Det. Marty Hart and Rust Cohle (Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, True Detective The partnership between the Louisiana detectives is a rocky one given that both men have personal demons that can affect the investigation of a ritualistic murder. Marty may seem like the man with it all, but he's hiding a huge secret, and Rust is a nihilistic alcoholic with a propensity to spout cryptic phrases that aren't exactly warm and fuzzy bonding material. Somehow though, it's that very humanity in these fallible, head-butting partners that win out in the end in the face of horrifying circumstances.

Marco Ruiz and Sonya Cross (Demian Bichir and Diane Kruger), The Bridge A female cop from Texas who has Asperger's and a male cop from Juarez who likes to bend the rules. Seems like a perfect pairing, right? Yet somehow in Kruger and Bichir's hands, the chemistry between these two unlikely partners crackles. Marco's rule-bending is the perfect counterpart to Sonya's black-and-white worldview — and they serve as nice metaphors for the countries they represent (and the clashes between them) as well.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson (Bendict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman), Sherlock Eccentric, yet brilliantly perceptive, Sherlock is a force of nature in the world of investigation but rather wrong-footed when it comes to social interactions. And although Watson is Sherlock's link to humanity, Watson himself depends on Sherlock as a conduit for the danger and darkness that the doctor craves after emerging from war. The odd relationship has blossomed into quite a charming (and often hilarious) bromance that has not lessened even in the face of Watson's marriage. Take note, criminals! This duo's loyalty to each other and integrity "on the side of angels" should not be underestimated.

O, Canada! We love this duo from our neighbor to the north, and in its first two seasons, Motive has thankfully shied away from exploring a will-they-or-won't-they dynamic between Angie and Vega. They may tease each other like brother and sister when they're working a case, but when push comes to shove the detectives have each other's backs.

Carrie and Al (Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh), Unforgettable These two used to date, but Carrie and Al have done what few TV exes have: work together and be friends. They are professional but still manage to have a little fun, even though you know Carrie remembers all the bad times with the good. She has a carefree ease with Al, whose fierce protectiveness of her gives 'shippers a glimmer of hope without shoving the will-they-won't-they of it all down our throats.

Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson), The X-Files Great partners challenge one another: Strict Catholic and skeptical scientist Scully did her best to debunk Mulder's wild ideas about aliens and shadowy government organizations, on which he began fixating after his sister mysteriously disappeared. After seven years spent sorting out the mysteries of the universe together, Mulder made a believer out of Scully. And all he had to do was get abducted by space creatures himself! Whichever side of the "we are not alone" debate you come down on, there's no arguing that the chemistry between these two is out of this world.

Richard Castle and Kate Beckett (Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic), Castle She's a steely NYPD homicide detective looking to solve her mother's murder; he's a mystery writer looking for inspiration. Castle's often-outrageous theories (time-travelling killers! Bigfoot!) help Beckett do her job. Outside the precinct, though, the two have built a relationship to rival the greatest love stories around.

Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan (David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel), Bones Can romance bloom over a pile of skeletal remains? It seems so! It took years for the blunt, socially inept forensic anthropologist Dr. Brennan make a go of it with cocksure FBI agent Seeley Booth. A baby and a busted proposal later, these two are still looking for their happy ending. Will they ever get it? That perhaps remains the show's one unsolvable mystery.

Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler (Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni), Law & Order: SVU Not all partners are destined to end up in the sack. Although there's always been some underlying sexual chemistry between Benson and Stabler, the duo has always remained platonic. But that doesn't mean they don't care for one another. Look no further than Season 7's "Fault" — when Benson talked down a killer holding Stabler at gunpoint — to understand that, in many ways, all either detective has in the world is the other. Sadly, with Christopher Meloni's departure from the show, this duo's days of crime-fighting are over.

Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles (Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander), Rizzoli & Isles It's a huge relief when your partner in (solving) crime is your best friend. Though Maura's social awkwardness often makes her as cold as the corpses on her slab, when it comes to her friend Jane — particularly her traumatizing past with serial killer Charles Hoyt — she's always ready with a warm embrace. And of course, her forensic expertise is always handy in helping Jane nail the bad guys too. Now if only Jane were more receptive to Maura's fashion advice...

Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson (Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu), Elementary Almost every detective duo on TV was modeled after the classic Holmes and Watson partnering, and even with CBS' gender-bending twist, it's still a recipe for success. Although Joan originally works as Sherlock's "sober companion," his trust in her grows and he values her input to the point of offering her an apprenticeship. She's just the right amount of calm to balance out Holmes' quirks and help him focus. That simple give-and-take is quite, well, elementary.

Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder (Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman), The Killing Holder's erratic style didn't exactly jell with Linden's quiet, reserved approach at first. But despite their differences — and because of their respective, demon-filled pasts — the two quickly came to rely on each other as they strived to solve Rosie Larsen's murder. (We'll be happy to watch them try to crack a new case in Season 3). Even in all that rain, it's hard to put a damper on this pair's crime-solving chemistry.

They're an unstoppable team. He's a brilliant con man; she's a tough, emotionally unavailable, by-the-book FBI agent. With an assist from Peter's nutty professor dad, they solved the Bureau's most bizarre cases and saved the world five or six times over. But unlike some platonic partners, we soon began rooting for these two to be together. We were thrilled that, despite some aspects of their world being oblieterated, these two were happy in the end.

Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker (Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski), Chuck Screw the Moonlighting curse! These two spies — who met when Chuck accidentally downloaded some top-secret info into his brain and thus required a beautiful CIA handler — didn't let their working relationship keep them from going undercover in another way. And they even got married!

Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering (Eddie McClintock and Joann Kelley), Warehouse 13 Pete needs his partner's excellent eye for detail to balance his freewheeling, rule-bending approach. (Myka's photographic memory is pretty helpful too.) But Pete's childlike attitude also brings out the fun-loving side of Myka. What more can you want in a partner than someone who brings out the best in you?

Maddie Hayes and David Addison (Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis), Moonlighting When former model Maddie meets David, the schlub running her detective agency, sparks fly. In fact, they burn the whole damn house down with their sexual tension. They raise will-they-or-won't-they to an artform. And then unfortunately... they did it. The audience fled, the ratings plummeted, and it was forever written in the prime-time rule book that protagonists must never actually canoodle. Thanks a lot, Dave and Maddie! (We'll always have Blue Moon.)

Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), Supernatural Would you sell your soul in order to bring your partner back from the dead? Neither would we. So it's a good thing Sam's partner is his brother Dean, who is slightly more willing to make that sacrifice, even if it means spending four months in hell. It’s that kind of loyalty and dedication that makes this pair of demon hunters a formidable team. (Bonus: They look great doing it.)

Shawn Spencer and Burton "Gus" Guster (James Roday and Dule Hill), Psych Good partnerships allow the individuals within them to grow. Consider how Gus — an uptight pharmaceutical rep whose chief role has been to keep his buddy Shawn from getting into too much trouble with his fake psychic routine — now plays an active part in Shawn's elaborate schemes. (He even has awesome code names! Our personal favorite: Control Alt Delete.) On second thought, he may just be a sap who Shawn lovingly manipulates, but hey, whatever gets the job done.

Neal Caffrey and Peter Burke (Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay), White Collar FBI agent Peter Burke may rely on ex-con Neal to help him nab bad guys, but it's not because he lacks the skills necessary to hone in on a suspect. (After all, he did catch Neal.) We like to believe that what keeps Peter invested in this odd couple is the hope that Neal can walk away from his life of crime and live honestly. We're sure he can — but let's give it a few more seasons before he does, OK?

Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon (Simon Baker and Robin Tunney), The Mentalist This partnership works because Lisbon isn't so skeptical that she won't give Jane enough room to use his unconventional (but effective) crime-solving methods. But most importantly, the partners always look out for one another, especially when one of them goes a little too far in pursuit of a nemesis (Red John for Jane, Tommy Volker for Lisbon). Are they in love? We're not so sure, but we love watching them work.