Why was "Friends" so popular?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These plot elements wouldn't play today:

Fat Monica
Ross's ex-wife lesbian Carol
Chandler's Trans father
Joey's experience being molested by his taylor (Chandler told him)
Monica's OCD cleaning
Monica's boyfriends like alcoholic Fun Bobby

I remember how powerful it was to see a lesbian wedding on tv for the first time.

Yeah I actually disagree that all these couldn't be plot points now. Chandler could definitely have a trans dad - though it would be treated differently. Ross could absolutely have an ex wife married to another woman. The OCD cleaning is fine. Fun Bobby might even be fine. Being bad touched by a tailor might be ok, depending on how it's handled.

I think the only one that really wouldn't fly is fat Monica.

Chandler's trans dad was Morgan freakin' Fairchild! An icon of the 70s and 80s.

She was his mom; his dad was Kathleen Turner, another 80s icon. The parent casting in this show was great.

[Anonymous]

I don’t even like friends but am confident its worst episode is better than the best Abbott Elementary show.

[Anonymous]

Friends was a white reboot of Living Single

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friends was a white reboot of Living Single

Friends was way funnier.

[Anonymous]

I was that age and I think watching people our age who had issues but were generally at peace and confident and everything worked out and they were all friends (hard to find after leaving college) even though they were different... but I watched the cop show with the dancer from Beat It most weeks... what was it...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These plot elements wouldn't play today:

Fat Monica
Ross's ex-wife lesbian Carol
Chandler's Trans father
Joey's experience being molested by his taylor (Chandler told him)
Monica's OCD cleaning
Monica's boyfriends like alcoholic Fun Bobby

I remember how powerful it was to see a lesbian wedding on tv for the first time.

Yeah I actually disagree that all these couldn't be plot points now. Chandler could definitely have a trans dad - though it would be treated differently. Ross could absolutely have an ex wife married to another woman. The OCD cleaning is fine. Fun Bobby might even be fine. Being bad touched by a tailor might be ok, depending on how it's handled.

I think the only one that really wouldn't fly is fat Monica.

Chandler's trans dad was Morgan freakin' Fairchild! An icon of the 70s and 80s.

She was his mom; his dad was Kathleen Turner, another 80s icon. The parent casting in this show was great.

You're right, my bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was that age and I think watching people our age who had issues but were generally at peace and confident and everything worked out and they were all friends (hard to find after leaving college) even though they were different... but I watched the cop show with the dancer from Beat It most weeks... what was it...

I looked it up. New York Undercover. I am White raised in a diverse area & looking back maybe Friends was too much Whiteness to take on a regular basis.

[Anonymous]

The cast and their chemistry, it was a feel good show, and we needed it. It was the first show on Thursday night of the Thursday night lineup, back when most of us were watching a few channels and before the internet and vast amount of choices we have now. I used to camp out on Thursdays for the entire lineup. Plus, Jennifer's hair. Everyone was sporting some version of the Jennifer. My daughters rewatched all the old DVD's and love it too.

[Anonymous]

Plus, coffee shops were a big thing at the time.

Who remembers Planet X in College Park back in the early/mid 90s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These plot elements wouldn't play today:

Fat Monica
Ross's ex-wife lesbian Carol
Chandler's Trans father
Joey's experience being molested by his taylor (Chandler told him)
Monica's OCD cleaning
Monica's boyfriends like alcoholic Fun Bobby

I remember how powerful it was to see a lesbian wedding on tv for the first time.

Yeah I actually disagree that all these couldn't be plot points now. Chandler could definitely have a trans dad - though it would be treated differently. Ross could absolutely have an ex wife married to another woman. The OCD cleaning is fine. Fun Bobby might even be fine. Being bad touched by a tailor might be ok, depending on how it's handled.

I think the only one that really wouldn't fly is fat Monica.

The Fat Monica proved you could overcome being heavy, it was good. But they never did show her working out except in season 2(?j when you worked with Chandler.

I agree, I think all the other plot lines would work today. Many of them were never discussed before in a sitcom. And they also touched on surrogacy, natural birth and adoption.

The one plot line that would not be done today is Ross dating a student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It started while I was a college freshman. Everyone had viewing parties in the dorms. It was a big deal.

Threes company airs on IFC on Sundays. My Teenager seems to like that one too, along with Friends.

She also watched Cheers and Wings with me, as well as many episodes of Night Court (which I binged earlier this year)

Does anyone remember Courtney was actually the biggest name because she played Alex’s girlfriend on Family Ties?

Yes! And she was famous before that for being the girl pulled out of the audience by Bruce Springsteen in the Dancing in the Dark video.

I remember seeing Perry in a couple of failed sitcoms and Lisa from Seinfeld.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friends was a white reboot of Living Single

Friends was way funnier.

LS not ensemble per IMDB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was that age and I think watching people our age who had issues but were generally at peace and confident and everything worked out and they were all friends (hard to find after leaving college) even though they were different... but I watched the cop show with the dancer from Beat It most weeks... what was it...

I looked it up. New York Undercover. I am White raised in a diverse area & looking back maybe Friends was too much Whiteness to take on a regular basis.

But I think realistic.

[Anonymous]

This forum is full of basic people because I'm side-eying everyone hyping up the writing. The writing was so corny and has not aged well at all. Frasier's writing is so much sharper and funnier and is still hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The show was consistently funny for many years. The only character who wasn't particularly funny was Phoebe. The rest were funny in the following order: Chandler, Rachel, Ross (awesome physical humor), Monica/Joey (tie). The show has held up...my high schooler loves the show and has watched it more than once. There were many great guest stars (Tate Donovan, Bruce Willis, Tom Selleck, Christina Applegate, Jon Favreau, Giovanna Ribisi, etc.). The show was also sweet. Haters need to just accept that it was an excellent sitcom...an artform that has been lost today for whatever reason...

What? I thought she was a consistently funny and original character and that Lisa Kudrow was the best actor in the cast.

Kudrow was definitely the best actor in the ensemble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcVvllNmu4Y

Her laugh is contagious. The 2:22 mark is my fave.