# Partners with great onscreen chemistry **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941 "2013-08-11T16:41:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/1 "2013-08-11T16:41:39Z")
Any era, movies or TV, drama, comedy, reality, talk show, news, same sex or opposite sex, romantic partners or colleagues-- which pairs (characters or the actors/performers themselves) have/had that spark that made/makes them fun to watch? One of my favorite pairs is Stacy London and Clinton Kelly of _What Not to Wear_. They have great chemistry. They seem to enjoy each other’s company, jokes, and comments. They don’t one-up each other and show a lot respect in the way they interact. I love to watch the two of them–they are hilarious. Don and Betty Draper (_Mad Men_), though divorced have great chemistry, which they acted upon in a recent episode. Emma Peel and John Steed of the original \*Avengers \*(~1967) had that great “will they or won’t they” chemistry-- same with Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David of _NCIS_, and Joel and Maggie of _Northern Exposure_. If you can remember back this far, Greta van Susteren and Roger Cossack were pundits who analyzed the O.J. Simspon trial as it happened. They had fabulous chemistry–Roger truly seemed dazzled by Greta, the brilliant Plain Jane nerd who picked up his straight lines and parried his thrusts. She went on to get a major makeover and become a TV personality in her own right. ===\>\>Also feel free to suggest partners who were thrust together and were \*supposed \*to have chemistry but just plain didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/2 "2013-08-11T16:53:15Z")
I think Jensen Ackles and Jared Padelecki (Sam and Dean Winchester) on **Supernatural** have had great chemistry since the very beginning of the show. Later on, they added Mischa Collins as the angel Castiel and he and Ackles also have great chemistry. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) and Jerome Flynn (Bronn) on **Game of Thrones** have some great chemistry as well. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/3 "2013-08-11T17:28:44Z")
Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding Thomas Magliozzi and Ray Magliozzi Chet Huntley and David Brinkley Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/4 "2013-08-11T17:33:41Z")
I was going to mention Huntley-Brinkley, too. They definitely had it. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/5 "2013-08-11T17:42:38Z")
Newman and Redford in _Butch Cassidy_ ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/6 "2013-08-11T17:56:18Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Newman and Redford in _Butch Cassidy_ And in The Sting. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/7 "2013-08-11T18:34:41Z")
Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/8 "2013-08-12T13:12:03Z")
William Powell and Myrna Loy in all the “Thin Man” films, even the inferior ones. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/9 "2013-08-12T14:14:36Z")
Sheldon Cooper & Amy Farrar Fowler. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/10 "2013-08-12T14:45:18Z")
James Garner & Mariette Hartley in the Polaroid commercials. Remember them? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/11 "2013-08-12T14:48:10Z")
Spencer Tracy & Katherine Hepburn Bing Crosby & Bob Hope Frankie Avalon & Annette Funicello Viggo Mortenson & Liv Tyler (or was that just me?) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/12 "2013-08-12T15:00:32Z")
Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/13 "2013-08-12T16:02:50Z")
I thought James Garner and Noah Beery (who played his Dad) had great chemistry together on _ **The Rockford Files** _- though I got the feeling from things Garner said in interviews that the two actors didn’t really like each other. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/14 "2013-08-12T16:31:34Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > James Garner & Mariette Hartley in the Polaroid commercials. Remember them? Yes! And they definitely had it! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/15 "2013-08-12T16:45:26Z")
James Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/16 "2013-08-12T16:46:36Z")
It’s new, but I have to say that, IMO, Rebecca Romjin and Jon Tenney on _King and Maxwell_ have good chemistry. I don’t know whether or not they actually like each other, but it works. Also, the main cast of _Royal Pains_ seem to have good chemistry all the way around; I’m not sure I totally buy Evan and Paige as a married couple, but overall it’s great. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/17 "2013-08-12T17:15:59Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > James Garner & Mariette Hartley in the Polaroid commercials. Remember them? > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Yes! And they definitely had it! They really did. I remember an interview with Hartley just after she’d had a kid, wearing a t-shirt reading “Not James Garner’s Wife” and her child’s shirt read “Not James Garner’s Baby.” ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/18 "2013-08-12T17:23:15Z")
Bert & Ernie No, seriously. I’m not even making the obvious gay joke. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/19 "2013-08-12T17:25:20Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Bert & Ernie > > No, seriously. I’m not even making the obvious gay joke. Yeah, although you could broaden it to Jim Henson & Frank Oz (so, not just Bert & Ernie, but also Kermit & Miss Piggy, Kermit & Fozzie, et al). ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941/20 "2013-08-12T18:03:13Z")
The best recent example: Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in the “Iron Man” movies and “The Avengers,” played by Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow. My favorite line from the first film. “Tears that your boss is alive?” “Tears of joy - I _hate_ job hunting.” Even better that, reportedly, most of their exchanges are ad-lib/unscripted. I also liked Ned and Chuck from “Pushing Daisies.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partners-with-great-onscreen-chemistry/665941.md?page=2)