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Is Friends Overrated? (Video Essay)
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2024
- Even though Friends is a very successful show, it seems to be very polarising on the internet - which I was intrigued about. I was never really a fan of it but I decided watch the whole thing and then analyse seasons 1-10 in this video essay.
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time codes:
0:00 - Intro
0:32 - Seasons 1-2: The Early Years
3:25 - Seasons 3-5: The Early Peak
13:25 - Seasons 6-7: The Late Peak
18:55 - Seasons 8-10: The Weird Years
26:04 - Outro
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one of my favorite things about the show is how ross is my least favorite character and yet david’s performance is one of my favorites. his delivery is so good, that’s probably why i hate his character so much lol.
My mom and I agree on this too!
Same here.
Absolutely true
Sme with me but instead of Ross it was racheal
@@rohitsel2588 her acting is mediocre and she only proved me wrong with her show The Morning Show
The only thing I didn't like about the show is the progression of Joey's character. Compared to the early seasons they made him dumber, I think his character had a lot of potential
Yeah and I don't know why. Was it to show he doesn't grow up comparatively and make sure we get it? I just can't draw logic from it.
I also hated how he never got famous from acting
I feel like they all turned into a caricature of themselves , which is almost bound to happen with any show running that long
@@helafed tbf, a lot of people in life end up like that. They find a version of themselves that is accepted or gets attention and they just stick with it and never grow from that point on.
His Spin-Off was even harder, where the other charakter has to get even dumber and more annoying.
You don't watch Friends for comedy, you watch it for comfort. Same with Gilmore Girls.
It's okay for something to just be fun and sweet. The chemistry of the cast is what sells it. And yes, David Schwimmer is criminally underrated.
Gilmore girls was lame to me anyways
gilmore girls is great though
mostly
usually
Emily isnt too likeable? I love her!
GG is comforting AND very well written. (at least until around season 6)
I didn't like friends very much, in the 90s. Not very well written, and I hated Ross with a passion, for being that weak, annoying and... being a psycho.
I re-watched it a few years ago... yes. It's "nice".
(aside the ones with Ross being a simp with a grudge)
Yeah that’s the thing its not fun and sweet it’s annoying and lame jokes
"Is it overrated? Probably. Is it overhated? Definitely" has to be one of my favorite conclusions to an analysis on CZcams. Love how articular your writing is!
not probably and its not overhated, its criticized rightfully
Exactly...@@serily4524
@@cat-le1hfyou wanna be different so bad
@@cece6652what different ? 😂😂 The show is terrible and it's a fact and admit it
Honestly the first 2 seasons are my favourite.
The characters feel like actual adults, instead of children in the bodies of 30 year olds
I watched when when they aired. Seasons 1 and 2 were very good. I got sick of the "on a break" stuff. I checked out after season 3. Same for Big Bang Theory. I enjoyed the show until it copied Friends when everyone had a girlfriend.
Yeah it has a more relatable quality rather than the convoluted plots you have in later seasons.
That's what adults are tbh. We might be older than we were but we still have no idea what we're doing most of the time.
@@craigcavaliere6744 " I got sick of the "on a break" stuff." that's like 3 episodes max...
@@foljs5858 It was enough of a turnoff for me.
100% agree that shwimmer is comparable to steve carell in the office. Very committed to his role and you can see it in every scene.
yes!!!
Most of my favourite quotes come from Ross
I think my biggest issue with the show is lack of overall character growth. Chandler is the only one out of the six that clearly grows, Joey doesn't grow at all, Phoebe barely if any, Monica marginally, Ross only really because of fatherhood, and Rachel largely undid her character's arc in the finale by staying
Monica and Joey seemed to go backwards.
Monica gets annoying towards the end. Early monica was actually likable.
I also agree about Rachel! She wanted to focus on her career! She states it in the first episode!
Monica, Joey and Phoebe evolved backward, they became caricatures of their former selves , except their love lives which got better . It's that the writing that got bad .
The first two seasons are in deed not the funniest but they feel the most real,like they are set in the real world with real people and not in a sitcom tv world,it has almost a documentary-like time capsule feel to it,of early 90's young adults living in NY city in their 20's,I like it lol...
Yes after that it starts to jump the shark. The first two and a bit seasons feel like slightly wittier versions of real people
I have to mention this regarding Joey and Rachel's crush for eachother. I know I didn't like it either, but I disagree with your opinion that it seems off. Look at it this way, Joey is a very sexually active person who has never felt a deep connection with women, Rachel was a superficial woman who was into "looks", in the episode "the one that could have been" shows that if Rachel did not leave her rich life, she would've hooked up with Joey, because she was shallow and she'd easily swoon over "good looking soap opera actors". Also, Joey and Rachel did have an infatuation over eachother when they first met, as mentioned in the show, Rachel says "I had a crush on you when I first met you" and Joey replies "I know Monica told me.". So, the whole point of the scenes where Joey and Rachel have a thing for eachother, I percieve it as more like a regression in their characters, because at that point, Joey matured as a character and felt connected to Rachel, whereas Rachel, because she matured from a shallow person to this wise, smart, single mother and career woman, she could sometimes feel scared and overwhelmed and she felt the need to momentarily regress back into her "shallow self", and she was at desperate times at that point since she is raising a child alone (well not alone but you know what I mean) and she is growing older (which we all know she's not fond of) So it's like she wanted to feel young again, having a thing for this "cute good looking actor". At least this is how I view it. But of course when they wanted to hook up, it got all awkward, because the maturity and friendship they built up for eachother doesn't allow for that to happen. Rachel is too mature to have a fling with Joey, and Joey, even though he is a sexual person and finds Rachel very attractive, he sees her only as friends because their friendship grew too strong for it to turn into anything serious.
