do you think the "friends" actors were talented?

[Anonymous]

The blooper clip from the “PIVOT” episode is hysterical.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I do. They played such an eclectic ensemble so well.

Matthew Perry was the most talented and charming, IMO. He was just so funny and biting. I think Matt Leblanc maybe was the least talented, but on the other hand, I recall many times his character made my stomach hurt from laughter (one of my favorite episodes is where he loses his health insurance and gets a hernia) so maybe that’s saying something. I appreciate Lisa kudrow as an actress but enjoyed phoebes character the least. But they were just magnetic as a cast and yes, I think they were talented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always thought I hated Schwimmer, but I rewatched the show as an adult and realized how great his comedic timing is. Teenage me just didn’t like Ross.

"PIVOT!!"

Never thought the scene was funny.

That's definitely a you problem

I think the only reason people NOW like it is because Schwimmer said that was his favorite scene.

I actually thought the leather pants with powder and lotion was his best scene.

The funniest one was Chandler saying it was no big deal that he and Joey shared soap in the shower. Then Joey asked him "What do you wash first? What do ypu wash last?" And gave Chandler a look. Chander's reaction was perfect. The whole scene was perfect. It was mostly looks and reactions.

It was "what do you wash first and what do I wash last?" Big difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always thought I hated Schwimmer, but I rewatched the show as an adult and realized how great his comedic timing is. Teenage me just didn’t like Ross.

"PIVOT!!"

Never thought the scene was funny.

That's definitely a you problem

I think the only reason people NOW like it is because Schwimmer said that was his favorite scene.

I actually thought the leather pants with powder and lotion was his best scene.

DP. At the time it aired, it was hilarious. Everyone was talking about it and saying, "PIVOT!" It's not as funny now, rewatching it, but it definitely was at the time.

There was no streaming service, few people with cell phones, no smart phones and no DVRs or Tivo for the majority of the run of Friends. Internet was still dial up in most places.

This meant that nearly every single person in the entire country between the ages of 15-50 was sitting in front of TV on Thursday night watching Friends. The next Friday at work and school, just about every teen through adult was discussing the previous night's episode, laughing over the jokes, mimicking the expressions of the characters, and copying Chandler's weird cadence. The Friends girls were beautiful, but normal regular girl beautiful, and well dressed in an accessible, affordable way, so they were easy to connect to. M
ost women were getting the Rachel cut and copying the style of one of the 3 women on the show. They made things that weren't talked about, such as Ross' ex wife and new wife, interracial dating and more, just normal and regular, instead of A Thing.

It was truly a cultural phenomenon where almost all teens and adults in America were watching and experiencing the exact same thing at the exact same time, through laughter and silliness.

The Cosby Show was the same thing, for kids and families. All the kids in the country were watching at the same time, learning how to be a good kid and how to interact with family in a positive way.

We will never duplicate that same kind of cultural experience, unless the internet and smart phones disappear.

The only time now that anything remotely similar happens where most of America is watching the same thing is the superbowl, or if something important exploded, caught on fire, got attacked, washed away, got assassinated, or some other terrible event.

We would be a better country if we once again had these regular, fun, positive cultural experiences .

Totally agree!

[Anonymous]

The primary faulty with Friends was the complete absence of diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always thought I hated Schwimmer, but I rewatched the show as an adult and realized how great his comedic timing is. Teenage me just didn’t like Ross.

"PIVOT!!"

Never thought the scene was funny.

That's definitely a you problem

I think the only reason people NOW like it is because Schwimmer said that was his favorite scene.

I actually thought the leather pants with powder and lotion was his best scene.

The funniest one was Chandler saying it was no big deal that he and Joey shared soap in the shower. Then Joey asked him "What do you wash first? What do ypu wash last?" And gave Chandler a look. Chander's reaction was perfect. The whole scene was perfect. It was mostly looks and reactions.

It was "what do you wash first and what do I wash last?" Big difference.

Yes, correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The primary faulty with Friends was the complete absence of diversity.

Clearly you never watched it.

It had interracial dating.

Lesbian mothers.

Catholics, Jews, and non religious.

A lead with a dad who was a gay drag queen turned trans.

Rich people. Poor people. People from broken homes.

You are really reaching for straws to try to start a political fight and push a narrative that this show was not diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The primary faulty with Friends was the complete absence of diversity.

