Friends is the dopiest, most basic show

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04/25/2023 16:27

Subject: Re:Friends is the dopiest, most basic show

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Anonymous wrote:Friends was stupid, basic, and not funny even when it first came out and it’s very cringe now.
I was in high school when it was first airing so I should’ve been part of their target audience.

No, the target audience was older. Target demos for broadcast television are rarely minors because advertisers want to target buyers. Based on the stuff that used to get advertised during Friends, I would guess the target demo was something like 25-50 white people with and without kids, mostly suburban or lower density (not urban and not rural). I'm sure some HS students watched it, but largely because it was what the rest of the family was watching.

How long was Friends on? 10 seasons? So people in high school when it started would have been target audience by the time it was done. And should’ve been hooking them in during high school early college years. It’s a bad show.

No, that's not how it works, because the show also ages and the characters generally age too. So viewers age with the characters and the storylines. That's why Friends started out being about somewhat directionless people in their 20s with money problems, all single, many trying to make ends meet and break into careers, and by the time it ended, they'd all experienced career progression and success, several had kids and been married (and/or divorced), their friendships had evolved, they were in very different financial situations, etc. So no, the show is unlikely to hook new viewers because it is no longer the show it was when it first aired, it's about different things and the characters are in a different part of life, and a person in their early to mid 20s won't be able to identify or be as interested. They'll be targeted by other shows.

I think people really forget how different appointment viewing was for the TV. Streaming changes everything becsue anyone can start a show from the pilot whenever they want. So if I decide I want to watch The West Wing tomorrow, I can watch it for the first time starting with the first episode and draw my own conclusions based on who I am today. But in the 90s it didn't work that way. Target demos used to be a much bigger deal because television revolved around advertising, and because in order to get someone to watch a show, you needed to be able to entice them when the show is airing. So airing the right shows at the right time on the right nights to capture the right audience was an art form, called programming, and networks invested a lot of money in it. Friends was engineered to capture a specific audience. You were not part of that audience. It's okay, neither was I. But it ran for 10 years, went into syndication, launched major careers for half a dozen actors, and made a TON of money. It was a successful show regardless of what you think of it.

I didn’t deny that the show was successful-it obviously was. I still think it’s a dumb, not funny at all show. How many people love that show just proves how many people love corny jokes and stupid story lines.

I think Veep and Arrested Development are far funnier and more clever than Friends but I still love Friends for what it is.

These critiques remind me of the time I heard a movie critic panning Wayne's World and comparing it to some Oscar-winning film to prove how bad it was. The thing is, Wayne's World was never supposed to be an Oscar contender. It wasn't a serious film. It was dopey and stupid but also likeable and funny. I feel like people who say Friends wasn't funny, etc., aren't appreciating it for what it was. It wasn't Seinfeld or Frasier, which were wittier and more clever. It was cinnamon toast when you're home sick. Chicken nuggets with fries when you've had a bad day. It was comfort food in the form of a show.

You're still entitled to not like it, of course. But I feel like panning it for being dopey and basic is really missing the point. That's exactly what it was supposed to be!

That’s fine if that is “comfort” to you. I’m not a snob. My comfort show that I watch when I’ve had a bad day or feel ill or whatever is Seinfeld. It makes me laugh, even though I’ve seen it so many times and a lot of it is kind of silly or ridiculous. I still find it funny and entertaining all these years later. Friends just never captured my interest at all. I never thought it was funny or relatable in any way. And I get what you mean that it was intended to be basic. That’s fine. It’s just not my thing.