Good points. Plus, it is hard to resist someone who really likes you. Especially when you are vulnerable. You want the attention.
bro joey had a crush on her like on every other women.
It was writers faults actually, they have nothing to write besides Ross and Rachel to get more TRP. So in order to keep the show running they moved to more bad writing and made Rachel - Joey love scene. But the backlash they got from the viewers was phenomenal and they quickly moved back to Ross and Rachel. Even the actors were not comfortable about this relation. In one interview Jennifer Antison chose Ross over Joey and said Ross and Rachel are best for each other.
Because of the writers we didn't even got Ross and Rachel wedding, because they wasted entire season on Rachel and Joey. It was also writers mistake that they prolonged Ross and Rachel breakup because that was getting them more views.
You just put way more thought into that than the writers did.
@@lovecraftianleviathan8918 lol that's just my way of justifying it since I didn't really like that part of the plot. Also, in certain shows, they DO look into little details, they don't put them out there but you just have to read between the lines. For example, why did Rachel run out of her wedding? They didn't mention this but it is obvious if you think about it. Rachel and Monica were best friends throughout high-school and college, so Monica had a huge influence on her. But when they graduated college, they parted ways. Monica lead a more independent lifestyle, Rachel wanted to be spoiled. But her respect and perception of Monica's life lead her to having second thoughts about her own life, which is why Monica was the first person she went to see after she left the wedding. This isn't mentioned but it makes sense considering Rachel and Monica's chemistry throughout the show.
It’s out of character for Joey he’s a player and don’t care about women but cares a lot for his friends and family. That’s his best trait.
friends is one of my favorite shows of all times because it’s my comfort show. it nails it with making the audience feel a sense of belonging, and that’s why it’s got so many fans all around. i started watching it when i was 13 and it felt like company, i think that’s why it’s so successful. its not the best written flawlessly directed masterpiece, but it is (in my opinion) funny, and knows how to keep you company. i was literally alone all day because both my parents worked a lot, so it was my way to fill the silence with something cheerful. i don’t think nobody can judge anybody for caring for this show.
Literally that is my exact situation that’s why it’s my comfort show❤️
True, I play Friends as I sleep because its comforting and making me feel safe and someone is there watching me keep me safe
it’ll always be my comfort show bc of this:((
You were the perfect age for this show. I think the writers (especially after the first couple of seasons) targeted the 13 to 17 age bracket with their scripts and overall tone of the show. And it was a good call. They gave that demographic exactly what they wanted to see and hear.
For me it feels constant cringe same with Gilmore girls I’ve never had 2 movies or shows ever bee this cringe and loved by the masses
it may not be the best show ever but it’s so comforting and i’ve rewatched it so many times. i cant help but love it
It's basically a known phenomenon that sitcoms are very good comfort-watching. The characters are consistent, the jokes are predictable (in a good way i.e. you know what kind of jokes you'll get from each character), the setting is consistent, and the tone is always fairly light-hearted
@@man4437 friends is the pinnacle of comfort shows tho. Ive watched big bang theory and its so uncomfortable to watch for some reason. May be the stereotypes,may be the shitty laugh track,or the weird characters,but it just is. I only watch it when i have nothing to do and nothing else is on.
Yeah, I've always described it as a warm blanket.
One of the things I love about Friends is that no character is a saint, like real people are. Ross has proven a bunch of times to be selfish in a bunch of ways. Rachel really ruined most, if not all, of Ross’s other relationships. Chandler often insults his friends (although in good fun) and enjoys the chaos he causes from time to time. Monica is from time to time extremely rude when someone messes with her stuff. Phoebe straight up insults her friends but she does it in a way that people find it funny and don’t really realize how rude she is. And finally, Joey sleeps with people and never calls them back
Fun fact: The character of Ross was written just for David Scwimmer to play
cool. how do you know?
@@jmsl_910 I watched a fact video on Friends
I don't think it's overrated. It was very popular when it aired and reemerged years after it ended. I suppose it depends on what you value. Frasier was the show winning all the Emmys at the time, but I haven't seen it come up in pop culture nearly as often as Friends.
THIS! You make shows for the audience who care NOT for the critics who doesn't!
i still adore Frasier but Friends was relatable to a younger, wider audience and wasn’t a spinoff for another show (Cheers). I can understand why Friends is more popular.
