Friends (1994-2004)

Starring: David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow
Grade: Classic

I consider Friends to be television’s greatest sitcom. Actually, I think it’s in the discussion for greatest show of all time.

In recent years, people have criticized the show more and more, but I think it’s more because it’s cool to hate on something popular. Personally, I enjoy seeing differing opinions on something everyone usually praises, but attacking Friends always seemed outrageous to me. I can’t believe I have to defend such an iconic show, but social media has gotten on my last nerve with this one. I don’t like the show because of nostalgia either. This is a show in which no matter how many times I’ve seen it all the way through, it never ceases to amaze me how consistently entertaining it is. Even after repeated viewings, I still can’t help but get hooked on the same story arcs and laugh at the exact same jokes, mannerisms, and reactions. This is when you know you have a legendary television show on your hands. I guarantee that if you walk into the show with an open mind, you’ll fall in love with it in short order. Some may say things like “The first season isn’t that good”, but you can say that about most shows. For sitcoms especially, it takes every single one of them a season or two to work out the kinks, figure out what roles everyone plays, where the sweet spot is for how the story should go, and how the characters would react. Then, you get to see the show in full force.

With Friends, once they figure it out, it’s a must-watch until the very end.

They never “jump the shark” in ridiculousness to keep the show going, they never run out of entertaining stories, they never go too far, and they end it at its absolute peak. Written to perfection and performed by a group of actors who were casted as if they were born to play the roles, never have I felt so emotionally attached to a group of television characters in my years of living. Friends will make you laugh out loud, will piss you off, and will put you on the verge of tears (whether it be from sadness or laughing your ass off). After all these years, there’s not a single show I’ve seen that does it quite like this.

The most impressive part about Friends is how it’s centered around the ensemble. There’s no singular main character. They’re all main characters and the hard-working writers are up to the task to make sure the show comes across as such. It’s about six friends (two of them being brother and sister) in Manhattan, New York, and their friendship/relationship issues between them and others. However, everything can be rooted back to the benchmark for the on-again, off-again television relationship. Of course, I’m referring to the complicated love between Ross Gellar (Schwimmer) and Rachel Green (Aniston). Ross is a paleontologist who has a child with his now lesbian ex-wife, Carol (Jane Sibbett). Though he has a great relationship with his son Ben (later a young Cole Sprouse) and Carol, he does not get along with Carol’s lover Susan (Jessica Hecht) who goes out of her way to make Ross as uncomfortable as possible. This is just the beginning of Ross’s problems that affect him throughout the course of the show. His trust issues because of the failure of his first marriage continue to haunt the character as time goes on, making him noticeably paranoid in his relationships with Rachel and later women like Emily (Helen Baxendale). This doesn’t stop Ross from continuously trying to find the right woman in his life, and it leads to a of couple more marriages throughout the course of the show (and countless girlfriends). It even becomes an ongoing running gag for the character. It’s not like Ross is stupid either, he’s just a hopeless romantic, and it takes him in a lot of different directions.

Despite his trouble with marriage and relationships, what keeps things moving is his love for Rachel. When they’re together, everything seems right in the world. They belong together. As Phoebe would say, she’s his “lobster”. We know it, and the other friends know it. Even when Joey talks to Ross privately about Rachel in later seasons, he admits Ross and Rachel are the two who are supposed to be together. Even when Joey attempts to date Rachel in the final season, it’s basically admitted they can’t because of Ross (among other reasons). No matter how many girlfriends Ross has and no matter how many boyfriends Rachel goes through, you always have that feeling in the back of your head that they still belong together. It’s fate. When we see their closeness as friends when they’re not dating, it only confirms it. They’ll always care for each other. It’s a bond that can’t be broken, and one that is much stronger than the other friends and their individual friendships with each other. They tease it a lot in the early seasons, especially with the smitten Ross, but when they finally get together in Season Two, you’re invested. We always love it when our two favorites finally get together, and that first kiss gives us goosebumps (The One Where Ross Finds Out). Since the very first episode, it’s something we are dying to see, and the moment couldn’t have been sweeter.

As we know, Rachel has been friends with Ross’s sister Monica (Cox) since grade school. Ross has been aware of the beautiful Rachel for quite some time, and fate has seemingly brought her back into his life just as it looked like it was falling apart. When it finally happens between them, you get happy for them like they’re your friends. Ross becomes a better person because of it and though throughout the show he experiences hardships, breakups, and problems because of his own personal issues, his love for Rachel never waivers.

