My New BFF.
Choosing from eight finalists, Jenner put the men vying to be his ‘special friend’ through a series of tests. After nearly two months of weekly (and heartbreaking) eliminations, Brody finally settled on Luke Verge, whose efforts netted him an apartment, a car, and an eternal spot in Jenner’s entourage.
In the spirit of Brody’s quest to find the perfect man lover on MTV, here’s a guide to television’s rich history of bromance.
*****
LEVEL 1. Life Partners
1. Bert & Ernie (Sesame Street)
Easily the most committed bromance of all time.
2. Seinfeld & Costanza (Seinfeld)
They shared everything – except their innermost feelings.
3. Felix & Oscar (Odd Couple)
Opposites attract in bromance, too.
4. Lenny & Squiggy (Laverne & Shirley)
As a kid, I called them Lenny N. Squiggy before I realized they were two people.
5. Bret & Jemaine (Flight of the Conchords)
They don’t always get along, but novelty music keeps them together.
*****
LEVEL 2. Too bromantic to be ‘just friends’
1. Haim & Feldman (Two Coreys)
Only recently of TV, these two have maintained a real-life (dysfunctional) bromance for 25 years and counting.
2. Richie & The Fonz (Happy Days)
It was a May-December bromance, but the love ran deep.
3. Conan & Andy (Late Night)
They’ll rekindle bromance on The Tonight Show in June after more than nine years apart.
*****
LEVEL 3. Battle-tested bromance
1. Adama & Tigh (Battlestar Galactica)
Together, they kept the human race going, but not in that way.
2. Gilligan & The Skipper (Gilligan’s Island)
For better or worse, they were stuck together.
3. Pullo & Vorenus (Rome)
A personal favourite, their man-love survived war and tragedy.
*****
LEVEL 4. Putting the ‘bro’ into bromance
1. Frasier & Niles (Frasier)
If they weren’t brothers, they’d have been blovers.
2. Randy & Earl (My Name is Earl)
I don’t care if they were siblings - it’s still creepy for grown men to share a bed.
*****
LEVEL 5. Bromantically yours…but married to another
1. Flintstone & Rubble (Flintstones)
The only flaw in their bromance was Fred’s semi-adulterous relationship with the Great Gazoo.
2. Larry & Jeff (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
This pair shared a true hatred for their wives.
3. Al & Jefferson (Married with Children)
You could also make a case for Al and Steve, but I prefer Jefferson.
*****
SUBLEVEL A. Three-way bromance
1. Joey-Chandler-Ross (Friends)
This ménage a brois almost ended when Chandler had to choose a best man for his wedding to Monica.
2. Ricky-Julian-Bubbles (Trailer Park Boys)
Poor as dirt, all they had was each other.
3. Joey-Snake-Wheels (Degrassi)
Shared an exclusive bond unique to members of The Zits.
*****
SUBLEVEL B. Ambiguously bromantic
1. Batman & Robin (Batman)
A bromance in tights!
2. Lenny & Carl (Simpsons)
Narrowly edge Bart and Millhouse as Springfield’s most bromantic pair.
*****
SUBLEVEL C. Puppy blove
1. Theo & Cockroach (Cosby Show)
For refusing to get a haircut, Cockroach was fired from The Cosby Show after its second season, snuffing this budding bromance.
2. Will & Jazz (Fresh Prince)
Those who rap together stay together.
3. Fes & Kelso (That 70’s Show)
International man-love at first sight!
4. Mike & Boner (Growing Pains)
Any friend who calls you “Boner” without laughing is a friend for life.
