Samantha Friends 90%

Better to cultivate one or two deep Samantha-style relationships and let the rest of your friendships be what they are: lovely, light, supportive in their own way, but not required to carry the weight of total honesty. We’re seeing a resurgence of the archetype in modern storytelling, partly as a reaction to the “girlboss” era of transactional female friendship. Shows like Hacks (Deborah and Ava), Somebody Somewhere (Sam and Joel), and Reservation Dogs (the core four) feature Samantha-style friendships where love and honesty are inseparable.

The Samantha friend isn’t just a person. It’s a practice. It’s choosing honesty over comfort. It’s loving people enough to risk their temporary anger. It’s refusing to participate in the quiet lies that slowly kill connections. samantha friends

Before Samantha Jones, there were precursors: from Bewitched (a different kind of supportive friend, albeit to her husband), and Samantha Baker in Sixteen Candles (the overlooked protagonist who eventually finds her voice). But it was the Sex and the City Samantha who crystallized the archetype: the friend who loves you enough to risk annoying you. Better to cultivate one or two deep Samantha-style

If you have one, thank them today. If you are one, thank yourself. And if you don’t have one yet—start by being one. The world is dying for more Samanthas. End of feature. The Samantha friend isn’t just a person

In the decades since, the "Samantha friend" has appeared in various forms— (How I Met Your Mother), Susie Greene (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Annalise Keating’s Bonnie (How to Get Away with Murder)—but the DNA remains the same. Part 3: Why We Crave a Samantha Friend (But Rarely Find One) Ask anyone: “Do you have a Samantha friend?” Most will hesitate. Some will say no. A few will smile and name a person who changed their life.