Line #88 ChildhoodFriendRomance/LiveActionTV


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11	{{Childhood Friend Romance}}s in live-action television.
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13	* Finn and Raven from ''Series/{{The 100}}'' have this in their backstory together. They've been so close for so long, they actually refer to each other as family, even after they've broken up.
14	** Averted with Clarke and Wells, who have similarly been friends since they were children, but really are just friends. A couple of other characters speculate that Wells at least has feelings for Clarke, but he denies it and the focus is much more on their strained friendship than any sort of ShipTease. It's quite clear that even if Wells was pining for Clarke, she was not for him.
15	* ''Series/EighteenToLife'': Tom and Jessie. In the series' intro they can be seen playing together as little kids, then over time dating as they grew up before getting married.
16	* ''Series/AbbottElementary'': Janine and her boyfriend Tariq have been together since they were in middle school. [[DeconstructedTrope This is not a good thing]]; the two are on ''very'' different tracks in life and have mutually incompatible personalities. They're only still together out of inertia, which Janine only realizes when she admits this to her coworkers, and they later break up at the end of the first season.
17	* ''Series/{{Acapulco}}'': The couple Maximo helps get engaged in the second episode have known each other since childhood and got together in {{high school\|sweethearts}}. This sweet backstory makes him feel bad about upselling them with the fake proposal package, and he decides to call back to their first meeting as kids with the tire swing for the proposal instead.
18	* The 2000 TV version of ''Series/ArabianNights'' makes it that Scheherezade and the Sultan were childhood playmates, and she's not marrying him only as a noble act of self-sacrifice. By the end, he (comes to realise that he) loves her too.
19	* ''Series/Batwoman2019'': Ryan was raised as a foster kid with Angelique, who became her close friend. Later, they became lovers after growing up.
20	* ''Series/BecomingElizabeth'': Robert Dudley is love with his childhood friend, Princess Elizabeth. He insists they are just friends but his father knows better. Elizabeth, on the other hand, does only see him as a friend. History tells us this will change.
21	* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'': Cory and Topanga met in elementary school, become friends, and then become so oblivious to their mutual attraction that their friends set them up.
22	* Willow and Xander in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Willow had a crush on him for years. They get together briefly in Season 3, only for Willow to realize she'd rather be with Oz. (And then with Tara.) Turns out they were born to be PlatonicLifePartners, not lovers. In "The Gift", the fifth season finale, Xander declares, [[GeekyTurnOn "Smart chicks are so hot!"]] Willow replies with a wistful smile, "You couldn't have figured that out in 10th grade?"
23	** The comics reveal [[spoiler:Dawn and Xander, who appear to be together in the comics now. Dawn has always had a crush on Xander.]]
24	*** Also opens up some questions about free will when you realize [[spoiler: Dawn was a construct built by the monks to hide the key. ALWAYS in her case is literally from the beginning of Season 5 when she was made. The crush memories she has that ARE shown from before then were implanted by the monks. ]]
25	* Diego and Temo were friends since childhood, and even dated briefly before the start of ''Series/ElCorazonNuncaSeEquivoca''. Unfortunately for Diego, Temo was too in love with Ari and couldn't reciprocate.
26	* Adam to Toby in ''Series/DantesCove'' -- by the time he realises he's gay and in love with his best friend, Toby is in a committed relationship with [[RomanticFalseLead Kevin]].
27	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
28	** Zig-zagged with the Doctor and the Master, they were very close during their childhood on Gallifrey and have fond memories of playing in the fields together. However the Master’s lust for power turned him and the Doctor [[FriendlyEnemy into enemies]], though it’s still clear in certain episodes e.g [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E12TheSoundOfDrums “The Sound of Drums”]] there’s still strong feelings between them. This is only heightened when the either Master and Doctor [[GenderBender swap genders]], as the Master aka Missy wasted no time kissing the Doctor.
29	** Amy and Rory, from the Eleventh Doctor's era... [[spoiler:grow up as childhood best friends, with Rory having a crush on Amy. When Amy meets the Doctor for the third time, it’s revealed Amy is engaged to Rory, and Rory soon joins the Doctor on his adventures alongside Amy, until Rory is erased from time, comes back to life as an Ancient Roman, and then is revealed to be a disguised Auton created from Amy's memories. Oh dear. But then he comes back to life for real, and they get married at the end of the 2010 series.]] For bonus points, the one who makes Amy realise Rory has feelings for her in the first place is their [[KidFromTheFuture daughter]].
