What shows have the best chemistry on prime time television? There are obvious answers like Friends. They all gelled extremely well and it was the chemistry between them that really sold the show. They made you believe they were friends. But then there are some instances where the chemistry doesn't flow for the show as a whole ... like Moonlight. Jason Dohring's trying his best, but he can't carry the show on his shoulders alone. Especially when he plays second fiddle to the boring lead.

Grey's Anatomy for all it's flaws, has a great cast overall that gels. The characters work perfectly as a whole. The individual couples on the other hand. George and Izzie? Blackhole of suckage right there. No chemistry whatsoever as a couple and the pairing is ruining whatever chemistry they had as friends.

How I Met Your Mother - I believe this group could be friends. Like Friends, the writers have managed to put together characters who have chemistry as a group and in any pairing. Marshall and Barney? Barney and Lily? Ted and Marshall? Robin and Lily? They all work.

The show with the best family chemistry? Tie between The Winchester Brothers of Supernatural and Brothers & Sisters. Even loner Tommy has his very Walker moments, where his outsider status gets tossed aside and the chemistry he has with his tv siblings shines through.

What other shows has good chemistry, either as a whole or otherwise?

I think "The Office" is a great example of this. I actually love ALL the main romantic couples on the show, but I also love all the platonic friendships. I think all the actors gel really well together.

Numbers has a great cast. They all come together very well, especially the Eppes family.

I love the cast of The Shield. Everybody interacts so well, so dynamically. It's complicated, and yet I never disbelieve anyone's interaction with anyone else. Sometimes, the guest stars actually stand out as ones who don't entirely fit in -- both Forest Whitaker and Glenn Close seemed slightly out of place at times.

Also, the cast of Pushing Daisies. They have such rapid speech, and that kind of thing only works when the cast is in tune with each other to a fabulous degree.

Without a doubt one of the best examples of great chemistry would have to be Shawn and Gus on Psych. James Roday and Dule Hill really seem like they've been friends forever.

I agree. I love everyone in that cast, which is rare these days. What makes it great is there is that it doesn't matter what kind of combination of Ned/Chuck/Emerson/Olive are in the scene; they all have their own special way of interacting and playing off each other, from Ned/Chuck, to Ned/Emerson, to Olive/Emerson, and even Olive/Chuck. It's rare, but I enjoy every kind of pairing, romantic/nonromantic, on that show.

Favortie Married Chemistry will go to Eric & Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights. And I think Everwood had some of the best family chemistry, between Andy Brown & Ephram/Deliah, and the entire Abbott clan (including Irv.)

Throwing my .2 in, I thought that The OC cast had good chemistry. I bought the friendship between Ryan and Seth, and as for marriage chemistry, Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan had it in spades.

Can't forget to add the cast of Dirty Sexy Money to the list. If you weren't sold on it before, the scene with all the Darling bros. playing video games sealed it. They just all gel together perfectly.

Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams on Laverne & Shirley, as well as Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks on Bosom Buddies. I had no problem at all believing that the two pairs were best friends in the world and had a long history previous to their "adventures" on their respective shows.

I'd also say that the entire cast of Arrested Development had amazing chemistry with each other, and comic timing.

T.R. Knight has zero sexual chemistry with women. Zip. Zero. It's painful to watch.



I loved that scene! I thought it was such a honest portrayal of brotherly love without resorting to the cheap histrionics dramas typically rely on. Well played, show.

ITA, but I think one of the big factors is that James Roday could have chemistry with a table lamp. He sparks w/ every member of the cast. That boy has charisma oozing from every pore.


Hmm, guess I need to take this to the tv character crush thread.

No contest.

Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), on Battlestar Galactica. They've got more chemistry in a simple phone conversation than most pairings on most shows can fit into an entire love scene!

To add my two cents to the references to families, I like the chemistry between the family members in Heroes. Even when things are awkward (the lying and sneaking around, all those daddy issues, etc.), they were familially (not a word, I know) awkward.

On a separate show, many of my fellow West Wingers know that Stockard Channing and Martin Sheen had not met until production on The West Wing began. Add their amazing chemistry to the camaraderie among the staff and you get a show with great relationships.