@@abbiehoffman2921 Cheers, Everybody Loves Raymond, Seinfeild, Fraiser, According to Jim. I rarely hear anyone talk about those shows and yet that was really all friends had as competition in the sitcom area.
@@kyleellis1825 I can agree with all but Seinfeild, tones of people talk about it, hell I hear Seinfeld get brought way more often than Friends.
@@drafezard7315 Do you mean your friends, or just in general? Because I'm basing my comment off of how often I see people making CZcams videos about those shiws, vs the shows like Friends/Fresh Prince/TBBT/Modern FAmily.
Something else to note on why Friends has longevity and is still so beloved after two decades is because... The Cast/Crew are all still on good terms! There was never any drama or scandals, everyone got along to the point of considering each other family, and they all fondly appreciate the old days.
That is something that is so rare. I see left and right in the news that X actor had an altercation with Y actor, or the director created a toxic work environment etc. Which can leave a sour taste for future rewatches.
I live in China, and for whatever reason Friends is insanely popular over here (along with other pop-culture artifacts like Titanic, Avatar, Forrest Gump and The Big Bang Theory). A lot of people I know have learned English by religiously watching Friends episodes. It's probably THE most popular American TV show ever over here.
Same in the UK. maybe The Simpsons is the only show that could compare to Friends in overall popularity but i dont think any other american show would come close
I love friends but the prom thing has always drove me nuts. To this day, I don't see what was so 'heroic' about Ross, who had nothing to do in the first place, offering to be Rachel's replacement date. Like, there's nothing selfless about it. It was Ross getting what he wanted.
The global and timeless appeal of the show means that it is definitely not overrated. People are still watching and re-watching it and making video essays about it and discussing it and buying the merchandise. It's evergreen.
Being popular doesn't make it not overrated. In fact something must be significantly popular before it can be called overrated
@Rana Osman At what point do you attribute its enduring popularity to its quality? Or are you gonna avoid this very apt factor?
@@ranaosman1393 it's no longer a vanity project to like Friends, in fact the opposite as so many like to hate this show these days. Millions still watch it because it's good.
@@ranaosman1393 thats just like your opinion man. Being popular has nothing to do with being overrated. In fact shows like expanse which doesn't have a gigantic fanbase is definately overrated by the small no of people who do watch it.
@@mangshu21 here's the funny part : you both are wrong.
If it wasn't for Phoebe I wouldn't care about the show because she spices things up.
That " so how many cameras are actually on you?" joke was pretty witty.
phoebe is ditzy and joey's a himbo. just bc they have somewhat similar personalities doesnt mean they wouldve made a good couple. i personally liked the whole joey/rachel storyline, bc even tho it seems way off sometimes its something that happens irl. you catch feelings for someone who you thought youd never see urself with, you give it a shot and then you realize no ur absolutely not compatible lol. real life is messy that way sometimes. seeing joey and phoebe wouldve been so cringe, i wouldve hated that more tbh
Yea but you can apply that same logic to Joey and Phoebe. They're friends who actually have more chemistry that could have fallen for each other easily
@@snoozyq9576 They also stopped exploring their friendship in the later seasons. Should have kept them together in some capacity.
I don't dislike the Joey and Rachel relationship, as a matter of fact, I think they are much better and less toxic than Ross and Rachel, but in the end that destroyed Joey's character even more. It was obvious that Rachel would end up with Ross (they had a kid together) so that just left Joey alone. Phoebe had Mike, and in the end Joey is the only character that ended the show without a satsifying conclusion and his future is left up in the air. Yeah he had his spin off show but we all know how that went.
Sometimes I wish that instead of Rachel, they introduced a new character that locked down Joey, kind of like Mike. The show would have been/ended much better.
Joey/phoebe having somewhat similar personalities, is more likely they would hook up than the joey/rachel even though like you said the opposite can happen but seeing joey and Rachel WAS cringe.
@@TheJotaroKujo A lot of people don't end up with the person they have a kid with (Ross being one, with his first kid).
Chandler and Monica was a happy accident. They didn't set up or plan for them to be a thing. The plan was for them to have some casual sex, make jokes about it, and then move on. But the chemistry was so good and the fans loved them together so much that they stuck.
Also, the show delving into themes of getting older and settling down makes perfect sense since the show's premise was following a group of single 20 somethings in NYC but, as in real life, they're not gonna be 20 somethings forever. They're gonna find love, get married, settle down so of course the show would go there after 5 or so years.
Friends definitely was a product of its time. I only started watching it shortly after it ended but I loved it and I especially loved the first few seasons. When people nowadays watch it for the first time and rate the early seasons as middling, that just signals to me that comedy has changed and you're accustomed to something more modern. Friends was a giant. Shows that came after certainly filled the void it left in its wake and surpassed it, like How I Met Your Mother, The Office, Community, and Modern Family. But Friends was a top tier sitcom in its time.
