There have been some incredible trios over the last few decades. From the Destiny’s Child trio to Buffy and her chosen two, threesomes appear all over popular culture in real life and on screen. Here’s a list of our 19 best trios of all time.
1. Harry, Ron, Hermione – Harry Potter
How could we not start things off with one of the most iconic movie trios of all time? Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are proof that threes definitely can and do work. Just think back about everything that this threesome survived. They got through living together at Hogwarts, they stayed together through growing pains and they were buddies through typical teenage issues. Then things turned wild and the trio was tested in the real wizarding world, tests that they would have to overcome. The best part? These three came out stronger at the end of it all.
2. Ferris, Sloane, Cameron – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has fast become a classic movie because it had so many great things going on. The screenplay was written by the great John Hughes, let’s not pretend it didn’t helped us live out what we always wanted to do in school. Oh, and there was Garth Volbeck (Charlie Sheen). What really made the movie was the trio of Ferris Bueller, Sloane Peterson and Cameron Frye together. Ferris was definitely interesting on his own, but combined with cool Sloane and lovable Cameron, this threesome were indestructible.
3. Sabrina, Jill, Kelly – Charlie’s Angels‘
All of the versions of Charlie’s Angels could be discussed here — included the questionable 2011 Charlie’s Angels TV reboot with Minka Kelly. However, let’s look back to the classic 1970s TV show featuring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith. The original three. We’ll admit that what played out after the first season showed they might not have been as strong of a trio in real life, but on the show, the ladies were a butt-kicking threesome who nobody could destroy.
4. Lizzie, Miranda, Gordo – Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie McGuire and Miranda Sanchez are usually the ones who appear on BFF lists, but it’s wrong to forget about David “Gordo” Gordon. Sure, he may not have worn butterfly clips like the girls, and he might not have been as adventurous with his print and color mixing, but he is what made the group a powerful three. His loyalty, good advice and healthy dose of sarcasm gave the group their it factor.
5. Beyoncé, Kelly, Michelle – Destiny’s Child
Destiny’s Child definitely went through some major group changes and members came and went from this famous trip group. At the end though the three that stuck together were Beyoncé Knowles, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland. Some might try to throw a rift between them by talking about how it’s the Beyoncé show, but it’s still a team effort.
6. Athos, Porthos, Aramis – Three Musketeers
Definitely a famous trio I mean it’s all in the name, right? No explaining needed considering that they’re the Three Musketeers? Actually, some explaining here, the 1993 Three Musketeers film we’re going off is about the three disbanded musketeers. Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. They might join up with another brother to rid the world of evil, but nothing can touch the original boys.
7. Raven, Eddie, Chelsea – That’s So Raven
When we watched That’s So Raven, we so wished that we had a friend like Raven Baxter with the magical ability to see in the future. Even if they were just quick glimpses, like Raven’s, and they weren’t always right, we would still be down to know what’s brewing in our destiny. And you know, even if Raven didn’t have all her powers, we would still want to be friends with her, Eddie Thomas and Chelsea Daniels because they were the best school trio — and a hilarious one at that. They were so much fun. Even when they got into some crazy situations, together the three always managed to get out of them.
8. The Sanderson Sisters – Hocus Pocus
One of the best Halloween movies ever also has one of the most delightful trios. The Sanderson sisters, if you forgot, were fun, mischievous and they had the best hair out of any of the other trios on the list. It was Winfred, Mary and Sarah, and the fact that they were witches also made them ten times better.
9. Bubbles, Blossom, Buttercup – Powerpuff Girls
We’re stoked that the PowerPuff Girls reboot gives us a fourth member — so no longer just a trio. But we cannot discount the way Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup proved how awesome it is to be part of a threesome. They might have had their own individual favorite colors and hairstyles, but they always came together to fight crime and rid the world of evil.
10. Jack, Janet, Chrissy – Three’s Company
Three’s Company was redefining friendship goals back in the days when we only put hashtags in front of numbers. It might have been an unlikely friendship with the two female roommates, Janet Wood and Chrissy Snow, offering a guy they found passed out in their tub, Jack Tripper, a chance to become their roommate, but it was the makings of a great 3 way friendship — and TV gold.
