10 best female friendships in Netflix shows

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re taking a look at some of the best female friendships in Netflix shows currently streaming. I don’t know about you, but when I’m watching television, I’m always looking for great female characters and the relationships between them.

Netflix has no shortage of fantastic shows featuring women and the beautiful friendships that blossom between them. From Sex Education to Dead to Me, there are dozens of remarkable women and their pals you can binge-watch right now on Netflix.

Best female friendships in Netflix shows

We’re looking at 10 of the female friendships in Netflix shows that you can watch right now on the service. Of course, there are plenty more to choose from, but we’re highlighting a few of our absolute favorites. Make sure to let us know your favorite female friendships in Netflix shows in the comments below!

Orange Is the New Black: Poussey and Taystee

It’s hard to write about these two without getting a little teary-eyed because of what happens later in the series, but Poussey and Taystee were the heart and soul of Orange Is the New Black for most of the show.

They always seemed to function on the same wavelength, even when they weren’t always getting along. From being masters are the game of charades to channeling their rich, white girl alter egos, Amanda and Mackenzie, Poussey and Taystee were guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and text your real-life bestie.

Stranger Things: Max and Eleven

Fans were frustrated when Eleven met Max in season 2, and Eleven immediately took a dislike to her. While there were some valid reasons for her feeling isolated from her friends, it ultimately felt like a stereotypical depiction of young girls forced to compete for male attention and feeling jealous of one another.

It was especially unfortunate since Max genuinely wanted to get to know Eleven and didn’t feel any animosity toward her. Thankfully, the writers fixed this misstep in season 3 by cultivating a new and adorable friendship between the pair. It was so nice to see Eleven bonding with a girl her own age.

Sweet Magnolias: Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen

If you were to look up “Friendship Goals” in the dictionary, you’d find a photo of the Sweet Magnolias. This amazing trio of women has been through so many ups and downs, yet through each trial, Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen never waiver in their support and adoration for one another.

They raise one another up in times of crisis, push each other to be the greatest they can be and their friendship is truly one of the most beautifully written friendships you’ll see in all of TV. Even when they have disagreements, they never tear one another down or hold grudges with those moments only making them stronger in the end. We should all aspire to have friends as incredible as the Sweet Magnolias!

Grey’s Anatomy: Meredith and Cristina

While not technically a Netflix show, Grey’s Anatomy has been on the streaming service long enough that we felt it was okay to add this pair of best friends. Plus, they’re just so iconic it feels weird to leave them off any article about the best female friendships in Netflix shows.

The “Twisted Sisters” themselves, Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang, were the backbone of Grey’s Anatomy for over a decade. It still doesn’t feel quite the same without Cristina there. If you’re ever missing your person or just feeling down, blast “Where Does the Good Go” by Tegan and Sara and dance it out.

Dead to Me: Judy and Jen

Judy and Jen’s friendship is the foundation of Dead to Me, a dark comedy centered on surprising twists and turns. Jen and Judy don’t appear to have much in common when they first meet, but as they get to know each other and their bond deepens, it becomes apparent that they are actually just what the other needs. It helps that Linda Cardellini and Christina Applegate are phenomenal actresses and have fantastic chemistry together.

GLOW: Everyone

The cancellation of GLOW is still a hard pill to swallow, even years after the fact. The third, and now final season, of the series aired in 2019 as the show became one of the pandemic’s early casualties. GLOW‘s cancellation was particularly brutal because it was one of the rare shows that understood the nuances of female friendships.

That’s why it’s hard to pick just one pair or trio of women, there were so many vibrant characters and different, complex relationships between women to enjoy. The show was never shy about celebrating both the camaraderie and rivalry of these female wrestlers, both on the mat and off.

Emily in Paris: Mindy and Emily

Ashely Park is one of the best things about Emily in Paris, and her character Mindy’s relationship with Lily Collin’s Emily is a consistent high point. The two became fast friends during the show’s first season, and that friendship only strengthened during season 2.

Mindy is always there for Emily and often gives her great advice in addition to a shoulder to lean on. She’s the one who motivates Emily to pursue the professional and personal endeavors she wants most at the end of season 2!

Grace and Frankie: Grace and Frankie

It’s not often we get to see female friendships depicted between older women on-screen, unfortunately, but Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin have been providing us with plenty of laughs and heart on and off-screen for years. Since Tomlin and Fonda are such good friends in real life, it translates perfectly to their long-running Netflix comedy series, which will return later this year with the rest of season 7.

Firefly Lane: Tully and Kate

It’s hard to put Tully and Kate on here because at the end of Firefly Lane season 1, the two are dealing with the repercussions of a massive fallout. However, our fingers are crossed that these long-time BFFs can fix things in the show’s second season. The entire show hinges on their relationship, and we can’t imagine that they would never speak to one another again! They’ve earned their spot on this list of female friendships in Netflix shows, but let’s hope they find their way back to each other.

Sex Education: Aimee and Maeve

Sex Education has a lot of fantastic characters and friendships, but Aimee and Maeve stand out as one of the best because of their devotion and loyalty to one another. Even though the two couldn’t be more different in terms of personality and they have their ups and downs like any friends, they ultimately always find their way back to each other in the end. Maeve is really there for Aimee in the aftermath of her sexual assault, and who could forget when Aimee suggested the two of them be each other’s moms?