All time chemistry to me would be the friendship of Capt. Frank Furillo and Sgt. Phil Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues. That show never was as strong again after Michael Conrad's death.

There's so many types of chemistry. In the last decade, I'd go with antivillian/henchman (Al and Dan on Deadwood); family (both Sammlers and Mannings on Once and Again); high school friends (Buffy, Willow and Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer); lovers (Ashley and Spencer on South of Nowhere); hot for each other and trying to hide it (the just consummated twosome of Nancy and Conrad on Weeds); platonic same sex couple (Dr. Sean and Dr. Christian on Nip/Tuck); comedic imbecile team (Darren and Barry on Extras); comedic ensemble (BBC's The Office); hatred of each other that oozes from the screen (Vic and Jon Kavanaugh on The Shield); genre show ensemble (Firefly); high school friends (the freaks from Freaks and Geeks); married couple (Homer and Marge from The Simpsons); one sided friendship (Butters and Cartman from South Park) and siblings (Claire, Nate and David on Six Feet Under).

The best chemistry I've seen overall on any show is The Wire with partners in crime (Stringer and Avon); detectives (McNulty, Bunk, Kima); the young teens from season 4; and one of the most intriguing friendships on television (Lester and Prez).

Meredith and Cristina from Greys. Their friendship is one of the only good things about the show. And Bailey's ass-kicking mentor relationship to her interns. Actually, I think I like most if not all of the non-romantic relationships (Burke and Cristina used to be the exception, back in the beginning) on that show.



I too love the chemistry of the cast of How I Met Your Mother. It's so nice to see a sitcom where people don't hate each other, even when they're disagreeing/arguing.



I like the chemistry of Heroes cast too. But I guess it helps that they all seem to love each other in real life.


Edit, and the Walkers from Brothers and Sisters. (They so remind me of a more waspy, wealthy, wine-guzzling version of my family. heh)

I've always found Rivals/Enemies Chemistry to be particularly entertaining. Sark/Sydney on Alias, had more chemistry to me than Sydney/Vaughn.

After a while I didn't buy the chemistry between Lorelai and Luke anymore. Hell there was a time when Lorelai and Dean had more chemistry than Dean and Rory. And part of me wanted to see ... well let's not get into that. Lorelai and Rory had a wonderful chemistry. It is what made the show.

Mark and Derek have great friendship chemistry as do Christina and Meredith.

Sheenie, ditto on Seth and Ryan. I was also very impressed by the chemistry between Kirsten and Ryan, which made the fact that the writers never fully committed to him being her son, even more sad. And hell yeah to the Darling brothers. That one scene Wednesday, did more to establish their relationship than any amount of exposition could. They were just so comfortable with each other. It did not seem ridiculous at all to me that a Senatorial candidate, his druggie brother and their insane reverend brother would be sitting around playing video games. That was a great scene and worked because the chemistry gelled so perfectly.

Don't even get me started on little Gustav and Brian. They're so weirdly cute together.

For me it was the storyline that was far more intriguing than any chemistry between Ryan and Marissa, which to me personally was lacking.

On Chuck, the chick that plays his sister Ellie, I wasn't much of a fan of hers before, but the chemistry she brings as Chuck's sister totally works for me. I believe they're brother and sister, without getting that creepy incest vibe that I get from Dan and Jenny on Gossip Girl.

And like I said above about Brothers & Sisters, their chemistry is so great. I buy each of the siblings regardless of pairing. Kevin and Kitty? Yeah they said in the first epi that she and Justin were always closer, but for me Kevin is the center of the great vibe those siblings have. His closeness with Kitty is so believable that it doesn't even phase me that they have such different politics and in some regards they're opposites. I totally buy into the fact that inspite of all that, these two would be calling each other up at the most ridiculous times/inconvenient opportunities, just to check in or have a little chat. Ditto for Kitty and Sarah.

Kevin blends well with all of them. Matthey Rhys has amazing chemistry with every single cast member, which makes Kevin such a delight to watch.

I'm totally with you on Heroes and HIMYM. You can tell that the casts of those shows definitely get along great off-screen, and it really carries over to the show.