David Schwimmer impresses too. He plays the down-on-his-luck guy and funny romantic very well in the earlier seasons, but Schwimmer becomes hysterically funny in later seasons when he lets loose and starts bringing in some “Wildman” energy into the role once his psyche is tested on numerous occasions (The One Where Ross is Fine, The One with Ross’s Sandwich). This version of Ross becomes heightened once his relationship with Emily begins and ends in Seasons Four and Five, as well as when he becomes a professor at New York University in Season Six. By this time, Ross turns into a very multi-layered character who’s still smart and sweet to the women he falls for and his friends, but he has this element of wackiness that makes him arguably the funniest character on the show in totality.

The Rachel character is about growth. From starting off as a rich man’s daughter who walked out on her cheating husband Barry (Mitchell Whitfield) on their wedding day, to becoming a waitress, to moving into the corporate world, the story of Rachel Green is a success story. What we love about Rachel isn’t just the comedic timing of Jennifer Aniston (or the fact that she’s ungodly hot), we respect her for walking out on what could’ve been the “perfect” life had she decided to go through with her marriage to Barry. Though she wouldn’t have been in love, she would’ve had all the money she needed, she wouldn’t have to work, and wouldn’t have a care in the world. She walked away because she wanted to be her own woman. She was tired of being told what to do and letting things happen as they are. She tries to fight her bad habits and figure out her place in the world, despite having little to no experience and starting at the bottom. As the years progress, she becomes this strong, career-driven woman who’s tough-minded and capable of accomplishing things and taking on all comers. This is because of all the adversity she faces early on (and overcame) when she starts from scratch. Seriously, watch the first episode over again and compare it to where she’s at in “The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break“.

Her priorities would’ve been completely different in this episode if she was the same person she was in that first season, but this is how much Rachel changes by Season Three. Here, she finally has a career and can’t take it lightly. She’s all about her job and as a result, she struggles in her personal life. Ross, someone who already has a career and has already been through a failed marriage, doesn’t see how she can’t find the sweet spot for both. Because of this, he can’t help but get angry.

This sets up a pivotal moment that defines the series. Of course, I’m referring to “The Break”.

Let’s get this out of the way early: Ross and Rachel were on a break.

Argue with a wall.

Ross gets a pass. Sure, him having sex with the Xerox girl Chloe (Angela Featherstone) may have been frowned upon, but Rachel, in the heat of the moment, made the break official. This is on her. When Ross called her to try and make up later on, he heard her co-worker Mark in the background. This is someone he already wasn’t comfortable with because of his own jealousy, and he made that very clear to her. When he heard Mark’s voice, it basically set him up to try and get back at her. Even if she wasn’t trying to get with Mark immediately after the break (she goes on a date with Mark a couple of episodes later though which only proves Ross right), you can’t blame Ross for what it looked and sounded like. On top of all of this, he was the first one to call her to try and patch things up before he did anything. I’m sorry, but I’m with Ross on this one. I don’t see it any other way. It was even more obnoxious on Rachel’s part when she took no responsibility whatsoever for this in her infamous letter to Ross in “The One with the Jellyfish“. The episode was hilarious, but it showed how imperfect Rachel still is and how both needed to grow before they got back together again.

Even so, Rachel is a charismatic dynamo and though some of her impulsive decision-making and carelessness in the latter half of the show gets a little annoying, I think this is more because I’ve binge-watched the series more times than I can count, so it’s not really fair. Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel is the main reason as to why this show has such a lasting impact on audiences and will continue to do so.

Chandler Bing (Perry) is a sarcastic, insecure, loving person that probably has the worst relationship issues out of any of the friends. This probably stems from his oddball parents. His mother (Morgan Fairchild) is an embarrassing sexual being and author of erotic novels, and his dad (Kathleen Turner) is a gay crossdresser who stars in his own burlesque show in Las Vegas. Using his childhood and personal issues to fuel his self-deprecating humor, Chandler is naturally witty and takes pride in being the one who’s the fastest to come up with a quip. He’s the funniest character early on, but the other friends don’t seem to find him nearly as funny as we do. On quite a few occasions, Rachel makes it known that she doesn’t get his sense of humor. This always seemed to confuse me because he’s pretty straightforward with his jokes, but I think it’s just another way to play with his insecurities. Chandler is almost never happy with his job either. He’s in the corporate world and starts the show working in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration, but he can’t stand it. On top of that, nobody really knows or cares what he does at work. Essentially, he’s the most disrespected of the friend group and is easily the most distant member of them all. This may be the reason why I resonate with him the most.