Clearly you never watched it.

It had interracial dating.

Lesbian mothers.

Catholics, Jews, and non religious.

A lead with a dad who was a gay drag queen turned trans.

Rich people. Poor people. People from broken homes.

You are really reaching for straws to try to start a political fight and push a narrative that this show was not diverse.

Diversity wasn’t a consideration in the 90’s. Considering that, they were very diverse. And much more diverse in a later comedy, Big Bang.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The primary faulty with Friends was the complete absence of diversity.

Clearly you never watched it.

It had interracial dating.

Lesbian mothers.

Catholics, Jews, and non religious.

A lead with a dad who was a gay drag queen turned trans.

Rich people. Poor people. People from broken homes.

You are really reaching for straws to try to start a political fight and push a narrative that this show was not diverse.

+1
The PP is just upset that the conversation is no longer laser-focused on the issues she wants to continue arguing about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schwimmer and Kudrow, yes. The others? Naw.

NP - isn’t the deal about their collective chemistry rather than individual talents?

Anyway, clearly they had great and complimentary energy together … the show is still popular decades later …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They were a great ensemble group.

+1 their tremendous chemistry was lightning in a bottle. No sitcom since has been able to replicate it. It’s why it’s remained so popular, even when many of the jokes are dated now.

Agreed. They were talented to different degrees. I'd put Kudrow and Aniston near the top, Leblanc near the bottom. But most of them grew over time. And the chemistry was enough to keep it going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The primary faulty with Friends was the complete absence of diversity.

Clearly you never watched it.

It had interracial dating.

Lesbian mothers.

Catholics, Jews, and non religious.

A lead with a dad who was a gay drag queen turned trans.

Rich people. Poor people. People from broken homes.

You are really reaching for straws to try to start a political fight and push a narrative that this show was not diverse.

Diversity wasn’t a consideration in the 90’s. Considering that, they were very diverse. And much more diverse in a later comedy, Big Bang.

Yeah that's wasn't a focus at the time. Seinfeld wasn't either, what about Cheers or Home Improvement or Full House before that?

And agree with PP that it pushed boundaries in other ways, the lesbian wedding was surely a first for prime time network TV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The primary faulty with Friends was the complete absence of diversity.

Clearly you never watched it.

It had interracial dating.

Lesbian mothers.

Catholics, Jews, and non religious.

A lead with a dad who was a gay drag queen turned trans.

Rich people. Poor people. People from broken homes.

You are really reaching for straws to try to start a political fight and push a narrative that this show was not diverse.

Diversity wasn’t a consideration in the 90’s. Considering that, they were very diverse. And much more diverse in a later comedy, Big Bang.

Yeah that's wasn't a focus at the time. Seinfeld wasn't either, what about Cheers or Home Improvement or Full House before that?

And agree with PP that it pushed boundaries in other ways, the lesbian wedding was surely a first for prime time network TV.

And the network hired 200 operators to take disgruntled phone calls after showing that wedding. There were next to none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They were a great ensemble group.

+1 their tremendous chemistry was lightning in a bottle. No sitcom since has been able to replicate it. It’s why it’s remained so popular, even when many of the jokes are dated now.

Agreed. They were talented to different degrees. I'd put Kudrow and Aniston near the top, Leblanc near the bottom. But most of them grew over time. And the chemistry was enough to keep it going.

I would put Kudrow at the bottom dven though I loved her character, and Matt Leblanc and Perry near the top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The primary faulty with Friends was the complete absence of diversity.

Clearly you never watched it.

It had interracial dating.

Lesbian mothers.

Catholics, Jews, and non religious.

A lead with a dad who was a gay drag queen turned trans.

Rich people. Poor people. People from broken homes.

You are really reaching for straws to try to start a political fight and push a narrative that this show was not diverse.

Diversity wasn’t a consideration in the 90’s. Considering that, they were very diverse. And much more diverse in a later comedy, Big Bang.

Yeah that's wasn't a focus at the time. Seinfeld wasn't either, what about Cheers or Home Improvement or Full House before that?

And agree with PP that it pushed boundaries in other ways, the lesbian wedding was surely a first for prime time network TV.

Different World, Cosby Show, Family Matters, Fresh Prince? Frasier, News Radio?