Rivalry and Revelry: Small Screen Siblings Who Bring Out the Best and Worst In Each Other

We don’t need a holiday to honor siblings who have entertained us with their engaging rivalry or strong loyalty, but this latest inspired us nonetheless.

While siblings grate on each other’s nerves, they understand and protect each other at all costs. From those who have bitter fights to those who would die for each other, these siblings represent some of the best relationships throughout television history.

Check out the list and let us know if your favorite made it and if we missed any important ones.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige Halliwell: Charmed

The OG Charmed Ones were one of the best sibling relationships on television as the sisters tried to protect the world from evil, have relationships, and discover their ancestry.

Nothing like fighting demons to bring you closer. When the series began, Prue and Phoebe had many issues related to their father, but they quickly learned they were more successful when they all worked together.

Their sisterly bond grew stronger throughout the series, only faltering when Phoebe fell in love with Cole, a demon.

They experienced real heartache when Prue died, and Piper and Phoebe wanted to quit. They had difficulty accepting their half-sister Paige into the mix, but eventually, she was part of the fold.

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Dean and Sam Winchester: Supernatural

Let’s face it. There’s nothing better than killing supernatural demons with your sibling, and that’s why the Winchester brothers and Halliwell sisters are beloved.

Over 15 seasons, Sam and Dean conquered evil, died for each other, and traveled to hell and back. Their bond saves them a lot, like when Dean refuses to fight a possessed Sam and breaks through to him.

Dean sacrifices himself and deals with the devil to save Sam’s life. That was some brotherly love, and it filled Sam with guilt. But their bond could never be broken.

We’ve seen them both return from hell, and the look of shock was always worth it.

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Buffy and Dawn Summers

We recently lost Michelle Trachtenberg, and we’ll always remember her as Buffy’s little sister, Dawn.

Even though Dawn was initially “The Key,” Buffy considered her family and joked that Dawn wouldn’t annoy her if she weren’t her younger sister.

They had a typical sibling rivalry until their mom died, and Buffy became more of Dawn’s protector.

It was challenging for Dawn to have the slayer as an older sister since she felt she’d never measure up, but eventually Buffy allowed Dawn to patrol with her and see her potential. The sisters made a great team.

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Brandon and Brenda Walsh: Beverly Hills 90210

We have a few twin relationships on this list, but the Walsh twins had a unique, close-knit bond and were best friends.

It helped that Shannen Doherty and Jason Priestley were close friends, and sometimes there were almost sexual undertones in their talks in that infamous Jack-and-Jill bathroom.

Through it all, Brandon was often portrayed as the responsible twin, while Brenda was often the reckless one who turned to her brother for support.

The series was not the same without Brenda once Shannen left.

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The Walker Siblings: Brothers and Sisters

The Walker siblings were the dysfunctional family you knew and loved. Everyone was in each other’s business. Some of the funniest scenes included group phone calls during which the siblings discussed their mother’s love life.

The siblings had their issues, though, especially Justin, the baby of the family. He struggled with a drug addiction after returning from war, and it took an intervention to help him.

But the siblings always pulled through for each other, whether it was the brothers donating sperm so Tommy could have a biological baby or the siblings rallying around Kitty through her cancer ordeal.

They could fight, but they always showed up.

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Lucas and Nathan Scott: One Tree Hill

Lucas and Nathan’s relationship on One Tree Hill became competitive because their father pitted them against each other, especially on the basketball team.

As they got to know each other, they became closer. Haley’s closeness to both helped them act like actual brothers.

With how their relationship started, it almost seemed full circle that Lucas was Nathan’s best man and Jamie’s godfather.

After Keith dies and Dan is arrested, Lucas and Nathan only have each other. While their common resentment of their father started their relationship, they grew to help each other through anything, including Nathan’s injury.

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Damon and Stefan Salvatore: The Vampire Diaries

The Salvatore brothers were one of the most fascinating sibling duos and were the draw of The Vampire Diaries.

They had a complicated relationship mainly because they both loved Elena, and that love triangle fueled the series. While the brothers threw some punches over her, they also showed grudging respect whenever she made her choice.

They had a strong rivalry but would do anything for one another. Even though fire kills vampires, Stefan jumped into a burning basement to save Damon.

 Even though Damon is often portrayed as the more flawed brother, he sacrifices himself to save Stefan’s life and protects him from the tomb vampires. Damon once referred to Stefan as the most important person in his life.

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Oliver and Thea: Arrow

The Queen siblings were extremely protective of each other, and their relationship grew healthier once Oliver told his sister he was the Green Arrow.

Being many years younger than Oliver, Thea sometimes felt detached from her brother, despite his adoration for her.

They grew even closer once she knew his secret and they were colleagues.

Oliver and Thea both strived to keep each other safe, no matter the cost. Oliver even pretended he killed Sara so Ra’s would not seek revenge on his sister.

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Alex and Kara Danvers: Supergirl

Every superhero needs her own hero, and Alex has always given Kara hope when she’s felt like giving up. In many ways, the sisters were each other’s safe places.

Their relationship is the main thread of Supergirl and is portrayed as a strong, supportive sisterly bond. Initially, Alex worries about Kara’s powers being exposed, but then Kara saves her and a plane full of people.