Think about the six core cast members and how close they are to each other. Chandler and Rachel never click (which is a shame because episodes like “The One with the Cuffs” shows how funny they can be together) and though Chandler has moments with Phoebe, they don’t seem nearly as close as Chandler is with the guys. When Chandler has sex with Monica for the first time (The One with Ross’s Wedding), they both admit they weren’t that close anyway. When you take a look at Ross and Joey (LeBlanc) and think about how close they are with the girls, it’s evident that Chandler is the odd man out. It’s pretty obvious. The trio of Chandler, Ross, and Joey are close though. Chandler has known Ross his whole life, and they were roommates in college. This friendship will always be there, but what makes Chandler one of our favorites is because of his closeness with Joey. What they have is what every real-life friendship aspires to be. It’s the bromance of all bromances.

Joey Tribbiani is an actor who’s always struggling for work. One thing he doesn’t struggle with however is finding a woman. He may not know much (he’s the moron of the group), but he knows women. Despite Chandler keeping the apartment together with his job and doing everything else like paying bills and such, he struggles more than anyone to find a solid relationship. Daily, he watches as Joey proves he’s the complete opposite. They make up for each other’s faults in that regard. Plus, they have so much fun together. Despite being the adults they are, the amount of fuckery that happens in their apartment is pure entertainment. They play foosball, watch Baywatch, and are inseparable. Oddly enough, some of the most heartbreaking moments of the series seem to happen when Chandler and Joey are divided on something like in the “Kathy” story arc, or when Chandler has to move out when things become serious with Monica in “The One on the Last Night“. It’s only a new beginning and they’re right across the hall from each other, but when Joey says, “It’s like the end of an era”, we can’t help but feel for these two since they seem to be closer than everyone. Their friendship is legendary. It adds another layer of sadness once we get to the “The Last One“. This is also true because Joey has a heart of gold, and everyone knows it. Even if he manages to hit on any girl that walks past him (and it works most of the time), Joey is honest, loyal as hell, and loves his friends more than anyone. He might not have the highest IQ, but he’s the person you want by your side.

In later seasons, he gets closer to Ross too, and his devoted friendship to Rachel becomes one of my favorite developments of the later seasons.

Matt LeBlanc is responsible for some of the funniest moments in the show because of his ability to have chemistry with anyone he works with, and his overreactions and comic timing are impeccable. How he didn’t have a bigger career (whether it be in film or television) boggles my mind. His facial expressions get me to laugh on a consistent basis.

Monica (Cox) is important to everyone’s lives. She’s Ross’s sister, Rachel’s best friend, and in later seasons, she becomes Chandler’s wife. She’s an overly competitive, high maintenance, aggressive neat freak, and has a lot of personal problems regarding the fact that she was never the favorite child of her parents due to Ross overachieving. Though she’s tough and “freakishly strong” as Chandler puts it, she had to be. As a child, she struggled with being fat and not having much confidence, and it pushed her to the next level when she became an adult. She may still have hangups about her like her overwhelming need to please people and caring a little too much about what others think, as evidenced in her almost having a breakdown because of Rachel’s mom in “The One with the Baby Shower“, but you can’t help but respect her scrappiness. Hell, it’s the reason Phoebe couldn’t phase her out of their friendship years ago when she tried (The One with Ross’s Tan). Her caring is also a major positive about her. At one point, she dates billionaire Pete (Jon Favreau) because he works so hard in trying to woo her, even though she isn’t initially attracted to him. Monica is one hell of a woman. When you see how she takes Rachel in after not seeing her since high school, helping her get started, and how integral she becomes in the others’ lives, it’s hard not to like her. Plus, she’s exactly the woman Chandler needed in his life. She’s a chef, she’s a fighter, and she’s got a drive and determination like no other. The others may find it annoying, but it’s what makes Monica, Monica.

They need someone like her to keep this group afloat. Ross calls her the “glue” that keeps them together and it couldn’t be truer (The One with the Pediatrician). This is mostly because without her help, Ross and Rachel would’ve never worked out.

