We always cherish the friendships and love stories often portrayed in television series. They impact our lives so much that we go on a la-la land imagining things and wishing we could become one like them. Friendships like Akbar-Birbal, Alladin-Jennie, Jai-Veeru (from Sholay), Joey, Chandler, Ross, Monica, Phoebe, and Ratchel from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.the series, etc., are worth celebrating.
But good heroes need great rivals. TV series, along with giving us several love stories and friendship moments, have also offered us some iconic rivalries. They were so intense and realistic to believe that it made us hate those villains in real. These rivalries come in various flavors and keep us engaged with the show. They make you laugh like in the sitcoms, or they can become seriously dangerous in some extra drama. These rivals have also become a team from time to time to fight a third party that added extra spice to the already ongoing drama.
So in this article, we will be discussing and remembering the top 10 biggest rivalries in TV series that are not just the biggest but worth remembering. So let’s begin!
Karen Walker And Beverly Leslie (Will and Grace)
This light comedy rival duo belongs to the same social circle and often meets in small or big gatherings. And when they do meet, it becomes the most fun part for a viewer. They both dislike each other and often end up in insulting arguments. Beverly taunts Karen for her failed relationships and addictions while Karen makes fun of Beverly’s short height.
But both are hilarious in their ways of insulting each other. Beverly calls Karen “a smelling gin” whereas he is called a “seed of chunky” by Karen Walker (Megan Mullally). She is known for her one-liners in the series and is often resisted by Beverly Leslie (Leslie Jordan). Their rivalry remains mostly a verbal one limited to the exchange of sarcastic arguments.
Due to this, they are often considered frenemies rather than pure enemies. Also, Karen once claimed that Beverly is one of her dearest friends despite their heated conversations that were like a mocktail of absurdness and insults.
J.D. And The Janitor
Glen Matthews, also known as The Janitor (Neil Flynn), is the rival of John Michael Dorian (Zach Braff), or J.D., the lead actor of the 2001 series, Scrubs. Although they individually have a variety of other rivalries in the Sacred Heart Hospital, their mutual rivalry is a bit different. They fight like the children in playschools.
This sweet and sour relationship started from the beginning of the series in Season 1, where The Janitor accuses J.D. of jamming the door by putting a penny into it. This was followed by a series of pranks on each other that continued till the end of the show. These pranks were hilarious but sometimes ended in seriously damaging situations. But they were the best recurring moments adding fun to the show.
Sheldon Cooper and Wil Wheaton (The Big Bang Theory)
Another serious yet hilarious rivalry is featured in the 2007 American series The Big Bang Theory between Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and the Star Trek: Next Generation star Wil Wheaton. Their confrontations are sometimes called a war because of their deep dislike for each other from the moment they met for the very first time. And it was mixed with the recurring revenge schedules against the other one that often stretched for 14 years.
Their rivalry is a blend of illogical battles such as Twitter wars, ruined movie premieres, and an epic card game showdown. It started with Wheaton deceiving Sheldon to win a card game called Mystic Warlords of Ka’a tournament. And hence, Sheldon grew a deeply rooted hate for Wheaton. However, after the 14-year-long revenge battle and two years of on and off rivalry, the two became friends at Wil’s birthday party.
Sherlock and Moriarty(Sherlock)
A rather pressing rivalry is from the most accepted detective show, Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), the master of solving some of the onerous crime cases, meets the master of crime, Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Their face-off is a synonym of a genius intellect meeting its dangerous counterpart. This famous scientific criminal was often mentioned to Watson by Sherlock himself.
Sherlock manages to prevent the crimes committed by Moriarty, enraged by which Moriarty swears vengeance on Sherlock. And in one of the stories titled ‘the valley of fear’ of 1914, they have their first confrontation where they both engage in a hand to hand combat and fall down The Reichenbach Fall in the end.