Keith and Veronica Mars were great together, too. They played off each other so well, you'd almost believe the actors really were father and daughter.

I think the four main characters from Carpoolers are starting to mesh together well, too. Hope the show lasts long enough to get to know them all a bit better.

Absolutely. I think the whole cast has great chemistry. Every dynamic is fun and unique and spot-on perfect because, with the possible exception of Shawn/Lassiter, which might be a little bit more HoYay-tastic than intended, they all have the exact right kind of chemistry. Shawn and Henry are really believable as father and son, Lassiter and Juliet are perfect (and adorable) as partners, and Shawn and Juliet are absolutely selling the mutual (though superficial) crushing and the growing, more sincere friendship. I could go on, but I won't. The Shawn/Gus chemistry, though, really is the single best thing about the show.

I also agree about the casts of Pushing Daisies and Heroes (especially Jack Coleman and Hayden Panetierre who have really fantastic and believable [and never squicky] father-daughter chemistry).

Agreed! I don't watch Gossip Girl, but Ellie and Chuck are believable siblings. Ellie has a slightly maternal air about wanting what's best for her brother and pushing him to succeed, while he protects her from disappointment over him and the danger of his life. They aren't the typical competitive siblings we see on TV, and without that friction I think we're less likely to have the incest-y stuff we get out of other shows.

I am a huge fan of Life and I think Damian Lewis, as main character Charlie Crews, brings oodles of chemistry with both his partner, Dani, and his lawyer, Constance. I prefer Dani to Constance, but the scene where Constance asks him if he's going to go "all in" was pretty damn hot. Charlie's laid back, zen approach to his relationship with Dani allows for a lot of unspoken conversation between these two. The shower scene in the pilot gave us a taste of how awesome a pairing of these two terribly damaged people could be. In a moment not meant to be hot at all, they were still hot, and yet tragic and emotional. And not a word said.

I think one of the biggest black holes of antichemistry was Noah Wyle as Carter on ER. He had chemistry with Benton, the mentor-mentee type chemistry, and I think a lot of that had to do with Eriq LaSalle. He also had chemistry with Sherry Stringfield in the first few seasons of the show, but when she left, the chemistry evaporated so when she came back, it was forced. Carter and Abby were dreadful; Carter and Lucy, Carter and Maria Bello, Carter and Kem.....blech. ER's worst years were between the time Doug left and Carter left -- it was only when Wyle finally left the show that ER could get back some of its rhythm and life.

Which of course brings to mind, Doug and Carol. Those two had serious chemistry. More chemistry than any other pairing on this show. Doug was so dynamic, the show lost something when George left. That one moment after he came back for Julianne's finale was just so fantastic. In less than two minutes, they lifted the entire episode and maybe the entire season.

On Journeyman, it's amazing how how well the casting director did with Dan and Jack. Not only do they look like brothers, but the chemistry between the characters is so on point. The frustrated, overbearing, yet caring emotions between the two come over so well on screen. Perfect casting there.

I agree that the cast of Heroes has great chemistry. So far nearly every group or pairing I've seen works amazingly well.

I would also say the cast of Lost works well together. There are the obvious smoldering couples like Sun and Jin, and Kate and Sawyer, but then there are the great friendships like Hurley and Sawyer, and the awesome tension between Sayid and Locke.

And as far as romantic chemistry goes, nothing and no one will ever beat John and Aeryn from Farscape. They just sizzled, right from day one. Watching their relationship progress over four years is absolutely fascinating.

Friends-great cast. They sold the show. Poorly written episodes were tolerable because of their chemistry.
HIMYM-similar vibe to Friends.
Lost-agree with that amazing chemistry.
Alias-SpyDaddy and Sydney were great. Not to mention, Marshall, Dixon. IMO, an underrated cast.
Brothers and Sisters-the Walker clan has great chemistry. Particularly the boys and I sense more with the females this year.
Grey's Anatomy-Meredith and Cristina. I believe their friendship on screen.
Veronica Mars-Keith and Veronica were my second favorite father/daughter on tv (second to the Bristow clan).
The OC-I agree that I truly believed Ryan and Seth's relationship. Also Kirsten/Sandy. When their marriage struggled, I felt the show did as well.

