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With Troy on his way out to sea with LeVar Burton, Community has lost yet another members of the Greendale Seven. Even more devastating, the world has lost one half of the greatest television friendship of all time. But even though they’re the only ones with a fake morning show, Troy and Abed aren’t the only great pairing that the study group has to offer. After all, everyone loves watching Jeff and Shirley gossip or Pierce stick up for Britta or Troy finally take notice of Annie after all of these years. We’ve ranked every single combination of study group members in order to determine which pairing makes the best team of all. And don’t worry: Chang’s still not invited.
21. Pierce and Abed
As Pierce said in his will, these two never understood each other, and everything Abed said sounded insane to Pierce. And they were both more than okay with that.
20. Troy and Shirley
Troy pretended to be normal for her wedding, and Shirley tried to keep Britta from getting him “on the pot.” If that’s not friendship, we don’t know what is.
19. Troy and Jeff
Friends who trampoline together stay together.
18. Pierce and Britta
With his boorish behavior and her desire “lesbian, hippie lifestyle,” there was plenty of conflict between these two. However, Pierce stuck up for Britta when the other study group members picked on her too much, and they had a touching, if weird, friendship.
17. Britta and Annie
Although it might seem like the most logical pairing, Britta and Annie’s similar taste in men has been the catalyst for most of their plots together, and they’ve never been able to properly get over their differences and become good friends.
16. Pierce and Shirley
Once he stopped hitting on her all the time, Pierce and Shirley developed a solid partnership; he gave her business advice and helped her grow in confidence, she tried to make him a better person, and they both found a way to get along. Most of the time.
15. Abed and Shirley
Shirley spends most of their time together attempting to nurture and mother Abed, but it’s when they’re able to geek out over movies or become too invested in their hijinks that these two really understand each other. And now Abed has someone else to watch Hellraiser with.
14. Pierce and Annie
Did Pierce ever mention that Annie was always his favorite? She always saw the best in him, and he appreciated that someone believed in him.
13. Annie and Shirley
Once Shirley stops trying to convert Annie, these two are able to bond over their similar sensibilities, dedication to their studies, and a shared catch-phrase. Awww.
12. Pierce and Jeff
They hated each other, they saw themselves in each other, the ex-communicated each other, and Jeff once dragged Pierce out of a car and beat him up. Theirs may have been a tumultuous friendship, but it was always exciting to watch.
11. Troy and Pierce
Troy was quite possibly Pierce’s closest friend, and even though they mostly bonded over their immaturity, Pierce always believed in and encouraged Troy… and as long as that Norwegian Troll Doll isn’t anywhere nearby, they always have fun together.
10. Annie and Jeff
The offical will-they-or-won’t-they pair, Jeff and Annie spend almost as much time together as Troy and Abed. Although, like the Dean said, their adventures are clearly a way for them to work through all of that underlying tension.
9. Britta and Abed
She might make the situation worse before she makes it better, but Britta has always been there to help and support Abed. They might be the most damaged members of the study group, but at least they’ve got each other.
8. Troy and Annie
All Annie wanted in high school was for Troy to notice her, and now that he has, he thinks she’s the cool one. He knows she likes Mark Ruffalo, and she’s always willing to join in his and Abed’s latest scheme, and they’re the cutest couple that never was.
7. Britta and Shirley
They might be close friends, but they’re never funnier than when they’re at odds. A friendship that can survive one person getting high in a church parking lot, a terrifying cannibalistic hitchhiker and the phrase “godless hippie skank” can survive anything.
6. Troy and Britta
Whether you loved or hated their relationship, Troy and Britta’s relationship, there’s no denying they make a great team. Especially when surprise dance recitals are involved.
5. Abed and Jeff
They’ve lived together, gotten drunk together, recreated the dancing scene from The Breakfast Club together, and even endured a drawn-out homage to My Dinner With Andre. Simply put, they see each other’s value now.
4. Jeff and Shirley
She may have made him wet himself as a child, but they’ve been able to put that aside in favor of gossiping about Vaughn, scoping out Britta’s carnie ex-boyfriend, and facing off at foosball. They might be closer to some of the other members of the study group, but even Jeff knows that Shirley is the only one who truly understands him.
3. Abed and Annie
They’ve been Chandler and Phoebe, Don Draper and a secretary, Han Solo and Princess Leia, and Geneva and the Inspector, but through it all, they’ve become good friends who understand each other’s fears and neuroses. And now, she might finally get to co-host a morning show with him.
2. Jeff and Britta
Nobody bickers better than Jeff and Britta. Whether they’re arguing about who gets to tell a knock-knock joke, role-playing a conversation with Jeff’s “dumb, gay dad,” or faking a relationship until the other person backs down, Jeff and Britta are best when they’re at each other’s throats.
1. Troy and Abed
It might seem obvious, but there is really no other pairing that could take the number one spot. Troy and Abed’s friendship is weirdly magical, the kind of friendship where two people understand and accept each other down to the strangest quirks and are always willing to indulge the other one in whatever crazy adventure they’re going on this week. They might be separated now, but as we learned from Pierce’s Halloween story, attempting to destroy them only makes them more awesome.