30	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E6DemonsOfThePunjab "Demons of the Punjab"]]: Umbreen and Prem grew up together as neighbours, before they got married. [[spoiler:Sadly, it ends in tragedy.]]
31	* ''{{Series/Emergency}}'': Roy and Joanne Desoto. One of the few things we learn about them is that they were childhood friends who later fell in love.
32	%%* Steve and Laura on ''Series/FamilyMatters''.
33	* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': Barry is in love with Iris when they're kids -- "Before I knew what the word love meant" -- and is highly embarrassed when he has to move in with the girl he has a crush on. Iris, for her part, takes another decade to realize her romantic feelings for Barry.
34	* [[spoiler:Olivia and Peter]] in ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', though it's an interesting case. [[spoiler:They briefly met as children while both trying to run away from their guardians, and later got together as adults, but neither of them remember their first meeting as a result of suppressing traumatic memories from around that time.]]
35	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
36	** An occasional and sometimes expected outcome of the practice of fostering between noble houses.
37	** Arya and Gendry were each other's best friend until they were separated, with Arya showing signs she found him attractive. They reunite years later.
38	** Petyr Baelish fell in love with Catelyn Tully as a child, but she only thought of him as a little brother.
39	** Sansa accompanies her father to King's Landing with the intention of having one of these with Prince Joffrey.
40	** Myranda and Ramsay, of the EnfantTerrible sort. She befriended Ramsay at the age of 11 because she was the only one who wasn't afraid of his already apparent sadistic tendencies.
41	* ''Series/GeneralAndI'': Chu Bei Jie and Bai Ping Ting first met as children, and they fall in love when they're reunited.
42	* This trope is rampant in '"Series/{{Glue}}'', where all the characters grew up together. To list all examples, Rob and Tina, Ruth and Dominic, [[spoiler:James and Cal, and Tina and Eli]].
43	* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': Christopher and Lorelai, whose families were long-time friends. Things got complicated when Lorelai [[TeenPregnancy got pregnant at 16]] and refused to marry Chris. This is a sticking point for Lorelai's mother, who constantly tries to matchmake them. The show makes it clear that Lorelai and Christopher are not well-suited for each other, though they are still attracted to each other. They try to make a go of it in season 7, but it tanks pretty quickly.
44	* ''Series/TheGoldbergs'':
45	** Barry Goldberg and Lainey Lewis. She has been Erica's friend since they were kids and got to know Barry just as well. Though it always seemed to be that Barry's crush was one-sided, Lainey eventually reciprocates in Season 2.
46	** Erica Goldberg and Geoff Schwartz. Barry's good friend who also got to know Erica when they were kids. Once again, was one-sided on Geoff's part, but then after a season of obsessing over Erica and constantly being shut down by her, ANOTHER of him dating another girl with Erica discovering her own feelings and trying to win him over them, them getting together only for a dickish [[AssPull plot twist]] to push them apart again and one final exhausting plot line involving the prom episode, it finally FINALLY came to fruition much to the relief of the fans!
47	* ''Series/H2OJustAddWater'': A throwaway line from Lewis reveals he was at Cleo's sixth birthday party, and the two of them are clearly smitten with each other as teenagers. It takes them a while and a lot of drama to get there, but they manage to stabilize as a couple by the second season finale.
48	** ''Series/MakoMermaidsAnH2OAdventure'': Zac wistfully recounts how he met Evie in primary school, and how he'd get excited to go to school just to see her. They start the series as a couple, though the tentative beginning of their relationship was shown when Mimmi, Ondina, and Weilan were accidentally transported to the past, during Evie's twelfth birthday.
49	* Lilly and Oliver in ''Series/HannahMontana''. They have been best friends since preschool and eventually get together.
50	* ''Series/HappyEndings'':
51	** Subverted with Dave and Alex. While they had been friends all their lives, dated in college and the pilot opens on their wedding, [[RunawayBride Alex ends up jilting Dave at the altar]], throwing their entire friend group's dynamic in flux. Though as the show goes on the two slowly rebuild their friendship, and even rekindle their romance in season 3, going so far as to move in with each other, the two in the series finale decide they're BetterAsFriends, as too much has changed since they first dated.