I've always had trouble getting my head around the concept of "chemistry", possibly because, for as important an element of a television series as it seems to be, it seems to elude definition to the point that we can't predict it based on past performance and only know it when we see it, and even then it's still largely subjective.

I'd be interested in opinions on this: is it is an unpredictable undercurrent of actual feeling between performers that carries over in their scenes, or is it something that actors can control, just as they can play hate or love?

If the former, does real-life friendship potentiate chemistry, and if so, are actors who don't happen to form friendships with each other not doing their jobs in a certain sense?

If it's the latter, can it be learned and taught, like enunciation or stage combat? Are some actors better able to tease "chemistry" out of their fellow actors by dint of their craft regardless of personal interaction?

Does the written relationship between characters have any influence on it? We've all seen romantic pairings that don't seem credible because they seem motivated entirely by plot mechanics, but does that mean that the actors absolutely don't have "chemistry", or that the groundwork wasn't laid properly (It's generally accepted that Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy had spectacular chemistry, and they had a deep and lengthy offscreen relationship, but how much of what comes across between them onscreen comes out of the fact that they were paired in splendidly written films that gave them smart, engaging characters presented as equals)? Is it a multi-factorial combination of all of these?

I gotta agree that chemistry is a strange concept. Especially since seems that ever since it became propular, everybody and their dog wants to claim it for their couple. Which leads to particularly off situations on soap operas where half of the viewership swears that a couple has the best history since the creation of the universe and the other half swears that they have no chemistry at all. Which has lead me to the conviction that the word is hopelessly overused. In fact, maybe overused to an extent that it has virtually lost all meaning (especially in a romantic sense).

Regarding real life relationships... I actually heard a bunch of cases/stories of real stable and happy couples who had no chemistry whatsoever on screen. I have heard stories of people who hated each other off screen and had great chemistry on screen. I heard a bunch of stories that chemistry was great while a couple was starting to hook up with each other, but when the real life relationship went sour, so did the on screen chemistry. Not to mention the case of gay men having great sexual chemistry with female co-stars.

I do wonder if there aren't ways to encourage chemistry as an actor... a lot of eye contact, invasion of personal space, lots of little details like always paying attention to what the supposed love interest character is doing during a scene, little touches and such...

I remember a story about a love soap opera actress who was often considered to have sexual chemisty with everybody, including in places where it shouldn't have existed (like with actors who were playing her son or son-in-law). I remember some of her detractors arguing that she always acted very flirty and almost submissive in almost any scene with a man and that always gave any interaction a sexual tinge.

In my experience this is dead on. When I started making short films in high school, I made the mistake early on of casting real life happy couples as on screen couples. The footage was almost always too self aware, dull and uninvolving. After a couple of these short amateurish endeavors and seeing me blame only myself, my Dad made me watch A Place In The Sun with Liz Taylor and Montgomery Clift. Afterwards he gave me the heads up on Montgomery Clift. Mr. Excitement, another film he used was Adam's Rib wth Tracy and Hepburn and advised of the rumors concerning both Tracy and Hepburn's real lives (stuff now pretty well out there). The advise was that real life off screen means nothing. What does mean something is how the actors react off each other. Even extreme hatred between actors can be used to promising effect giving a sharp bit of antagonism that can be seen as sparks. What kills chemistry is an attempt by actors to not allow the audience to see something as real or to see too closely into reality. What helps chemistry is when actors want the audience to believe and are unconcerned about anything but that.

I don't think it's actual feelings so much as believing that they're the character. I doubt that actors can control it. Good questions, though.



I think real life friendships definately help chemistry because chemistry's all about a form of comfort. If you get to hang out with your friend all day, you're bound to be comfortable. That's probably why a lot of real life couples have no onscreen chemistry: they're uncomfortable with putting their relationship out there, even if it is through other characters.

Then again, how many stories are there of people who hate each other off screen and have wonderful chemistry onscreen?



While I personally think chemistry is either there or not, I do think that some actors are just better at bringing it out of others by forcing them to react.