A lot of people regard Season 8 as their favorite because it was the season of the show that aired after 9/11. In a lot of ways, Season 8 was when the show peaked in terms of it being “comfort” TV because it healed a nation. I know a lot of people who started watching the show live on TV after 9/11. My family included. Before then, we used to just watch reruns and episodes in syndication. Season 8 was the first season that we sat down as a family together and watched the new episodes as they aired on NBC and we continued this tradition until it was over. I also think that played a part in why Season 8 won the show it’s Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy.
My gf and her mom are really into Friends, so as someone that's seen a few odd episodes with very little context, I would say it's both overrated and underrated. I don't like it as much as other sit coms from the same era, but it's nowhere near as bad as some people say. I feel like Friends is like comfort food that you can always go back too
it s better than Seinfeld
It's a serialized show so you can't judge it by watching a handful of random episodes. Many of the jokes are inside jokes that you only get by watching previous episodes.
@@JLDReactions I mean yeah, but it's fairly episodic too, like I never feel lost even when watching an episode that's in a later season. There are some genuinely funny jokes, but I just don't feel like there's anything that stand out about the show compared to any other sitcom of that era
The one thing that annoyed me the most was the later episodes where they shout their lines. Like when Joey doesn't share food etc.
One thing I realized as a second language English speaker is that Friends really was rated far higher among people out of the US than those within the US. A lot of my peers including myself loved this show growing up. I think it's a combination of the idea that it was an idealized version of what the American life was in your 20s-30s and also as you mentioned the physical comedy translating much better to those who didn't understand the language as well or just plain didn't understand the culture.
I feel your review is pretty on point. My biggest issues with the show now is the flanderization of Joey and Monica especially towards the later seasons. Joey straight up turning into an idiot was just so bad and the show definitely dragged on a bit towards the end. Still I found myself having more good times than bad with the show. Shows like The Office, P&R, IASIP, etc are all better written nowadays, but I don't know if they would have the same hit if it wasn't for Friends being a bit of an innovator paving the way with some of it's writing as well.
Chandler and Monica > Ross and Rachel
Was Friends overrated?
NO
Great actors, interesting basic plots, they interacted very well with each other, relatable.
Yes yes yes
It was ovverated
Yes
The interactions were great! Of course there were the usual ones like Monica+Rachel or chandler+joey but my fave ones are when they mixed them like the Rachel+chandler episodes they were always so funny and refreshing
Yah. I can really relate to low income workers mixing with high income earners and all sharing a nice NYC apartment and then all eventually banging each other. That sounds just like my life and the life of everyone I know!
Great video! Season five is def my fave as well. I just wish you weren’t calling it a laugh track show because they used a real audience. That makes a big difference because the laughs were genuine. If the audience didn’t react to a joke they way they wanted they would make rewrites right there on the set. It’s a far cry from the ham fisted laugh tracks they use today where they try to make very line into a punchline.
i am aware of this and i agree, i only called it a laugh track show cause its less of a mouth full than saying live studio audience every time. i think at some point in the movie i do make the clarification you made, but maybe i cut it out for timing idk
@@TripleNeonjust use LSA instead, clarify what it means in the beginning
Shows that filmed in front of live studio audiences still added laugh tracks. Friends was no exception
@@Neo5GT they only added minimal tracks though, to call it a laugh track show is overstating it
Yes, Friends has a laugh track over live audience. I've seen the series countless times over the years and I came to know the different tracks by memory. It's nice when you hear the staff behind camera laughing even behind those laugh tracks
My biggest issue with the Rachel/Joey arch was that I was satisfied with the initial conclusion of Rachel turning him down the first time, and I was even okay with the proposal confusion when Rachel gave birth to her daughter. What I didn't like was Rachel then catching feelings AFTER they established it twice that she didn't have feelings for Joey. I wasn't bothered by the concept of someone feeling confused about their feelings after they turn someone down, but it felt like we had already played this scenario out before with Rachel and Ross. I ended up feeling annoyed with Rachel because it came off like a character flaw that just existed to torment the other characters with.
I was also disappointed that they built up Joey's love for Rachel so much, but when they finally got together, the energy was totally different to me. And of course, Joey had some time to get over her at that point and get some distance, but they chalked the whole thing up to compatibility. I don't think I would have been mad at that conclusion if they had allowed them to get together earlier, but I think at that point I was feeling a bit exhausted from the back and forth.
i’ve watched the entire show 5 times now and i’ve realized that at the beginning im always waiting to get over the first two-three seasons, which do bore me. but from the fourth season on, its a very different show. not only do we understand all the dinamics between characters but we also get more interesting plot points that last though more than one episode and make it more interesting to keep watching. seasons 4 to 7 are probably my favorite, and the chandler-monica relationship is one of the things i enjoy most about the entire show.
Hunh, I prefer the first couple seasons and the idea that anything can happen. Of course I'm always let down when the characters make the exact same choices.