52	** Likewise Dave, Alex and Jane's friend from childhood Penny slowly begins to show she has had a less than subtle crush on Dave since they were kids, and while Dave seemingly starts to reciprocate her feelings, this remains an [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST situation]]. The series was cancelled before they could fully explore their relationship.
53	* ''Series/HarpersIsland''. Henry desperately loves his childhood best friend Abby, not realising [[spoiler:he was made to spend so much time with her in childhood because he was adopted and she is actually his half-sister]].
54	* ''Series/TheHauntingOfBlyManor'': A tragic example with Dani and Edmund. They were best friends since they were young children and Dani was treated like part of his family. As young adults, Edmund proposed to Dani but he died before they got married. It gets even sadder when it's revealed that Edmund was actually an Unlucky Childhood Friend; Dani did love Edmund but she wasn't in love with him because she's a lesbian; she initially couldn't bring herself to tell him because she didn't want to hurt him.
55	* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': The "second-greatest love story" Ted has ever heard involves a girl who is explicitly described as a GirlNextDoor and her childhood friend. To elaborate, the girl in question is almost never single (since she's the perfect GirlNextDoor hottie) so there's a limited "window" where she's single. Long story short, the window opens and Ted tries to keep other men away from her. She manages to get away from him and his rival, and on her way home meets the man she had grown up with and loved (mutually). [[HappilyEverAfter The window never opened again.]]
56	* ''Series/ICarly'': Freddie and Carly have known each other since the sixth grade. Freddie started off on the show with a crush on Carly. He saves her life, they get together for an episode but break up though they do finally get together again at the finale.
57	* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Louis de Pointe du Lac and Jonah Macon are ChildhoodFriends, but their bond becomes much more intimate after they begin having sex when Jonah is 16 years old. As gay African American men in the late 19th century, their longtime connection means that they trusted each other and felt safe exploring their feelings and sexuality in an era of profound racism and when homosexuality was punishable by law. Although things cooled down between them after Jonah moved away for work, when they see each other again in [[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E3IsMyVeryNatureThatOfADevil 1917]], their camaraderie remains easy and close despite the passage of time (Louis is 39 years old [[note]]the closure notice he receives in a later scene is dated Mar. 1, 1917, so it's before his October birthday[[/note]], so his romantic affection for Jonah has lasted for at least 20 years). In fact, Lestat de Lioncourt instantly becomes jealous the moment he sees Louis cheerily greeting Jonah because he can sense the [[OldFlame underlying sparks]] between them. Not surprisingly, Louis and Jonah later share a moonlight tryst at the bayou, but their relationship doesn't go any further because Jonah will soon head off to France for UsefulNotes/WorldWarI.
58	%%* ''Series/JamAndJerusalem'': [[spoiler:Tash and Marcus]].
59	* ''Series/{{Jonas}}'': Joe and Stella have known each other since kindergarden and have since developed an undisguised level of UnresolvedSexualTension. Naturally, EveryoneCanSeeIt. However, it has been stated multiple times that the two don't want to be together because [[IDontWantToRuinOurFriendship they fear it will jeopardize their friendship and Stella's job as the band's wardrobe stylist]]. [[spoiler:They finally become a couple in the {{Series Finale}}.]]
60	* Mary Connell and Danny [=McCoy=] in ''Series/LasVegas'', both having known each other since they were toddlers and Danny always coming to Mary's aid when her [[ParentalIncest molester father]] would come after her. They come together and he proposes to her in the first season finale, but they end up breaking it off because of Danny's post-traumatic stress disorder. Two seasons later, Danny winds up falling for Delinda Deline (whom he had a brief affair with in the first season) and they become official, [[spoiler:even impregnating her later on]], much to Mary's dismay.
61	* Happens in ''Series/LifeWithDerek'' as a LastMinuteHookup in the penultimate episode between [[spoiler:Derek and Emily]].
62	* ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'': Lizzie and Gordo have been friends since they were one day old. Gordo has pined after Lizzie for [[CannotSpitItOut quite some time]]. She is [[ObliviousToLove oblivious to his feelings and her feelings for him]] until the near-end of the series. They officially get together in TheMovie.
63	* In ''Series/{{Lost}}'', Kate was Tom's childhood sweetheart, but then he was married.