You could see the strength of their bond when Alex begged her sister to return to her when Kara was stuck in a hallucination and when Kara forgave Alex for killing Aunt Astra, seeing how tormented she was.

One of their best moments featured Alex coming out to Kara and Kara unconditionally accepting Alex. When Maggie and Alex broke up, Kara took Alex home to spend time with their mom and give her space. They always knew what the other needed.

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Cordell and Liam Walker: Walker

Cordell and Liam’s close and complicated relationship on Walker resembled that of the Winchester brothers, which shouldn’t surprise anyone with Jared Padalecki in the role.

While Liam would do anything for his brother and his kids, he resented that Cordell went undercover right after Emily died, leaving Liam to care for his teenagers.

That opened up many resentments when Stella and Auggie turned to Uncle Liam first for advice or comfort, and Cordell had to earn everyone’s trust back.

The enemies always recognized the brothers’ relationship, and one group even kidnapped Liam along with Cordell to torture him. It was a raw, emotional moment as they reaffirmed their bond and escaped their cell.

Liam hasn’t been the same since that experience and had to force Cordell to talk about it, as Cordell preferred being stoic and silent.

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Will and Jonathan Byers: Stranger Things

The Byers’ relationship remained one of the best parts of Stranger Things. Since their dad left, it has always been the two of them against the world.

Jonathan practically raised Will and felt heartbroken when he thought Will had died. He risked everything to save him, and in essence, it was his and their mother’s love that saved Will.

Unlike Will, who had many friends, Jonathan considered his brother his closest friend. That was sad but endearing.

Jonathan understood Will better than anyone and realized that he was gay. In an emotional moment, Jonathan accepted and validated his brother, showing he loved him no matter what.

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Derek and Amelia Shepherd: Grey’s Anatomy

Derek and Anelia’s relationship on Grey’s Anatomy was complex because he often acted like a parental figure after their dad was murdered.

That experience changed both of them, making them fear relationships and bail often, sometimes even on each other. Amelia turned to drugs, widening the estrangement.

While she went to rehab, their relationship remained tense for years because Amelia felt that Derek didn’t understand her.

Working in the great surgeon’s shadow was challenging, especially when they worked together. However, when Derek died, Amelia was left with more grief and confusion about how things were gone.

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Kate, Kevin, and Randall Pearson: This is Us

We watched The Big 3 grow up and felt every emotion imaginable as we often saw them as children or teens and paralleled them as adults.

The Big 3 differed greatly, and This Is Us realistically portrayed their complicated relationships, especially how siblings remember their childhood differently. Kevin and Randall often disagreed about who their parents favored and why.

In the end, the triplets always showed up for each other, whether Randall had an anxiety attack, Kevin went into rehab, or Kate experienced a high-risk pregnancy.

Their complicated relationship was the highlight of the series, and fans often rooted for them to succeed.

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Jordan and Olivia Baker: All American

Jordan and Olivia on All American hold a special place in my heart because, like the Walsh twins, they understand each other better than anyone else.

They grew up close but drifted as Jordan became a popular football star and Olivia felt isolated. Not even Jordan realized how lonely she was and why she turned to drugs, but that opened up their communication and made them closer again

They supported each other through learning about their dad’s affair, Olivia’s relapse, and thinking Jordan was becoming a teen father.

However, what cemented the twins’ relationship was grieving Billy’s death together. It hit Olivia especially hard, and Jordan promised he’d always be there for her.

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The Adams-Fosters Siblings: The Fosters

When The Fosters began, Lena and Stef had just added Callie and Jude to their family, demonstrating the importance of unconditional love and a safe haven.

While Mariana and Jesus and Jude and Callie were often showcased the most, all of the siblings shared an unshakeable bond.

Both the twins and Jude and Callie had a special bond since they survived trauma before getting adopted.

Things were rocky initially, but love conquered more than DNA in that family.

Initially, Brandon and Callie had a romantic vibe. Still, they sacrificed that so she could belong to an actual family, and they eventually became more like siblings who understood each other.

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Bay Kennish and Daphne Vasquez: Switched at Birth

Bay and Daphne were a unique example since they were Switched at Birth; they weren’t technically sisters, but switchters.

They were teenagers when they learned of the mix-up, and then all the parents raised them together. It took some time for Bay and Daphne to adjust from being strangers and rivals for their parents’ affection to siblings.

Eventually, they became close, especially when Bay covered for one of Daphne’s crimes, something only siblings do.

By the time they traveled to Asia together, you would have never known they hadn’t known each other since birth.

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Jon Snow and Arya Stark: Game of Thrones

While there are many interesting sibling pairs on Game of Thrones, I selected the more supportive and less incestuous one.

While everyone else wanted Arya to behave like a young lady, Jon gifted her her first sword, Needle, and helped her become a badass warrior.

He’s the only one who believes in her, and they support each other in battle, threatening others who get in their way.

It meant so much to Jon that his little sister kept and still fought with the sword he had given her many years ago. It brought her luck.

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Did your favorites make our list? Let us know in the comments who your favorite TV siblings are and who else you would have added.

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