Lastly, there’s Phoebe Buffay (Kudrow). She’s the enigma of the group. She’s happy, fun-loving, strange, outgoing, kinky, a borderline hippy, and as honest and loyal as Joey is. She’s also a masseuse. Technically, Phoebe is a musician too, but she only plays at the Central Perk coffee house when they allow her to. This is where she plays the same couple of cords while singing awkward songs she wrote. As we know, the most famous has to be “Smelly Cat”. Despite her happy nature, Phoebe has a dark past. Her father abandoned her as a child and the woman she believed to be her mother killed herself. Later, she learns her actual mother gave her up for adoption. Because of her home life, she grew up on the street and use to mug people, giving her an early connection to Ross she didn’t realize until “The One with the Mugging” in Season Nine. Because of this, she’s got one hell of a mean streak that everyone is very aware of. Out of all six friends (including Monica), Phoebe’s the one you’d want on your side in a fight.

Additionally, she’s got an evil bitch of a twin sister in Ursula (a character who started on fellow sitcom Mad About You) that honestly might not care if she lives or dies.

Though Phoebe doesn’t intertwine her love life with the others and may seem a bit more like the outlier of the group, she’s one of the most beloved because of how much she sticks out in this somewhat “normal” friend group. Honestly, if you asked her, I think she’d be okay with being the “outlier” as well. She’s about as independent as they come. Phoebe’s funny because she knows she’s the offbeat one and revels in messing with the others, especially Ross (The One Where Heckles Dies). She tends to make Chandler uncomfortable on several occasions as well. Joey is the only one that matches her energy and that’s why they have such a fun dynamic outside of Phoebe and the girls.

Some may argue that Joey and Phoebe should’ve ended up together because they were the only two left, but if you watch the show and understand them inside and out, you know why it never happened. Despite being the two most comfortable with casual sex and numerous partners, they have such a great friendship that it wouldn’t have made sense. Phoebe needed someone like Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd) to ground her and give her the life she deserved. After all these years, I get it. I finally understand why things ended the way they did for Phoebe and Joey.

There are a lot of recurring characters and guest spots that are fondly remembered over the years. The characters that stand out the most are the ones that have devoted story arcs. Tom Selleck’s Dr. Richard Burke has to be one of my favorite recurring characters of any sitcom. Despite being an older man, the dude is crazy about Monica and is so damn cool, Joey and Chandler practically fall in love with the guy too. He’s instrumental in shaping Monica’s trajectory as a character and how she handles it moving forward is something that affects her for a long time. Even though we know the breakup is going to happen eventually because Richard isn’t a regular, you become attached to him because he seems like such a perfect match for her. They handle the real-life circumstances and adult conversations of age and childbirth incredibly well between the two, and it makes Richard a lasting character I’ll always look back on fondly. It becomes understandable as to why it took Monica so long to get over him. The aforementioned Pete gave us one of Monica’s best story arcs early on, and it gave me one of my favorite quotes from the show. To this day, when someone asks me if I’m leaving somewhere, I still say, “Well, let me ask you a question, am I the ultimate fighting champion?”.

Then, you got Janice (“Oh…my…God” will never not be funny), “Crazy” Eddie, the Rachel-loving Gunther, Paul Stevens (Bruce Willis), Tag, Charlie, and even Anna Faris as the moronic Erica. Towards the end, Paul Rudd even makes his mark as Mike Hannigan. He’s so damn good, you could’ve added him to the main cast if the show lasted longer, and he wouldn’t have missed a beat. He fit like a glove and is the sole reason I’m not mad Joey and Phoebe didn’t end up together.

There are so many classic episodes. Honestly, I could do a whole page about them, so I’ll try and keep it as brief as I can. There’s the episode where Rachel finally sees what she means to Ross (The One with the Prom Video), Ross and Rachel both pleading their cases as to who came onto whom first (The One with the Video Tape), Joey and Chandler facing off against Monica and Rachel to figure out who knows each other the best (The One with the Embryos), Brad Pitt guest starring as a former high school friend that hates Rachel (The One with the Rumor), Ross almost getting back with Rachel (The One with the Jellyfish), the most talked about episode of the series (The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break), the kiss (The One Where Ross Finds Out), Bruce Willis at his funniest (The One Where Paul’s the Man), Joey getting ready for an audition for a game show named “Bamboozled” (The One with the Baby Shower) and the fantastic two-part finale of Season Nine (The One in Barbados).