Tom vs. Jerry (Tom and Jerry)
One of the most beloved animated rivalries is between Tom and Jerry, the two protagonists of the American animated series that aired for the first time in 1940. Thomas the cat and Gerald Jinx, also known as Jerry the Mouse, are the creation of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
Tom and Jerry are like frenemies who enjoy chasing and triggering each other to keep their day schedules tight. They also have sometimes become friends to fight their third-party villains in the cartoon. They also miss each other when one of them is absent from the scene. This rivalry is a very nostalgic rivalry and a common household name now over the globe.
ALSO READ: Tom and Jerry (2020) – Cast, Trailer, and Everything You Need To Know
Drew Carey vs. Mimi Bobeck (The Drew Carey Show)
Male and female fictional rivalries where the two individuals don’t end up dating each other are rare. This kind of rivalry is shared between Mimi (Kathy Kinney) and Drew Carey, that appeared in the 1995 American series The Drew Carey Show. However, Mimi marries Drew’s brother later in the show.
Mimi usually holds the upper hand and calls Drew a pig. She often pranks him by gluing his hand to a dirty magazine and sending him on a trip along with a troll doll to China. Drew, however, was not innocent as well, and he always pranked her back. This light heart yet well-built and hilarious prank act of revenge becomes the highlight of the show.
Wile E. Coyote vs. The Road Runner (The Road Runner Show)
Another nostalgia-creating rivalry is between this The Road Runner Show rival duo, the Wile E. Coyote, and the Road Runner, from 1949. They were a part of episodes from the Looney Tunes animated series where hungry Coyote is always before the highly speedy roadrunner bird hoping to eat it. He uses all sorts of tricks and explosives, mostly belonging to the Acme company.
Despite spending so much time and money on roadrunners, Coyote is always empty-handed, and his tricks often go wrong. In some extreme cases, the Coyote did succeed in his attempts to catch the speedy bird, but he won’t eat it. It seems he is only obsessed with the act of trapping the bird.
This comic rivalry usually ends with Coyote getting hurt by the anvils and dynamites, falling from greater heights, squishing by rocks, being hit by trains, etc.
Eve And Villanelle (Killing Eve)
The two main rivals in the 2018 British Spy thriller drama named ‘Killing Eve’ are Eve Polastri (Sandra Miju Oh)And Villanelle (Jodie Marie Comer). The show revolves around the stories of Eve, a spy, and the very clever criminal Villanelle and their lives.
Eve, an MI5 agent, becomes obsessed with catching a very creative killer in the town who never leaves traces behind her crime scenes. But Eve figures out the killer and begins the hunt for her. And this starts the cat and mouse chase where eve follows possible traces and clues left by Villanelle, who is a successful and ruthless killer for hire. The two interact with each other several times and develop an admiration for each other.
Jerry And Newman (Seinfeld)
The antagonist Newman (Wayne Knight ) appears as the arch-nemesis of the main character Jerry Seinfeld (comedian Jerry Seinfeld), in the 1989 American sitcom Seinfeld. Jerry is a very well-mannered personality rivaled by Newman for no crucial reasons ever mentioned on the show. And how did it all begin? No one knows. It’s like a swore disgust and deep hatred for each other that comes out in the possible hilarious ways.
Their greetings to each other filled with insults and passing sarcastic jokes by Jerry on Newman are part of this. They live in the same building with contrasting personalities. Newman is emotional, whereas Jerry appears to be more apathetic. He evades sad situations by opting for some comic methods of detachment.
Pawnee And Eagleton (Parks and Recreation )
This rivalry is the biggest in the top 10 TV series rivalry list. It doesn’t involve two individuals, but citizens of the two financially and ideologically differentiated towns known as Pawnee And Eagleton. The two towns are the two partitions of a single town in the past.
The new town Eagleton is created by the privileged and prosperous sections of the town. Its creation follows the series of hilarious and realistic events giving topics to quarrel and debate in the other town full of literate garbages as considered by the Eagleton. Eagleton people create lavish parks, buy HBO for their town and even build a fence for the division from Pawnee. Later, the town of Eagleton undergoes bankruptcy leading to the realization of its residents of their mistake.
And here are all the top 10 biggest rivalries in TV series that were most interesting. If some rivalries didn’t make up the list, mention them in the comments.
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