I think a lot of it, though, has to do with good acting. If Actor A wraps themselves up in their character and Actor B wraps themselves in their character, they'd believe that their two characters love each other and that will hopefully translate on screen.



I think so. I mean, if two people are given super crappy lines, no amount of natural chemistry and ability will save it and it'll just be painful to watch. Chemistry is so much about a natural flow and that's easy to show if the lines are easier to say. If the words have a nice rythym, it's easier for the actors to get a grip on it. It's all about playing off of each other, I think.

I think the cast of My Boys, Grey's Anatomy, and The Office have exceptional chemistry. With the first and last, I believe that they're really friends. And the GA cast has chemistry despite the characters.

Romantically, I think Logan and Veronica had insane chemistry in S1-S2 and lost some of it in S3 because the material they were given was just... not good. It's almost like the actors have no idea how to play it. It's not a surprise that, when actually given a good script, they shined again. Seth/Summer were also great, because the characters baited and inticed and reacted so well to each other.

Best friend-wise, Seth/Ryan were amazing, but I can't see that relationship not having chemistry. The chemistry on paper and the characters as written have insane chemistry that it almost seems to me that the actors couldn't not have chemistry. Serena/Blair are also great. I can't even explain why.

I feel like I've been talking in circles. Does anyone understand what I'm saying?

Good thing I read though the thread, because I was about to post my gripes on how chemistry experiments are done on TV. Anyway, I think that Don Draper and Rachel Menken on Mad Men have the best chemistry. Not only are they hot together, but they have allowed themselves to be more vulnerable with each other than they have ever been with anyone else, including Draper with his wife. Mad Men--the show that makes you root for adultery.

Best chemistry ever for me is between Mulder and Scully. The first encounter between them was like a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. Mulder wearing the dorky glasses and Scully looking for all the world like a blue stocking. More and better articulated people have discussed the whys, the hows, the ins and outs, and whatnots on their relationship but regardless of the relationship between Duchovny and Anderson, they had it.

The original "Scooby Gang" on Buffy, Cordelia included, was a great example of friends chemistry. The Winchester brothers on Supernatural are great together. I agree with Rachel, Ross, Monica and company and will throw in earlier examples: the MASH cast, the Cartwrights on Bonanza and the Mayberry crew before Don Knotts left.

I'd say the whole cast of Farscape; they all managed to have chemistry with the muppet for heaven's sake! While John and Aeryn were admittedly amazing, one of my favorites from that show tends to be overlooked- Aeryn and D'Argo. From the beginning of the show when they hated each one the simple basis of race and military affiliation and the nicest thing D'Argo can say in Exodus From Genesis is "The part of me that wants Aeryn to live is greater than the part of me that wants all Peacekeepers to die" all the way through to the point in Kansas where Aeryn is trying to protect him and says without hesitation that he's her brother, you believed every moment of it.

That's so true, MaggieCat. I know people that could never get into Farscape because of the muppet, but after a couple of episodes I completely forgot that Rygel and Pilot were puppets.

Still, Mulder and Scully are the definition of chemistry to me. Maybe because they were my first 'ship. I think I was around 11 when I first saw The X Files and I didn't even know what chemistry was, but I knew that they had it. Oh boy, they had it. And it's funny because most of the time their relationship was strictly platonic and with just one look they were able to made the tv screen melt.

Heh, me too. I was expecting talk about CSI and Good Eats here.

OK: Angel and Wesley on Angel. Two characters I didn't care much about on Buffy, and who I'd never imagined having much to say to one another before. Put 'em together and it's a fascinating dynamic. And no, I don't just mean the homoerotic subtext. Angel as an intelligent leader? Wha? And Welsey's trajectory from comic relief to adventurer to dark, broken man was like a distorted mirror of Angel's life. Either transformation could have been forced and awful, but the chemistry between these two guys (and, OK, the hoyay) made the journeys worth watching.

For me, the best romantic chemistry will always be Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. They steamed up every scene they were ever in together. They were steamy even when talking about frog clones. I've never seen anything like it.

