20 best sitcom squads we want to be friends with
By Reed Gaudens
16. Lizzie McGuire
Members: Don’t be fooled: the friend group on Lizzie McGuire was an unbeatable trio, not an expansive quintet or sextet like most sitcoms. Lizzie (Hilary Duff), Gordo (Adam Lamberg), and Miranda (Lalaine) took on the world — and middle school — together. No matter what life threw at them, whether it was the latest feud with arch-enemy Kate Sanders (Ashlie Brillaut) or a zany fork in the road from Lizzie’s little brother Matt (Jake Thomas), these three were the ones we all wanted to be growing up.
Memorable moments: Whether you were a Disney Channel kid or you favored Nickelodeon, each of the classic shows we grew up watching featured the group of friends you always wanted to get into some shenanigans with. But Lizzie McGuire’s gang remains one of the most beloved, even to this day. Who could forget when they sneaked into an R-rated movie, shopped for bras (on the Disney Channel?!), or broke the bust of their school’s founding principal… and tried to fix it with gum? Between Lizzie and Miranda (secretly) chaperoning Gordo’s date and Lizzie helping Miranda through her eating disorder, they were the perfect picture of friendship.
Running gags: The greatest running gag in Lizzie McGuire was also one of its signatures: Lizzie’s animated inner monologue. Cartoon Lizzie would pop in and humorously describe what’s going on in Lizzie’s mind and explain how she felt. Other recurring elements in the series included Matt’s silent friend Lanny, Lizzie’s crush on Ethan Craft (and her rivalry with Kate), and the central trio’s frequent three-way calls. What’s more, Lizzie was known for coining her own vocabulary like “nose milk,” “word vomit,” and “derk.”
Key episodes: “Misadventures in Babysitting,” “Between a Rock and a Bra Place,” “Lizzie and Kate’s Excellent Adventure,” “First Kiss,” “El Oro De Montezuma,” “The Longest Yard,” “Lizzie’s Eleven.”