5 of the Best Cop Duos in Television and Film

Partners for over 12 years, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) from Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit are perhaps the best to ever do it.

Most notable for abandoning the notion of a need for a good-cop/bad-cop dynamic, Bensler, as they’re often called by their fan base, captivated audiences by playing a more nuanced and complex law enforcement duo than television was used to at the time of their inception.

And while, in that regard, they can be considered a bit subversive, Benson and Stabler still make good on the age-old and highly-favored trope of partners with a heavy dose of romantic ambiguity. By “heavy dose,” I mean more than decade's worth.

This pair is complex, empathetic, and undoubtedly the heartbeat of their procedural drama.

Captured in one of the most widely-acclaimed seasons of television ever, Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) showcase a pair of detectives who, whether or not they would willingly admit it, reluctantly become best friends. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, don’t let this fool you—this is not your traditional buddy cop dynamic.

Instead, the friendship between Rust and Marty—set against an investigation into an occult murder in Louisiana in the 90s— is one that is both deep and incredibly strained. These men show us that the ones we love the most have the most power to hurt us, and yet, despite this hurt, certain bonds are simply inevitable. Fated, even.

They also show us that the love of a friend is often more powerful than romantic or familial love. Rhis is especially interesting as this show is considered to be an exploration of toxic masculinity.

Watching this duo go toe-to-toe with each other and challenge each other intellectually and physically is perhaps just as interesting as watching the case unfold.

Without spoiling too much of the plot of the movie, let’s just say that the partnership between William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and David Mills (Brad Pitt) unravels before it even really begins. Because of this, it leaves viewers wanting so much more.

Somerset, a seasoned homicide detective nearing retirement, gets temporarily partnered with his rookie replacement—just in time to catch one of the most brutal and creative serial murder sprees ever seen in film.

Somerset is calculated and strategic compared to Mills, who is hungry, reactionary, and impatient, though naturally skilled. It’s a real tease to see how more time under Somerset could have shaped Mills into a career case-closer.

But alas, the sin of pride gets in the way.

With this duo, it’s not necessarily what we get, but rather all the things that could have been. It makes watching them hurt so good.

In the spirit of True Detective, Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Navarro (Kali Reis) would most likely not consider themselves friends. In spite of this, what's so captivating about this duo is how they see each other.

In short, real recognizes real.

Female detective duos are so rare, and this one in particular is done so uniquely and so well that it is more than enough justification to mention the same franchise twice.

Danvers and Navarro are imperfect women—arguably even unlikeable women—in the sense that they do not subscribe to any of the conventions put upon women every day of their lives. They make bad, selfish, and sometimes illegal choices, and instead of holding this against each other, they simply take it in stride.

There is no competition between them, and there is no keeping score.

They are female detectives who behave like men do, and they accept this of each other, which makes for an enjoyable, refreshing, and almost liberating watch.

Bringing up the rear is perhaps the best duo of all time. Jodie Foster must be onto something when it comes to being a part of a dynamic duo…

Here we have the duo that should not be—because the things we cannot have are almost always the things we desire most.

Agent Clarice Starling (Foster) and Dr. Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) represent a strange and forbidden dynamic in the sense that Lector, a criminal psychotherapist, is helping Starling, a rookie FBI Agent, solve a major serial murder case.

Every aspect of their relationship is a negotiation—a game of cat-and-mouse—and yet, there is something deeply and electrically kindred between them. Watching them solve the case of Buffalo Bill makes you want to see them solve more cases together, and at the same time, more cases can and will never be.

Lightning like this does not strike twice, and therefore, it feels like magic watching it. The impermanence of their encounter makes it all the more seductive.

So, while you’re looking for something to watch in celebration of Valentine’s Day, don’t forget to show your favorite detective duos a little love.