My core friends–i.e. the ones I can send unattractive Snapchats to–are Filipino, Nepali and Eritrean.
I’m black.
These friendships are some of my most valued relationships because of the good times, the support through the bad times, the lessons they teach me about myself, and the world and of course all the laughs.
We all enjoy watching hours of Netflix while wearing sweatpants and eating semi-decent takeout, but most of the time our friendships seem far different from those on TV. This is partly because there are not many shows out there detailing the lives of college students in an accurate fashion but we’ll save that for another blog.
There are, however, some interracial relationships on TV that inspire viewers, remind us of ourselves or show the world that diversity in our relationships is awesome and important.
New Girl: Winston, Schmidt and Nick
A black guy, a Jewish guy and a white guy. Though this group sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, these guys are friends you definitely want to share a loft with. From the douchebag jar to the long nights of True American, these guys are always caught up in some made-for-TV debacle that reveals they care for one another.
New Girl: Jess and Cece
The ladies of this Fox show are always down to hang with the guys, but they deserve their own spot on the list. Jess, who is white, and Cece, who is Indian-American, do that thing we all do–compare ourselves to our friends. But even though Jess is the “smart one,” a vice principal, and Cece is the “pretty one,” a model, they accept each other and love each other, keeping any tension that does arise at a reasonable level.
Elementary: Joan Watson and Sherlock Holmes
Watson is not only portrayed as an Asian-American on CBS’s contemporary version of Sherlock Holmes, but also a girl. Though Sherlock is still a white male Brit, their relationship is founded on respect and strengthened by the exchange of knowledge and ideas. Thus, catching the bad guys isn’t just about justice and the law, it’s a labor of love and of course, the laws of deduction.
The Mindy Project: Mindy Lahiri and Danny Castellano
Oh, New York. The city with the best people and pizza is home to the first non-platonic couple on the list. Mindy and Danny are a couple that is so much cooler than that couple that has it all together. They show that opposites do indeed attract in a dysfunctional and adorable way. They are definitely worth the Hulu subscription.
The Big Bang Theory: Raj and Howard
Though they are part of the whole gang, Howard and Raj have a language all their own. From the days when Raj could only whisper his words to Howard in the presence of women, they have communication skills that only the pair understand.
Modern Family: Jay and Gloria
Gloria is Colombian and Jay is white. Both their age difference and their attractiveness difference works for them. Yes, for them. They’d be much less interesting if they were both hot, young and American. Plus, that accent never fails to make you laugh.
Honorable Mentions (Because some of these relationships are sadly no longer on the air.)
The Vampire Diaries: Bonnie, Elena and Caroline
Prior to Nina Dobrev’s exit, this squad died for each other and squashed the reputation that witches and vampires can’t be buds.
We might as well mention Klaus, who is white, and Marcel, who is black, from The Originals while we’re in vampire territory. These two attest that rivalries, race and wrath can’t stand in the way of family at the end of the day or rather, decade.
Grey’s Anatomy: Cristina and Meredith
This show has many great examples but these women had an iconic relationship that ended too soon. Let’s be clear: No one else can be Meredith Grey’s person but the one and only Cristina Yang.
And while we’re here in Shonda Rhimes-land, let’s talk Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder.
Diverse relationships are significant in both shows, and some of the time these relationships are actually semi-functional. But let’s be real, most of the time they are pure drama, chaos and craziness and we love it.
ABC Family: In General
From Gilmore Girls‘ Lane and Rory, to Baby Daddy‘s Tucker and the Wheelers, ABC Family has been showing us for years that people of different races can have fun and supportive relationships.
Any others you think need to be on the list? Put them in the comments.
Featured Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Flickr user daisy.
Charis Pannell is a senior journalism major and may be reached at charispannell94@gmail.com.
