# Am I the Only One Who Thinks the TV Show “Friends” Is Very Overrated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 4, 2021, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343 "2021-05-04T01:37:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/41 "2021-05-04T17:07:40Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > That said Bing did make me laugh with his one liners and “BE” shtick. See, that schtick made me want to slap the “BE” out of his stupid mouth. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/42 "2021-05-04T17:08:18Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > > > wasn’t _Friends._ > > Probably correct - it was Seinfeld which I thought was friends. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. 🤨 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/z5rIfJXDgps/hqdefault.jpg "Seinfeld Oranges") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5rIfJXDgps&t=49) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/43 "2021-05-04T17:08:38Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Probably correct - it was Seinfeld which I thought was friends. Yeah, I don’t remember that ever being a Seinfeld plot either. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/44 "2021-05-04T17:08:53Z")
A lot of shows, sitcoms especially, depend on where you are in your life at the time. I knew people in their 20s and 30s who watched “Friends” religiously. I was in my 40s. Perhaps a few years earlier I might have enjoyed it, but at the time, the comedic antics and angst of 20-somethings didn’t interest me. I tried watching one episode, got halfway through and turned it off. Six months later I decided to give it another shot. The same damn episode was on as the summer rerun! “Family” sitcoms never interested us either. To my wife and I, the only good episodes of “Home Improvement” involved Tim’s TV show. We didn’t care about his wife and kids. We loved “Seinfeld” from beginning to end. I know lots of people who hated it and still do. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/45 "2021-05-04T17:11:52Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > but the good stuff seeps through somehow. I managed to watch the original “Twin Peaks” I’m sorry, but if there is any show that defines “overrated” it’s Twin Peaks. And I’m saying that as a fan. Shows that expect the audience to do the writers’ job, fill in the plot holes, and make the story work are not good shows. And before anyone gets all het out of shape, no I don’t expect to be led by the hand through the plot. But could there BE a plot? (said in Chandler Bing voice). > [@Mijin](#): > > The Friends are incredibly rude to people outside of their group. The look down on people, use them, and still somehow feel like they are the good guys. See also: Seinfeld. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/46 "2021-05-04T17:15:11Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > [@Mijin](#): > > > > The Friends are incredibly rude to people outside of their group. The look down on people, use them, and still somehow feel like they are the good guys. > > See also: Seinfeld. Well, that was kinda the whole point of Seinfeld. “no hugs” and all that. (And then _It’s Always Sunny_ takes that to it’s extreme). I don’t really remember that being a common thing on Friends. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/47 "2021-05-04T17:29:31Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Yeah, I don’t remember that ever being a Seinfeld plot either. It was a _Mad About You_ episode. Jerry Seinfeld did have a cameo appearance, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/48 "2021-05-04T17:37:03Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > I was in my 40s. Perhaps a few years earlier I might have enjoyed it, but at the time, the comedic antics and angst of 20-somethings didn’t interest me. Counterpoint: My mom was around 45 when the show came out and she loved it. I remember Thursday night was the highlight of her television-watching week because Friends was on. I remember it being amusing enough. Not as “edgy” as Seinfeld (for the time) but good for some laughs. I was less interested when episodes sunk into the Ross/Rachel morass but I guess guys in their 20s wasn’t the target demographic for that. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/49 "2021-05-04T17:43:17Z")
I have never liked Friends, can’t stand to watch 10 minutes of it. But I can watch other lightweight comedies like Cougar Town, King of Queens, and Big Bang Theory. Not sure what it is about Friends but it is just repellent to me. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/50 "2021-05-04T17:49:21Z")
(a) You are certainly not the only one. Far from it, as is made obvious from this thread (b) It was certainly not a great show. I don’t think I’ve watched an episode since it went off the air. But it was funnier and better performed than people in this thread are giving it credit for. I laughed very hard at some of its jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/51 "2021-05-04T21:13:31Z")
It always seemed too slick, like a battery of writers had honed every gag to within an inch of its life (and the laugh track didn’t help) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/52 "2021-05-04T21:51:57Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > The Friends are incredibly rude to people outside of their group. The look down on people, use them, and still somehow feel like they are the good guys. You helped me pinpoint what I didn’t like about it. It’s as if all the popular kids you knew in high school were in one show that (surprise!) completely revolved around them. They aren’t smarter than you, or better people, they just arbitrarily get all the attention because they are attractive and well-off financially. I was forced to watch the popular kid drama play out in high school, I don’t care to watch it again. I know I sound bitter but I’m really not. More like _yawn._ ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/53 "2021-05-04T22:13:04Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > (b) It was certainly not a great show. I don’t think I’ve watched an episode since it went off the air. But it was funnier and better performed than people in this thread are giving it credit for. I laughed very hard at some of its jokes. I think it’s better performed and written than a lot of sitcoms today. I tried watching _2 Broke Girls_ a few years back and I could practically see the actors concentrating on hitting their cues like it was a high school production of some kind. I’ll chalk that up to the direction and the schedule as I don’t think some of those actors are all that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/54 "2021-05-04T22:23:32Z")
It wasn’t all bad. I thought the shark porn episode was brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/55 "2021-05-04T22:24:57Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Yeah, I don’t remember that ever being a Seinfeld plot either. How about Paul in teh 1998 season opener of _Mad About You_? > **["Mad About You" Season Opener (TV Episode 1998) ⭐ 7.1 | Comedy, Romance](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0638925/)** > > 22m | 13+ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/56 "2021-05-04T23:21:53Z")
I liked Friends slightly more than Seinfeld, which is to say not much. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/57 "2021-05-04T23:41:21Z")
It’s junk food. Like The Office. It’s ok, never wonderful, but people watch it because it’s just something easy to have on in the background. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/58 "2021-05-05T00:00:15Z")
I never cared for it much myself. But then again, I was never that into sitcoms to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/59 "2021-05-05T04:46:13Z")
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and if Twin Peaks didn’t work for you, so be it. But I think the show rewarded observant watchers. I knew “whodunnit” from the start. There is a huge clue in the first episode - but you have to be paying _extremely_ close attention. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343/60 "2021-05-05T04:46:17Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > It’s junk food. Like The Office. Once again, I am reminded of the extent to which different people have different opinions about things. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-the-tv-show-friends-is-very-overrated/941343.md?page=4)