I actually really enjoy the beginning
omg finally someone who understands me haha
Friends is the only show I can watch a million times and not get bored. Sure there’s other shows that I like, and some of them even “peaked” more for me than friends ever did, but I have yet to find a show as rewatchable as friends. It’s my comfort show and if I just want to watch something fun without thinking too much after a busy day, this is what I put on.
True 👍🏻
Friends and the Big Bang Theory do that for me.
How many sitcoms have you watched?
@@andrewjones575 Many. Why?
@@Nienke131 20? 50? 100?
first off thank you so much for appreciating David Schwimmer he made the most unlikable character the funniest and while there are moments where you hate ross, you never get tired of him, you never want them to stop writing ross you hate him but he still entertains you, and secondly I think the biggest reason why Friends is hated because people dont like casual comedy, people dont like goofy, and zaney humour any more every joke now a days needs to be planned and for shadowed and called back to another joke and it needs to be the most intelligent joke ever written while the office was crazy it was never casual, from the first episode friends knew what it would be while the writers evolved and changed and the actors changed and the storyline change and eveen with the quality slightly declining it never stopped being friends every joke every line while it was a different show from season 1 it never sstopped being these 6 great actors going on set and having fun it never stopped being that for 10 years it never stopped being friends
Love your analysis! I liked seeing how you compare each season. The episode where everyone is getting ready is my favorite episode of the show. I like how you pointed out that is stylistically like a stage show!
I think people give Ross too much hate, just because a lot of what makes him annoying is a result of him being the main character. He can’t get together with Rachel until the end, but they can’t let it die out, so every time Ross is about to accomplish anything he makes an obnoxiously stupid mistake that is out of character so often that becomes his character. Whereas he was originally a nerdy overly romantic guy, he became impulsive, unfaithful, mopey, and downright stupid in critical moments.
True, I also felt like Ross was the focal point of the show and he often does things, or gets over agitated by things that early Ross would have known better.
I think friends is actually underrated. Everyone remembers the funny jokes and the one liners but it’s so much more than that. The stories can be really dark, the characters have so much complexity and there’s so much depth underneath the slapstick comedy of moving a couch up some stairs.
Think of Monica’s character for example, you think oh here’s this quirky slightly demanding woman but when you really look a bit deeper you can get a sense of her underlying anxiety and emotional fragility and all of the characters are like this which is only strengthened by the cast’s amazing performances. Plus, when the show gets serious, like Ross and Rachel’s first kiss, it is top shelf writing and acting.
The show is so influential as well, it’s the origin of the idea of the friendzone for example. I watched it growing up and probably have seen it through 4-5 times but I only enjoyed it for the jokes until I reached the age of all the characters and lived in a megacity which is when all the depth came out.
It’s a real masterpiece, you just have to watch it as if it isn’t Friends.
Underrated? It’s one of the most famous shows ever
@@jamescarr1265 I would use the term underappreciated in this case (for certain aspects of the show at least, as OP points out.)
@@Sir_Noel yes fair enough
Yes so Monica is a neat freak. But we learn her parents have always favorited Ross, and her personality is a way to try and be good enough
Not even a Friends fan, but I think it suffers in hindsight from being one of those shows that every other show copied, so the original retroactively looks unoriginal.
It happens to a lot of era-defining pop culture.
God you are so right. Season 5 is genuinely the best season. Ross is brilliant and I just adore Monica and chandler. It’s honestly one of the best seasons of tv ever
I definitely have some of the same complaints about the last 3 seasons (and the Flanderizations of Monica, Ross, and especially Joey), but I've seen many shows do much worse with their final seasons. Even with its flaws, this remains a good comfort watch for me when I'm sick or when I just want pleasant background noise when doing something I don't enjoy. But I've noticed I'm way more prone to revisit episodes in seasons 4-7 than any of the stuff in the beginning or end. Though Chandler tends to be my favorite, I do agree that Ross is underrated as a comic presence. I think people go off him because he makes such terrible decisions, but he is pretty good at mining wee bits of comedy gold out of them. I mean, I will never forgive the show for dragging Rachel and Joey all the way into actually dating (this arc should have been 3 episodes tops containing a Joey crush, then a Rachel crush, and then them trying and failing to get past their friendship) but sometimes I feel it's almost worth just for "The One Where Ross is Fine." Schwimmer's line delivery and physical comedy in that episode is *chef's kiss*
Anyway, you got my subscription. As you might be able to tell, I enjoy people that dive deep into TV and movies. :)
Friends had its moment and shone brighter than most other sitcoms. It never really lost its touch, but it did have a dropoff in energy very late on. I can get behind everything from season 3 through season 8, I'm a touch more forgiving. Friends was the comedy show of the 1990's, and Sex and the City took that baton and ran with it even further. What I would suggest to writers of sitcoms today is I would suggest learning what worked from your favorites and mash them up. The strength of Friends was the relationships angle, SATC the lifestyle showcase, and I could go on and on about other shows. You need actors to fight tooth and nail for your writing staff. I like to think of the writing room as the film room of a sports team. They are the ones putting in all of the brain power. The actors are the players, the people who execute on the field, or in the case of acting, on stage. The director and production staff are like the head coach and his own staff. It all must be perfect.
only thing that irked me about this essay is that you kept comparing friends to shows that all came after it... time and context matter. friends didnt do community because that's not where tv was at in the 90s. anyway glad you got around to liking it, good vid overall.