64	* ''Series/MaddigansQuest'': Boomer to Garland. At a crucial moment, Garland chooses to trust quasi-love interest Timon over him -- [[spoiler:which turns out to be a mistake.]]
65	* ''Series/TheMiddle'': Sue Heck and Sean Donahue knew each other ever since they were little kids (for about as long as Sean has know and been best friends with Sue’s brother Axl) and while she’d always had a crush on him for the longest time, he’d never seemed to have feelings for her until years later. Though those three times that he attempted to escort her to a dance, prom or ball were likely him testing the waters for whether or not something might actually be there.
66	* Interesting case on ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' with Kimberly and Skull. Skull maintained a strong and obvious crush on Kim, including flash backs to their childhood. His affection was returned on several episodes before Kim's departure and he might have stood a chance if not for her boyfriend at the time. However, writers have stated that they had intended for Kim to be the mother of Skull's confirmed son, Spike, in later seasons.
67	* ''Series/MrYoung'': Adam Young and Echo Zizzleswift are revealed to have attended the same 4th grade class for one day, only Adam didn't want to talk to Echo then because he was in the mindset of GirlsHaveCooties. He's clearly kicking himself now. That said though, finding this out is likely [[FridgeBrilliance the moment that Adam decided]] to finally [[LoveConfession confess his feelings to Echo]] at the beginning of a three-part special that does indeed end in a RelationshipUpgrade.
68	* ''Series/NaturallySadie'' has Taylor hook up with Rain after she comes back into his life during Season 3.
69	* Ned Bigby and Jennifer "Moze" Mozely in ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' having known each other for more than ten years. After an episode in season one [[ShipTease ship teased]] the idea of them hard, Season 2 teased it harder right near the end and then the latter half of Season 3 turned up the UnresolvedSexualTension until it culminated in a RelationshipUpgrade in the GrandFinale.
70	* ''Series/NowhereBoys'': Felix and Ellen. They're best friends who grew up in the same neighborhood and they later start dating.
71	* ''Series/PeakyBlinders'', Freddie and Ada. She was his best friend's sister.
72	-->'''Freddie:''' I love her, Tommy. I've loved her since she was 9 and I was 12. And she loves me the same.
73	* Charlie is Megan's childhood friend who has a crush on her in ''Series/{{Privileged}}''.
74	* ''Series/PushingDaisies'': Chuck and Ned grew up next door to each other, but were separated when Ned went to boarding school and Chuck had to move to her aunts' place. They reunite as adults (after Ned revives Chuck), and promptly get together.
75	* ''Series/QueerAsFolkUK'': Stuart and Vince have been best friends since they were 14. Vince has been madly in love with Stuart for years, and as the series progresses, Stuart seems to reciprocate in his own way. They wind up together at the end of the series, but it is left ambiguous as to whether they are a romantic couple or not.
76	* ''Series/QueerAsFolkUS'' has the failed version -- Brian and Michael have known each other since they were 14. Michael is in love with Brian, who loves him but not in that way. Both eventually find love with others and move into HeterosexualLifePartners territory (minus the heterosexual part).
77	* On ''{{Series/Revenge}}'', Jack Porter and Amanda Clarke were ChildhoodFriends and were so close that he continues to take care of her dog for her after 18 years and named his boat after her. Now he has feelings for Emily, not realizing that she is in fact Amanda [[ShesAllGrownUp all grown up]]. Emily/Amanda returns the feelings but doesn't act on them due to her revenge plot. Also she may or may not be falling for her HoneyTrap victim Daniel.
78	** Things get even more complicated when the ''real'' Emily Thorne, who of course has taken on the identity of Amanda Clarke, shows up and Jack ends up marrying fake-Amanda.
79	* ''Series/RuyisRoyalLoveInThePalace'': Ruyi and Hongli are a deconstruction. They meet as children, fall in love, get married... and their marriage is a disaster.
80	* If the SeriesFauxnale of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' is any indication, [[spoiler: J.D.'s son Sam and Turk's daughter Izzy will become this!]] It's unclear if this is a vision of things to come or just J.D.'s final ImagineSpot.