As far as friend chemistry goes, I think Betty and Daniel have more of it than anyone else I have ever seen on TV. If they decide in a couple of years to have them sex it up, I'm sure it will be hot, too (they are the only people I can imagine rivaling Dean and Teri, actually). I'll be happy if they just stay friends and continue to be adorable with each other.

For sibling chemistry, I have to say Fraiser and Niles Crane. They were perfect together. They didn't really look like brothers, but their manners complemented one another perfectly. Beautifully written and acted characters.

And, because someone has to say it sometime, the messed-up-and-twisted chemistry award goes to... Sylar and Mohinder.

I never really watched the X-Files, but even the few snippets I caught here and there sold me. Yowza.

I agree with you there. Last season I wasn't too sure about a potential romance between the two of them, but then of course there was the karaoke episode with the bridge scene that made me reconsider my position. Then this season began, and he's so caring and concerned about her feelings and her relationship with Henry, and actually being involved enough that he got angry at the idea of her potentially being hurt.

The more I see of them, the more I think it could happen and that I might actually like it. But like you, either way I'd be happy with it.

That's good chemistry right there. One that you feel can grow and develop from one kind of relationship to another.

Regarding the issue of chemistry, I think it's subjective and it can come across to the viewer from many aspects. The writing, the actors, the characters. I think it's a valid and always important issue when it comes to television and the connection a viewer has with a show. I don't think it's an overused term, because of how important it is, however you see it and whatever you take from it.

Writers, casting directors and actors all hope for it. Whether it's between actors, between the show and the viewer or the writer and the actor. However you feel that connection with a show or actor or character.

I don't know if it's something that can be taught. For me it's just that connection. I've watched shows where an actor will have immense chemistry with another for several seasons and then suddenly it's gone. The loss of chemistry could have been caused by many things. My interest in the show or the characters might have waned. The writing could have changed and unknowingly altered the connection between the characters. The actors could be doing something different, or they might not be getting along with their scene partner. Whatever the cause, chemistry isn't something you can force, and I'm not sure it can be taught, because like I said, it's something that can develop/be transmitted in many different ways.

One character can have different chemistry playing two different characters on the same show. That to me, is why I think it's about the connection more than anything else.

Word to a lot of these, especially the cast of The West Wing, Wesley and Angel, and Niles and Frasier.

I would also add the Buffy/Willow/Xander friendship from the first four years of BtVS. They really felt like the closest of best friends until the show went to shit. But then when the show went to shit, the actors certainly didn't help convince that the characters liked each other at all. The cast of Sports Night also had out of this world chemistry, making them even more lovable because of the way they loved each other. There are a lot of problems with S&tC, but the thing that definitely kept me watching was the fantastic friendship chemistry between the four ladies.

Hee, I'm glad that I'm not the only one. As for the actual topic, I agree with everyone who mentioned the chemistry between the Cohens plus one (conveniently forgetting the black hole that was Marissa Cooper in season 3). Sandy and Kirsten's marriage was one of the most realistic I've seen on TV, for while it had it's rough spots, their love for each other was alway obvious. As for Seth and Ryan, what is there to say that hasn't already been said? I always had a soft spot for Sandy and Ryan's relationship as well.

For antagonistic friendship chemistry, I have to say Gene Hunt and Sam Tyler from Life of Mars. They opposed each other on pretty much everything (Sam could probably show you the scars to prove it), but all the antagonism made the quiet little moments that much more poignant.


ITA Backstagebear. Everyone in that cast had insane comic chemistry with each other. It was easy to see the entire cast were having a ball just playing off of each other.


The Tenth Doctor and Simm!Master *g* Sorry, couldn't help it.

I think that is a case of the fantastic chemistry actually writing the show. I don't think Mulder and Scully would have ended up together (at least, realistically) if DD and GA hadn't been so good together. It got to a point where they had to sleep together, because in real life? There would be no way to ignore that.



Hee, I second that! Crazy chemistry, especially in the phone call, which managed to be intense despite the actors filming it on different days.

I would like to add my love to the cast of Arrested Development and the US Office. Not a weak link in either, as far as I'm concerned.