David and Lisa were soooo good on this. The cast hard incredible chemistry and they were all charismatic in their own way. It was genius and it's easy to take it for granted now. Brilliant video essay, well done mate.
I'm so gkad to be able to watch someone say exactly what has always been on my mind. Season 5 is the best season, I also call it "the season where Ross has a mental breakdown", I just love it. 😂
I heard Rachael was actually pregnant in real life, with her husband Brad Pitt. And that's why they made her pregnant on the show. But then she miscarried.
That's rough on her in fairness. I hope it wasn't too bad for her.
Not over-rated. Friends was the greatest sitcom of all time. I grew up with friends in the 90’s and still regularly binge the entire series. It’s an easy to watch, comfort show where no matter what mood you’re in, you can enjoy it. Consider how timeless the show is too, with most episodes based purely on character driven drama, and not politics, technology or pop culture.
A very fun, tongue-in-cheek, intelligent discussion! I was able to catch this show during its first run, and to remember its "rivalry" with "Seinfeld", which I also liked. It's been a very long time since I gave it any kind of meaningful re-watch, but this is what I remember about my own feelings about the series:
I never could summon much enthusiasm for Rachel. While I thought all six actors were wonderful, and really appreciated their off-screen consideration for each other as well as their on-screen talent, I always felt that the Ross/Rachel storyline ate up way too much time in respect to the other characters, and until very late in the series, Rachel always felt selfish and shallow to me.
My own favorite character was Phoebe: I truly loved Lisa Kudrow's handling of this character, and it's a pity the writers never really committed to as deep an exploration of Phoebe and her complex situation as they did to the more everyday storyline of Ross and Rachel. Phoebe had some very important moments in the series: remember, for example, that Ross' son, Ben, is basically Phoebe's namesake because of that scene she had with Ross and Susan. She recognizes "the lobster" identification with Ross and Rachel; she reveals Paolo's character to Rachel in a nicely balanced scene which both Kudrow and Aniston do very, very well. I don't pair her with Joey but with Ross, with whom Phoebe has an interesting push-pull of values: philosophically they are antagonists, but they share an odd, eccentric taste in creativity, and when they clash, they can finish by giving one, the other, or both, some deep lessons.
I've never watched the show but I thoroughly enjoyed this
thank you 🥰
I think it's correctly rated. It is a favourite of many but no one is calling it the greatest sitcom ever or anything. It is crowd pleasing and comfortable, which speaks to its lasting popularity.
Then which one are they calling the greatest sitcom...??
@@dikshamaheshwari4003 Seinfeld
no one? I call it
I feel like people overlook the entire we were on a break situation. Ross’s judgement was completely all over the place because 1: they were on a break 2: Ross called Rachel and the guy that he was insecure about when they were in a relationship was with Rachel in her apartment same day they “were on a break” 3: he was overly drunk who got taken advantage of by a woman that knew he was having a hard time with Rachel. His emotions was all over the place and he needed emotional support.
I agree. However, it's also worth noting that Ross Big Issue is his jealousy, so it is definitely annoying that he is the first one to overstep
@@loiracitr I don’t think it’s precisely jealousy but insecurities. It is his downfall but proving something he was insecure in the first place furthered led to their relationships demise. I think both Rachel and Ross had their contribution to the outcome i just wish people would stop blaming Ross for “cheating” when he was taken advantage from. A woman literally got him way too drunk and slept with him even after knowing he was having a hard time
friends is always on my second monitor when im doing anything.
I hit the "like" button as soon as you gave credit for the duck and chick video. As a GenXer who grew up in a world without tik-tok plagiarism, seeing a young creator shout out sources gives me hope! It's interesting that your list of favorite episodes includes the most overrated eps, lol. I concur completely about season 5. That's when I finally started watching FRIENDS back in the 90s, bc it was considered overrated to a lot of us back when it aired, too. I'm glad I finally came down off my high horse and gave it a chance; Schwimmer hooked me and I never looked back! Fantastic essay!!😃
I have watched so many shows in my life but friends is the only show i have watched 4-5 times already, i never watch a show twice but friends is different
Ross is annoying, whiney, insecure and a lot of time act entitled. But he's still a crucial part of the show. He's equally important as rest of them. He's needed in the show
i don't need to watch this video - the answer is NO (period)
how do you not have like 500,000 subscribers??!?? this is so good
Friends is a show about conflict resolution. It’s brilliant at that.
David Schwimmer as Ross is better than Steve Carell as Michael Scott.
