Great comedy duos come in all shapes and sizes, genders, and ethnicities. But sometimes, when you get the right female and male comedians together, their comedic relationship and chemistry is undeniable (heck, that’s why they typically score a sitcom). The following are a few of the classic female and male comedy duos who made on-screen comedy look easy.

1. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

“I Love Lucy” was one of the first shows that showed that, yes, men and women can be equally funny. The show first aired in 1951 and went through some social growing pains while it was on air (remember, it was still totally cool for people to make “beat your wife” jokes on air in the ’50s). But, all in all, this real-life couple made their chemistry work onscreen and proved that a wife is every bit as cunning as a husband.

2. Mary Tyler Moore and Ed Asner

While this comedy duo wasn’t married, they were work-married on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Watching Mary try to convince Lou (Ed’s on-screen character) that her spunk is a good thing, and seeing Lou progressively get a bit cuddlier and caring as the series goes on, makes for great comedy.

3. Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson 

While I was raised on the previous comedy duos, I grew up with Tim the Toolman Taylor and Jill on “Home Improvement.” I revisited this series a few years ago and I’ve got to say, these two are really good at interpreting each other’s comedic timing. Also: This couple actually “loved” each other. They had a good marriage throughout the show and made mundane relationship struggles hilarious.

4. Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann

“Gilmore Girls” is getting a lot of press lately. (If you’re a fan, you need to watch this panel.) And that’s a good thing because this show got teen angst, single mom angst, and comedy right. While the show was totally forward- thinking in casting Melissa McCarthy in a supporting role before she was a big star, it also landed the incredibly talented Bishop and Herrmann. These two played the oh-so snobby Richard and Emily Gilmore and made elitism look laughably serious.

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Image of couple watching television via Shutterstock

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