When you think back at the great duos in sitcom history, Richie and Fonzie might be easily overlooked. They share the screen with a lot of other characters, so they may not leap to mind the way Andy and Barney or Ralph and Norton do.

The truth, though, is that Riche and Fonzie have one of the most interesting dynamics in any show ever. They're almost mirror images of each other, and their differences are clear from the beginning. Ron Howard's Richie Cunningham is a clean-cut, cardigan-sweater-wearing mama's boy. He's the type of kid that teachers probably love to have in class, because he's virtually no trouble at all. By contrast, Henry Winkler's Arthur Fonzarelli is the quintessential bad boy, complete with a leather jacket and a motorcycle. 

However, these two characters share more than meets the eye, and it's their commonalities that make them such a compelling pair. For instance, Richie and the Fonz are united by a shared loyalty. They're good friends, not just to each other but to Potsie and Ralph, too. It may not seem that way, because of Fonzie's tough exterior, but mess with his friends and you'll face his wrath.

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Richie and Fonzie weren't just accidentally a fun duo to watch. It was a product of the writing, sure, but it was even more so the result of two actors' onscreen chemistry. 

"When we worked together, there was something that happens out of the blue," Winkler told People. "We had a shorthand with the script. He went where I went, I went where he went, and it became something else."

Ron Howard and Henry Winkler caught a rocket to superstardom together, and along the way, they built trust, both as friends and as scene partners.  It's no shock, then, that Winkler was devastated when Howard decided to leave the show. He dove deep into his feelings in a 2025 interview, recalling the afternoon when Howard called him up to tell him the news.

"My first thought was, 'I'm going to die now,'" said Winkler. "My great acting partner on this show, my good friend is no longer going to be here. My life is over.

"And that was the first two seconds. Then I said, 'Ron, we've talked about this since the beginning. All you want to do is be a director. It's in your DNA. Go and be the best you can be, and I cannot wait to see what you do.'"

This is a lot like Winkler's onscreen alter ego. The Fonz might initially bristle at Richie's news, but eventually, he'd come around to see his friend's side of things as well.