You didn't need 26 minutes to say "yes". But I do appreciate it.
omg i just came across this video and loved it so much! friends is one of my favorite shows cause it’s the perfect comfort show por me, when i’m just trying to get my head out of stressful things i watch it. i totally agree with your comments about the seasons and also think that season 5 is the best one. i think one of the reasons people hate on friends is because of the first season (which i get and don’t at the same time), cause sure it can be a bit boring for some but it’s a typical sitcom first season, where they put some random stories without much storyline to really show the personality of everyone so we reeeeally get to know the characters. i’m saying this cause when i first started watching friends i had to give it like 3 tries before really getting into it and binge watching the whole show in light speed lol because of this thing that i said about the first season, but once you get into it you absolutely LOVE IT. anyways this comment is way too long hahahah thanks for making the video, appreciate it!!
I just love how different all there humour is.
Ross has the facial expressions. Chandler has the on point sarcastic comments.
Joey does dumb stuff that can be funny at times but hate just how dumb they make him sometimes.
Phoebe is like joey but whittyer.
Monica's slightly annoying because her funny lines are her mainly shouting.
Rachel just does funny stuff which catches u off guard.
All in all the different dynamic of humour is what keeps them all unique in my eyes. And Mike challenges Ross and Chandler as the funniest on the show imo
Friends is enjoyable & easy to watch. I don’t get this “hate” culture where it’s not OK to enjoy anything.
No. Friends are not overrated. It's one of the best sitcoms ever made.
i've been a pretty diehard friends fan since I was a kid. Recently I've been rewatching it and it felt like I never stopped watching it. I think it's a show that gets more enjoyable when you are more invested in the characters. if you don't know the characters, or even don't like them (which I frankly don't think is possible unless you didn't give the show a chance at all), then this show likely won't be enjoyable for you. It's a very heavily character-driven show. When you've become extremely familiar with the characters, you start appreciating all of their choices and actions, instead of critiquing them from an unappreciative distance -- which is easy to do when you don't give anything a fair chance.
i was born in 2003. my parents watched friends as it aired and my mom even went to a taping of one of the episodes circa s1-s2. when i was born friends was ending and reruns were constant (and stayed constant) i grew up watching friends. i can’t even remember learning their names because i always knew them. because it’s been a constant for my whole life it’s a comfort show for me. i watch it constantly and for a few dark years of my life i couldn’t sleep without friends s2e14 playing.
That's so sad. I am sorry to hear. But yeah, I don't even remember it that well. All I remember is liking it as a kid.
Best show ever. Relevant even after nearly 28 years of S01E01
Pheobe didn't have big story lines?? Gay husband, meeting biological mother, meeting her brother, having her brothers triplets, David the science guy throughout, Ursula throughout, meeting her biological father, living on the streets and her flirtatious FRIENDSHIP with Joey are all part of her story line. No? Glad you said arc and not arch again towards the end of this video though. : ) xx
I think that if any sitcom is overrated, it's the big bang theory
The genius of friends is it s like the everyman of sitcoms I think everyone has a favourite episode( the one with unagi)and a worse,(everything to do with joey and Rachel s relationship yuck)also during the pandemic rather than watch the depressing news I had it on in the background.and that s what I think people do
Even though we hate Ross the character he was the cause of most the conflicts in the show, so he is necessary. The actor did a great job.
What are u talking about? Besides “we were on a break”, what conflicts he caused ?
I'm finishing another rewatch after having not watched it in a few years. Idk why people hate on it so much. It's such a good show, and I can see a little bit of myself in all of the friends. Some of the moments in the show are incredibly well written (like when Monica proposes to chandler) and they touch the feels everytime I watch them. This show is comfort food for your soul, and I will never not recommend this show to new viewers
Friends is ok but HIMYM is just better. Better writing, better emotional scenes.
They're extremely different shows, and HIMYM is far from perfect too, but I agree. I really like how they pull at the ends of what's possible in a live action sitcom. It has a really uniquely high-effort style which it uses well to do a bunch of surreal dream-sequence stuff.
One part I want to point out is how Robin is basically the viewers' insert character. Old Ted is the narrator for the show, but she's the one who's constantly going "what's going on?" which gives the gang, and Ted by extension, free reign to give exposition. It's nicely done
Friends is literally the only American sitcom that I find funny. It's humour was different. There's never been another show like it.
Seinfeld?
In my youth there were two kind of people, those who like Seinfeld and those who liked friends. I liked the first one!
Literally the only opinion I've ever heard about friends is that it's overrated. I've never heard anyone call it a good show, funny, bad, unfunny, offensive, stupid, smart, none of that. Just that it's overrated, and yet I've never heard anyone 'rate' it. So id have to say it's not overrated.
Friends is great. And even when it isn't, it's good comfort food.