I've always thought that there are certain types of relationships, like angsty potentially unrequited puppy love, where apparently you could just put up cardboards and there would still be *some* people rooting for it (Max/Liz, Clark/Lana).

What made Mulder and Scully so impressive to me is that they didn't have nearly the kind of backing from the writing that we are used to now (from Bones to Moonlight and such). To me, that makes it even more special because it wasn't something the writing was angling for or supporting.

While Mulder and Scully certainly were among first big UST pairings (I think there were UST pairings before, but it really got famous as a concept with them), I don't think that the hype could have happened if it had been any other two actors, even if the storyline had stayed identical. And I say that as a person who was a borderline noromo during the time the X-Files was airing (I wanted them to get together, but not while the series was still going on).

All of which makes them pretty much the definition of chemistry to me. There seem to be certain stories that will always be popular, regardless of the level of chemistry (just consider those soap opera couples that stayed popular even after a recast), while other types of stories (like for example bantering couples like Brennan&Boothe) just don't connect if you don't have chemistry, even if the writers actively try to set it up.

Somebody already mentioned the ensemble of M*A*S*H, my favorite example, and a remarkable one considering the numerous cast changes over the years. Of course, it's no secret that all those actors got along famously off-camera and remain friends to this day.

I'll add the cast of Cheers, whose chemistry didn't necessarily go downhill when Kirstie Alley joined them, but for my money, they were at their peak before Shelley Long left and after Kelsey Grammer came. Pure on-screen magic as everyone played off each other brilliantly.

Incidentally, it was widely reported that Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist (Remington Steele) did not get along off-screen, but they absolutely sizzled as an on-screen couple, IMO.

I read a definition of chemistry once that claimed an important ingredient is both actor's participating in "professional one-upsmanship." Which, if true, may be why actors who dislike each other can sizzle, and some actors in love can fizzle.

Always, always for me will be Janel Moloney and Brad Whitford from The West Wing. From the first episode, even Aaron Sorkin saw it, and expanded the role of Donna until she eventually became a main character, so she could keep interacting with Josh. They were spectacular together.

The first people to come to my mind when seeing this thread were Cory and Shawn from Boy Meets World. They were just the best. Such a believable friendship even though they were such different people on the surface. Thier friendship was for the ages. Although I do think the writers went a little crazy with the Hoyay...still awesome overall.

Now, these are all excellent examples of good chemistry. What about the not-so-good? Y'know, the chemistry that shouldn't be there...

I'm thinking of Dean/Sam, for instance, since I doubt anyone was going, "You know what the WB needs? Two brothers having sex!" Or the Peter/Claire chemistry, since it made the bit of the fandom that wanted them together look icky when it was revealed they were uncle-neice. Chloe/Clark, for instance, weren't supposed to be so chemistry-filled, but the actors brought it, anyway, forcing the writers to change a bit of the writing to fit in with what they saw.

Where do you recall chemistry backfiring on a show?

(Someone mentioned Dan and Jenny and I kind of agree, but only because I find Penn and Taylor to be so. damn. pretty that I want to stick them in a room and just go, "PROCREATE, DAMN IT!" But I won't, because she's 14.)

Yeah, honestly, inappropriate chemistry kind of bugs me. (again it is worse on soap operas when various blood related family members have it) It find it quite disruptive of the storyline rather than going squee about it most of the time.

It's not just people who are related, but also ones that give up sexual or romantic chemistry when it just goes against the writing. In some cases it annoys more than it is neat.

I mean, we would rag on an actor who smiles in a scene where he is supposed to be angry or crying, so why wouldn't we rag on somebody who gives off romantic vibes in a scene that is supposed to be platonic or antagonistic?

Don't get me wrong, I think in most cases the writers don't mind and probably consider it a bonus, an additional layer to the dynamic, but it can bug.

I wonder, though, how much the actors can control. I've been told many times that I'm being too "flirty" or "open" with people when I've done nothing more than say hi to them. What's just routine for one person can be seen as a "Hey, baby, your trailer or mine?" to someone else. It is annoying, though, when an actor makes an acting choice that is so very obviously romantic in an effort to almost force the writers to pursue a certain relationships. Hey, actor? You're not a writer for a reason. Stand back.