11. Curly, Larry, Moe – The Three Stooges
This one takes things way back to 1949 and the days when color TV wasn’t even a thing. The technology might have been lacking, but the comradery wasn’t between Curly Howard, Larry Fine and Moe Howard. They might not have always gotten along, and someone always seemed to get a pie in the face or poked in the eye. But at the heart of it, they were a trio who stuck together no matter what, and they gave us so many laughs and good feels.
12. Rose, Dorothy, Blanche – Golden Girls
Okay so while Sophia Petrillo is very much a part of this gang, she was originally more of an unexpected but hilarious bonus that ended up with Rose Nylund, Blanche Deveraux and Dorothy Zbornak. The ladies were funny, always there for each other and they would never, ever say no to a piece of cake — even if it was the middle of the night. They were our kind of people.
13. Phil, Alan, Stu – The Hangover
Technically, there were a few extra members and hangers on in “the wolf pack” but given that they were either MIA or doing something ridiculous, The Hangover ended up being a three-person strong team with Phil, Alan and Stu. As much as we wanted to see more of Doug, the baby and the monkey, they don’t really count. Neither does Mr. Chow.
14. Kirk, Spock and McCoy – Star Trek
Here’s a spaced out trio for you. People like to focus on James T. Kirk and Spock in Star Trek, but Dr. Leonard H. “Bones” McCoy turns the dynamic duo into a terrific threesome. They’re usually referred to as the ideal example of a Freudian trio with Spock being the superego and McCoy being the id. Then there’s Kirk who falls in between the two and was there to keep the group together.
15. Simon, Paula, Randy – American Idol
While the original American Idol judges, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell, did have the occasional tiff, their disagreements actually made the three more likable. They were like three different siblings who you wouldn’t expect to get along, but were actually alright. There was grumpy old Simon next to positive Paula and the dawg Randy, who always knew how to keep it real. Regardless of the other judges who came and went off the show, there was no touching these original three.
16. Danielle, Alana, Este – Haim
The Haim group is a family trio. Haim is actually Este, Danielle and Alana‘s last name. We’re sure that the trio from Los Angeles were inspiring sisters of the blood and non-blood variety before they were famous. Nowadays, they’re making great music, wearing enviable clothes and showing why it’s amazing to be an all-girl trio.
17. Buffy, Willow, Xander – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy Summers‘ two best friends, Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris didn’t exactly share fate, but they would help Buffy in her quest against evil. Despite the obstacles, the trio did their best and worked very hard, even through the terrifying, bloody times. It might be different than the #friendshipgoals stuff we see on Instagram, but it made for a good watch.
18. Luke, Leia, Han – Star Wars
We weren’t going to let a list like this go by without at least mentioning one of the greatest threesomes in the galaxy. Every Star Wars fan knows how strong Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia were individually, but together as a trio they became unstoppable. We would have included Chewbacca on the list, but this is a list about trios, and a Wookiee like that doesn’t deserve to be lumped in as a bonus character. We still love you, Chewy.
19. The Charmed Ones – Charmed
Phoebe, Piper and Prue Halliwell made us wish that we had magical powers and names that started with “P.” When we realized that was probably never going to happen, we wished our parents would have had the foresight to give all of the kids names starting with the same letter. It could have made the magic happen! (P.S. We understand Paige Matthews was an integral part of the series starting in season four and kept the trio, well, a trio, so let’s pour one out for her, too!)
Summing-Up
The old saying goes that two is company and three is a crowd. But this has been proven to be wrong many, many times. You and your two BFFs might prove the concept to be false, but pop culture has also done a good job of busting the myth.
When we take a look back at film, TV and even music, we realize that there have been a number of amazing trios who have actually helped redefine #friendshipgoals. They prove that two best buddies can be better than one and there’s no such thing as an awkward third wheel.