81	* ''Series/ShadowAndBone'' has Alina and Mal. They've been best friends since they were children, they try their best to stick together later on while in the First Army, and she purposely messes up her Grisha test in order to stay with him (though she was unaware that she was Grisha). Neither realize their feelings until Alina is taken away to the Little Palace after her powers are revealed, at which point they both realize that they have strong feelings for each other, with each of them mentioning in letters (that are never received) that they think of the other as their "True North". [[spoiler: By the end of the first season, they're not explicitly together, but they're headed that way. In the second season, they do become a couple, confessing their love for each other and having sex.]]
82	* From Japanese drama ''Series/ShokojoSeira'', Kaito's childhood friend Yukari grew increasingly jealous of his relationship with Seira. It didn't help that Kaito romantically pursued Seira (who reciprocated those feelings) and his family immediately accepted Seira into the family while being critical of Yukari's attempts to fit in (it's implied she was only nice to Kaito's family when Kaito was around). She would eventually [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy give up Kaito]] to Seira.
83	* ''Series/{{Smallville}}''
84	** Clark and Lana had been classmates since childhood, with Clark harboring a crush on her. Eventually, they got together. Clark finally grows out of it during the last couple seasons.
85	** Chloe Sullivan was one of Clark's closest friends since the eighth grade and has a crush on him, though she eventually matures out of it, similar to how Clark himself grew out of his former crush on Lana.
86	* More like Victorious Young Adulthood Friend, but after 7 years and 4 movies, ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'''s [[NumberOne Will Riker]] finally hooks up with [[TheEmpath Deanna Troi]].
87	* ''SwitchedAtBirth'': Emmett's been waiting for his long-time best friend Daphne for eight years, but she's only just realized she's into him too...right after he starts dating Bay. Whoops.
88	* On ''Series/TeenWolf'', Stiles' childhood friend Heather resolved to lose her virginity on her 17th birthday, and Stiles was her intended target. Subverted somewhat in that it is not indicated that she was in love with him, but felt comfortable enough with him that he was the preferred choice for her first time.
89	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': {{Deconstructed\|Trope}} in "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S5E21SpurOfTheMoment Spur of the Moment]]". Anne Henderson and David Mitchell were childhood sweethearts who always knew that they would get married when they were older. They were engaged but Anne broke it off and became engaged to the investment banker Robert Blake. However, she has a change of heart and elopes with David on June 13, 1939, in the middle of her engagement party. This proves to be the worst decision of her life as David becomes an abusive alcoholic who bankrupts her family's estate and turns her into an alcoholic as well.
90	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1985S3E15 Appointment on Route 17]]", Mary Jo and Jamie Adler were neighbors and best friends from the time that they were five years old. They dated for years and always knew that they were going to get married, but Jamie was killed in a car accident before they could do so.
91	* Matt and Elena on ''Series/TheVampireDiaries''. They grew up together and dated in high school.
92	* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Egwene has one with Rand. They have a relationship starting out, and knew each other all of their lives.
93	* ''Series/TheWhiteQueen'': Anne Neville and Richard of Gloucester are ChildhoodFriends who are [[PuppyLove head-over-heels for each other]]. Lord Warwick wishes for them to be betrothed, but King Edward IV dismisses it. Anne and Richard are then separated after [[FeudingFamilies war breaks out between their families]]. When they eventually cross paths again, their fondness has [[UnresolvedSexualTension evolved to include a more adult desire]], and their courtship is of the RescueRomance variety. Richard ultimately [[LoveConfession affirms his lifelong love]] for Anne, and she joyfully agrees to marry him.
94	* ''Series/{{Willow}}'': Kit and Jade have been best friends for years, indicated to be since they were both girls, which grew into a mutual attraction.
95	* This was the original series arc for ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''. The main character Julia (Alex) was a young wizard whose best friend was Jordan (Justin), the "BoyNextDoor" -- and the idea was for them to have wacky adventures while slowly but surely becoming something more as they grew up. (Music/SelenaGomez and Creator/DavidHenrie were hired for, among other things, the obvious chemistry they had as best friends who would grow into a romantic relationship.) However, the chemistry and timing that the two had as potential love interests didn't go away when ExecutiveMeddling turned them into siblings.
96	* Kevin and Winnie in ''Series/TheWonderYears'' is this and a less tragic version of StarCrossedLovers; they clearly loved each other, but the ending narration reveals that Winnie went off to Europe and Kevin married and had a son with another woman.
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Context ChildhoodFriendRomance / LiveActionTV