I do think that family chemistry that feels more romantic makes me laugh more than anything, but it's definately more disturbing than distracting.

The weirdest thing? When cartoon characters have chemistry. Because Azula/Zuko from Avatar have a very odd power struggle that seems almost sexual and it both disturbs and fascinates me. I probably wouldn't be saying this if I had a brother, though.

Buffy/Giles often had what could be seen as inappropriate chemistry, since the show was trying to sell them as a father/daughter couple and some thought that they were the Main Couple of the show. I personally bought the father/daughter vibe, but I can see how others might not.



You know, I believe Jason Dohring said that he liked to try to one-up Francis and Kirsten and, well, look at who he had more chemistry with. Well, I don't know if he tried to one-up Kirsten so much as play off of her, but they were definately working closely on the Logan/Veronica relationship.

Speaking of VM... Lily/Duncan had what could be considered "bad chemistry." Funny how the only person Teddy had 100% chemistry with was the person who was playing his sister. (IMHO, of course.) Heh.

My hands down favorite for friendship chemistry is Turk and J.D. from Scrubs. I absolutely and totally buy into them being friends since college, and I buy into the depth of their friendship without finding it corny or too much. I love them.

This probably belongs in the upopular opinions thread, but I loved the chemistry between Meredith and Derek in the 2nd season of Grey's. Or was it the first? Anyway, the scene where they hit at the "prom", even though Derek is supposed to be trying to make things work with Addison? Burned my retinas with its hotness. I only wish they could get back to that level of steam, instead of scorching my retinas with the anti-chemistry of Gizzy.

Niles & Frasier? Great sibling chemistry. Niles and Daphne? Awful romantic chemistry. Just. effing. awful.

ETA: Couch Potato! **cabbage patching happy dance** Go me...Couch Potato! Go me..Couch Potato!

Heh I love them. Throw in Carla, Elliot, Kelso, Cox, Jordan, and the rest of the employees of Sacred Heart too. They sometimes have fights and conflicts. They're very believable.





Haha, for real. I buy Corey with Shawn much more than Topanga. I love Corey and Eric's brother relationship, and their relationship with their parents. And of course, Mr. Feeny being the mentor to everybody.

I just watched "The Unnatural," and damn, the chemistry at that point was a superb sizzle. At that point in the series, I loved that show so much.

Does this count as chemistry? On Lost, I'm not a huge fan of Locke as a character - he's interesting enough, well portrayed, but I'm not fascinated by his gullibility / daddy issues. BUT. Any actor in a one-on-one scene with Locke suddenly becomes a hell of a lot more interesting. I don't know what it is: the intensity he brings? The writing? Maybe it's just reflected glory of Terry O'Quinn? I just feel like the rest of the cast plays beautifully off of him. And I can't say that about anyone else on the program. Can one person have chemistry with everyone else?



Heh. I'm not really seeing sexual attraction between the boys, but they do have powerful chemistry together. And it sucks, in that every scene either one ever has with any women cannot compete. Do not think that was intended when they cast those two.

I'm glad the Mulder/Scully dynamic has been brought up here, because man, those two... well, everyone's already said it but I so far haven't seen a screen couple to match them.

There is chemistry between Booth & Brennan but it doesn't come close. The cast of Bones overall gels pretty well - even Cam is starting to fit in, which she so very much didn't at first, IMO.

Heh, I don't actually watch Supernatural, but this definitely applies to Peter and Nathan on Heroes as well. I don't ship them, but you can't deny that Adrian and Milo have chemistry. I mean, after all, they did win the Best HoYay! Moment at the Tubey's.

Really, with the exception of Peter and Simone, almost all of the Heroes cast has chemistry with each other.

Other couples that have good chemistry include Kate and Sawyer on Lost (they had chemistry ever since we first saw them on screen, and that first kiss is practically legendary by now), Buffy and Spike (even though the show messed them up as a couple, they were so hot together), and Addison and Mark (I really don't like how they were ruined as a couple, but again they were hot). I loved the scene in the episode Sometimes a Fantasy where Mark almost kissed Addie but she slapped him instead, and of course when they had sex.