On top of that, there’s Ross royally fucking up a spray-on tan (The One with Ross’s Tan), Rachel and Joey having the misunderstanding of a lifetime (The One Where Rachel Has a Baby), the mystery revolving around who Rachel is having her baby with (The One with the Red Sweater) and its aftermath (The One Where Rachel Tells…), coming to terms with turning thirty (The One Where They All Turn Thirty), Monica making homemade candy for the apartment complex (The One with All the Candy), Rachel lying to Joey about something her boss said (The One with the Tea Leaves), Rachel lying to Phoebe about an apothecary table she bought (The One with the Apothecary Table), Ross having to get everyone ready for a banquet (The One Where No One’s Ready), Ross’s second wedding falling apart (The One with Ross’s Wedding), trying to keep Rachel’s parents in separate rooms for a birthday party (The One with the Two Parties), Joey being the dumbass he is (The One Where Joey Speaks French), and Phoebe changing her name after marriage (The One with Princess Consuela). Then again, I can literally go on and on. There are a thousand more legendary episodes in the Friends catalogue, but you get the point.

Even with all of the fun and crazy episodes, the story arcs that last over the span of a few episodes are the real treat. It gets you so invested. They do it so well, I can’t compliment this writing enough. There’s the Rachel/Ross arc, the Monica/Richard arc, Chandler and Monica, Phoebe/Mike/David, Joey’s big break in Las Vegas, every wedding episode, the Ross/Emily battle, the Joey/Rachel/Ross/Charlie love square, the ups, the downs, and everything in-between. When they figure out a story that takes center stage, it earns out attention. It’s amazing how much was accomplished within ten seasons and how the show still managed to stay fresh, funny, gripping, and exciting. Very rarely is this accomplished in a television show that goes on this long. However, Friends just got better and better as time went on and because of this, you become more in love with these characters and their lives.

The series finale was flawless. Every storyline was wrapped up exactly how we wanted it to, with each character being given the ending they deserved. Everyone walked away happy, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the building when we see that final shot of the door to Monica’s apartment. It exemplified the sad but happy, emotional ending that I love in series finales. How do you end such an iconic show at its peak, while making a satisfying ending for SIX different characters? Well, watch “The Last One“, and you’ll see perfection personified. I still get goosebumps when I hear Rachel say the words “I got off the plane” to a frantic Ross yelling at his answering machine, thinking he lost her forever. This is one of those shows where you cry when it’s over, but you find yourself smiling in the end because you were able to witness it. Could they have gone a few more seasons? Would I have still tuned in? There’s no question I would’ve! However, why would you want to ruin the immaculate ending they had? They tied up all the loose ends and wrapped each story at exactly the point they needed to. I don’t want to see a revival nor a movie to show us what happened to Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, or Phoebe. Friends came and went at the right place and at the right time. It’s a run that could never be duplicated and shouldn’t be attempted.

It’s perfect the way it is.

Many have the conversation about who deserves the crown for “Greatest Sitcom Ever”. Usually, it turns into a battle between fans of Seinfeld and Friends. As a huge fan of both shows, let me be the impartial critic. Both have electric casts, timeless comedy, and are filled with some of the most memorable moments in television history. Though Seinfeld has the edge on some lines and sayings managing to crossover into mainstream popularity because of how good the writing was, Friends destroys most because of its perfect track record of episodic storytelling and moments of seriousness and emotional depth that hook you like no other. Seinfeld gets points for going against the mold of the sitcom to stand out, but Friends also gets points for going with the mold but making itself the standard for how a sitcom should be made. In a sea of sitcoms when they were at their most popular with television audiences, this is an incredible feat. When considering this, and a series finale I consider to be the best I’ve ever seen, Friends wins this in a close one.

It’s been years since this comedy classic has ended, and yet, I’m still emotionally attached to it. Do I still do the clapping sound when the iconic “I’ll Be There for You” theme song comes on? You bet your sweet ass I do.

Very few shows have put a smile on my face quite like Friends. Many shows have come and gone over the years, and I’ve liked a lot of them. Even so, only a select few have the staying power, the timelessness, the energy, and the ability to be consistently entertaining in multiple viewings as Friends. It’s a comfort show that never gets old. I’m fully convinced that people who say they don’t like it watched five minutes of it and didn’t give it a shot, or they want to sound smart by saying they prefer Seinfeld or Frasier or something. Believe me, there’s a reason this show was considered to be among the best of its time.

It’s hilarious, it’s sad, and damn it, it’s absolutely beautiful.