Actually, people don't remember, but Friends is also more of a take off on tv show 'Beverly Hills 90210'. A group of young rich highschool kids in LA. 90210 was a huge show back in the day. And one thing that show did towards the middle, was start having longer plot lines, going for more than an episode. Which like you said, was pretty unique at the time (for night time TV). Friends actually came on right when 90210 was kind of losing steam (after the kids got older and went to college) And people thought it was supposed to be a copy of 90210. I think iirc 90210 was on TV the same night as Friends, or right after it, etc. Friends though, was not as serious as 90210. So Friends was kind of a combo of 90210, which their longer more serious plots, and with Seinfeld, another popular tv show at the time, with their fun whacky, hanging out in NYC, short plots.
One thing to keep in mind also is this was during a time before netflix and the oversaturation of content. We did not have that many channels and if a show is popular in the US it gets picked up in other countries around the world. So even if you weren't that into it, you'd end up watching along anyway cause it's so widely available.
You do know that Friends is still one of the most popular shows globally, right?
For me Friends is the only sitcom that makes you laugh out loud so much.. the office, Himym etc do have some moments but most of them are like little giggles
The IT crowd
3rd rock from the song
Is Friends Overrated? Yes, thanks for coming to my tedtalk.
But they don’t know we know they know.
Every best episode you say are my favourites too. The apartment swap was such a fun idea. I think this show gives me comfort since I started watching when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old. Always loved season 3, 5 and 7
The two episodes with Rachel sister is a gem. Reese Witherspoon was so funny.
People hate friends because of the fandom. They're the ones who we should blame. Also I watched HIMYM before friends so the romance in friends is garbage.
One thing you forgot to mention about Ross and the marriages is that there was more of a stigma on divorces then.
What was new for that Era was somebody with a "good job", the "good on paper" type was over here divorced 3x AND with kids!
3 divorces is probably always going to be a red flag. It’s more common, but it’s definitely not something you want to learn from a date.
@@ProudPapa26 I really do feel like you can learn from anyone.
In all fairness, a person that has been married 3x is clearly doing something to make people think having them around for life is a good idea.
Whether they are charming, good at date ideas, or good at spotting desperate people, they are doing something BETTER than the person who is unable to get a date. Or gets stuck in those long terms that refuse to get married. ( then given an ultimatum turn around and marry the next person).
@@ProudPapa26 but than lets be real
Only one was his mistake.
So if someone love judging the book by the cover than definitely it's a red flag
@Lam Lam I donknow why people say don't judge a book by its cover when people pay cover designers because THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DO!
We judge things (not always in a bad way, but we don't see something with an empty brain) so saying "don't judge" is telling you that you are not allowed to have an opinion or notice things.
Agree 100% on your choice of the best episode
When Phoebe "did this" while dancing was the hardest I've ever laughed at Friends
Ok, I'm stopping 1/3 through this video because you've convinced me to try watching for myself without further spoilers.
One of the most popular sitcoms of all time. Yeah, not overrated.
Thank you so much for admitting David S. has done an excellent job as Ross because he really is one of most talented sitcom actors I have seen on television.
conclusion is ross. got. issues. lmao
One of the worst television shows ever put on the air. Every time I see a "Friends" clip that is supposedly hilarious, I can only shake my head in despair.
Saying something is overrated says more about the person than the thing.
I don't remember the last 3 seasons specifically, but it sounds like the issue that is very hard to avoid for any show after many years running: the issue of characters becoming a caricature of themselves, because it seems that it's what is expected from them, especially when a show is very successful and has high expectations. Every mild trait that makes up a personality, in a relatable way, becomes the basis for everything. As a result, the characters don't feel like themselves anymore, they may become mean, really dumb, anything extreme, when they were not in the first place. It's like the writers end up writing based on the way they THINK the characters are perceived by the by the audience, rather than based on what they used to be at the start and their possible evolution.
People say friends is unfunny, which at times is true. And honestly, I never found anything to be "laugh out loud" worthy. But it's a fun show to watch. The actors and characters are quite charming
The scene were Ross is "miming" watching TV for the sake of his friends across the street. I laughed my balls off.
I'm not sure. I was born in 1990 and as a boy I always thought it looked super lame except the fact Jennifer Aniston was my dream girl
Everything extremely popular will be overrated as a relative formula to people commenting on it and not connecting with it.
I think the show was so successful because it is how so many twenty-somethings wanted to see themselves.
Yea I was a kid then but I still like to to back and rewatch now I'm in my twenties for this reason
Doubt tbh ....many people jsut love the show .
Many of people out here enjoyed it more than ever in their teenage
honestly it is okay if people don't like friends, i totally get it but i think it is trendy to dunk on popular shows from couple years back, happens wifh friends, the office, community, that 70's show and even stuff like m.a.s.h season 1-6 of friends is some of my favourite tv of all time
You must be a millennial or a gen z because you just don't get it Emily is actually one of the best girlfriends Ross ever had she just became really hostile towards him after he embarrassed her in front of all her friends and family at their wedding
I never rated Friends. The scene where Phoebe tries to teach Joey french shows how the characters actually regressed as the seasons went on and they became a parody of themselves
The answer is a resounding YES. god, yes. It’s awful.
1:38 Friends is a whitewash of Living Single