Lizzie McGuire marked the golden age of the Disney Channel. Hilary Duff played the awkward title character to perfection as she experimented with fashion, found her voice, and navigated the rough waters of middle school.
Though the series centered around the McGuire family, the story was clearly about the friendships. More often than not, it was Lizzie’s friends who helped her deal with her problems, not her family. But not every friendship in middle school is the kind that will last, and some are just not good for you.
Best: Lizzie And Miranda
From the very first episode of the series, the audience learned that Miranda was Lizzie’s best friend. The two had similar styles, helped each other out both in school and in awkward social situations.
Miranda took the blame for Lizzie spreading a rumor about Kate Sanders that gets her picked on throughout the early part of the series. Lizzie helped Miranda understand her body image issues and get her to stop withholding food. The two went their separate ways on occasion, like when Miranda went to a party with the cool kids or Lizzie got her first boyfriend, but they always came back to one another in the end.
Worst: Matt And Melina
Lizzie’s little brother Matt was always plotting something mischievous. Because of that, he attracted like-minded schemers. Melina was his former competition, turned friend, turned girlfriend. Unfortunately, their relationship was a bit unbalanced, and that’s what lands them among the worst.
Though Matt loved a good prank and could craft a solid con, Melina had him beat. She took advantage of him time and again, getting him to do the dirty work while she looked like an angel. She’s an evil genius, but maybe not the best friend.
Best: Lizzie And Kate
Lizzie and Kate were enemies when the series began, so how can they rank among the best? That’s because Lizzie actually brought out Kate’s good side. Yes, Kate spent a lot of time in middle school picking on Lizzie, but when they’re alone, we saw that Kate’s not all bad.
When Lizzie helped Kate learn to do one-handed gymnastics tricks, the audience saw that perhaps Kate wasn’t as happy with her popular status as she let on. Likewise, the two understood one another when they’re stuck working on a project together. By the time The Lizzie McGuire Movie rolled around, Kate and Lizzie became allies in Italy. They were well on a path to true friendship, as Kate came to Lizzie’s rescue multiple times. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see how they continued in high school. Maybe the Disney+ revival will give us some answers.
Worst: Matt And Lanny
Matt and Lanny’s relationship is a lot like Matt’s with Melina. Unfortunately, it’s unbalanced in the other direction.
Lanny didn’t speak in the show, though Matt could communicate with him non-verbally. There were times where he took advantage of this, getting his family to believe that Lanny was in on schemes he really wasn’t interested in. In fact, Lanny was a lot more laid-back than Matt, even though he did let Matt involve him in a lot of his troublemaking.
Best: Ethan And Kate
Kate and Ethan, surprisingly, didn’t interact a ton during the series. Pretty and popular, they seemed to run with the same friends, but it wasn’t until The Lizzie McGuire Movie that we got a real glimpse into their friendship.
While Ethan gave both Gordo and Lizzie advice a time or two throughout the series, he didn’t get the chance to really hang out with Kate until they were in Italy. He helped her realize she was a little too obsessed with her appearance, and that if she could relax, she might enjoy their vacation a bit more. Just like Lizzie and Kate’s friendship, Ethan brought out a nicer side of Kate, and it would have been interesting to see the two of them progress to better friends instead of just similarly popular people in high school.
Worst: Lizzie And Angel
Every good kid decides to take a walk on the wild side once in a while, right? Angel was Lizzie’s ticket to do just that. Angel tried to cheat off Lizzie’s test in math class, and the result was both of them landing in detention. After having more fun than she thought she would, Lizzie decided she’d try Angel’s way of doing things.
That resulted in Lizzie making fun of people she was usually nice to, talking back to teachers and parents, and changing up her look. The teen years are all about experimenting and figuring out your identity, but Lizzie only did it to emulate someone else, and she didn’t enjoy it. Instead, she considered being bad “hard work.” If she had continued trying to fit in with Angel, it would have been a very different show.
Best: Lizzie And Gordo
Though Lizzie and Miranda might have seemed closer when the series first began, the final stretch of episodes saw Miranda leave to visit family — and never really come back. As a result, Gordo and Lizzie were pushed together in more storylines, making them closer.
Gordo was the one there for Lizzie when her first boyfriend broke her heart, and Lizzie was there when Gordo really needed a win with the popular kids. If Lizzie was all heart and impulsiveness, Gordo was the voice of reason. The two of them balanced each other out, encouraging and helping one another whenever they could.
Worst: Kate And Claire
When Lizzie McGuire began, the audience learned that mean girl Kate used to be friends with Lizzie and Miranda. Kate hit puberty and started hanging out with the popular kids instead. It’s one of those popular kids in particular who provided one of the worst friendships in the entire show.
Claire was initially presented as Kate’s sidekick, but it’s clear as the series went on that it might have actually been the other way around. Claire and Kate were a tag-team when it came to ruling the school, but when Claire saw a chance to push Kate out of the way, she took it. She kicked Kate off the cheerleading squad when Kate injured her shoulder, treating Kate the same way she treated all of the less popular kids. Claire was the worst.
Best: Lizzie, Gordo, And Miranda
Lizzie and Miranda had a great friendship; Gordo and Lizzie had a great friendship. Gordo and Miranda, on the other hand, didn’t appear to interact too much unless it was about Lizzie. Lizzie was the glue that held this particular friend group together.
The trio didn’t always have a lot in common. Gordo was an old soul, for example, and wasn’t really interested in the same things his friends were. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun together. The three of them filmed music videos, worked together on school projects, and were generally inseparable. They knew when to tackle projects together and when two of them might be best suited to hang out instead — and who would be best suited to helping comfort one of the other three. Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda were friendship goals before that even became a saying.
Worst: Lizzie And Paolo
Paolo is the only character on the list who never appeared in the series. Instead, he debuted in the big screen adventure. Paolo was one half of a pop music duo who met Lizzie while she was on a field trip. He befriended her and asked her to stand in for his partner, who left him in a lurch.
Paolo was nice enough at first. He showered Lizzie in clothing and gifts, teaching her some of the basics for being a star. Paolo, however, didn’t have Lizzie’s best interest at heart. Instead, his whole goal was to humiliate his partner Isabella, using Lizzie to do it. Luckily, Lizzie found out the truth before that happened, but Paolo and Lizzie’s friendship went out with a bang — and a pop song.
