# Does anyone hate 'Friends' as much as I do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 16, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762 "2018-08-16T23:54:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/61 "2018-08-18T01:26:30Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > :rolleyes: . All of them, privileged, no! - overprivileged dumbasses. The kind who often do VERY well in life,most knowing nothing much of anything (like Jay Leno’s jay-walking, tee hee) . -, getting by on money or looks, or general WASP-iness and ‘connections’ . None of THEM are changing the diapers on their senile parents, or working two part time jobs and getting $20 of food stamps a month. None of THEM are spraying their huge apartments with roach spray. None of THEM are riding the bus across town, it’s taxies and free rides, no problem-o. They plop out babies and all the angels sing. Life is a fucking wonderland, flowers and sex and good times non-stop …I swear, I hate all of them even more now. Because of…celery? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/62 "2018-08-18T01:59:30Z")
Keep in mind when Friends was a hit show, many people only had 5-8 channels to pick from. ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and a few independent channels. So the competition was much much less. Nowadays when I watch Seinfeld I’m disappointed in how unremarkable the show is. Seinfeld was a big fish in a small pond. It wouldn’t do nearly as well in today’s media environment with all the competition and all the options. But even in the 90s, I didn’t care for the show Friends. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/63 "2018-08-18T09:11:09Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’m not a huge fan, but just thinking of this scene makes me smile every time: > > (much paraphrasing from memory) > > Phoebe is challenged to list all 50 states. Later, Ross (?) comes back and asks how she’s doing with the states. > > Phoebe: I got bored with that so I just started naming all the different types of celery. > > Ross: Oh, how many do you have so far? > > Phoebe: Just one. Regular celery. > mmm That’s funny? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/64 "2018-08-18T14:19:23Z")
The whole Ross and Rachel thing went on much too long. Much, much, much, much, much, much too long. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/65 "2018-08-18T14:41:40Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > Hol-ee shit, dude. It’s a fairy tale about twentysomethings in New York, it’s not meant to reflect reality. Exactly. It’s a comedy show set in New York City and using attractive young actors. It’s not a story or examination about what it means to be a young person living in New York. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/66 "2018-08-18T18:42:27Z")
I don’t think I ever saw more than a couple minutes of a “Friends” episode, any more than I could sit through an entire “Thirtysomething” or “Two Broke Girls”. Just not much appeal there, though my reaction falls way closer to “meh” than “hate”. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/67 "2018-08-18T20:13:06Z")
I liked it early on. I was a 20-something living in the big city and they were 20-somethings living in the big city. They dealt with actual things sometimes, like hanging with friends making more than you, going from employee to management, or having parents that blatantly favor one child. But Ross and Rachel went on too long and being of a similar age worked against it, as I matured and they didn’t. Of the last few seasons, the only ones I like are when Rachel’s sisters (Christina Applegate and Reese Witherspoon) visit. I honestly never got the early fuss over Aniston and her hair (but got a laugh when reading some urban fantasy where a character sees a pic of a vampire sporting The Rachel back then). She’s aged much better than everyone, though. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/68 "2018-08-18T20:48:16Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I think the only episode I watched in its entirety was the farewell episode. I always thought of that show as a Seinfeld ripoff… It was a blatant rip-off of Fox’s “Living Single”. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/69 "2018-08-18T21:24:09Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > Hol-ee shit, dude. It’s a fairy tale about twentysomethings in New York, it’s not meant to reflect reality. I mean, why do you think people watch television? To relax and take some time away from the stress of daily life, right? Does anyone want to watch a show about the things you describe? Do you? Of course TV is unrealistic, it’s TV. That level of vitriol seems a bit over the top. Seriously, get a grip. I wasn’t really a fan of the show (I was more into _Beavis and Butthead_, and _The State_), but I DID have “The Rachel” for about a year. Does that count? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/70 "2018-08-18T21:27:10Z")
Yeah, it was a funny show. Maybe if you weren’t a white affluent 20-something in 1994 to 2004 , you might not be the target audience. My only complaint is that Friends and Seinfeld started a trend of “friends living fabulously beyond their means in New York” shows that includes Sex and the City, How I Met Your Mother, Girls, 2 Broke Girls, etc. Not to mention various rom-coms and whatnot. All which give the impression that “adults” don’t live in New York. Only maladjusted post-adolescents with addiction problems. ---
**Author:** ![Santelia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Santelia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santelia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/71 "2018-08-18T21:46:56Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I watched faithfully when it was first broadcast, and have caught many of the episodes multiple times in the past. I can’t much watch it any more because I want to bitch-slap every single one of the characters, including supporting characters, every time they open their mouths. I’m not sure what changed, exactly, but I find I have no patience for that kind of self-absorbed moronitude any more. This pretty closely matches my thoughts. **Frasier** , to compare something of similar vintage, I think has aged very well indeed. At least the episodes before Daphne’s family start showing up. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/72 "2018-08-18T21:48:12Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Yeah, it was a funny show. Maybe if you weren’t a white affluent 20-something in 1994 to 2004 , you might not be the target audience. > > My only complaint is that Friends and Seinfeld started a trend of “friends living fabulously beyond their means in New York” shows that includes Sex and the City, How I Met Your Mother, Girls, 2 Broke Girls, etc. Not to mention various rom-coms and whatnot. All which give the impression that “adults” don’t live in New York. Only maladjusted post-adolescents with addiction problems. Oh, now Sex and the City, THAT show sucked. My sister and my mother loved it, but to me it was like nails on a chalkboard. I don’t know why, but I just found the characters really irritating. Not unrealistic, just incredibly, insanely annoying. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/73 "2018-08-19T00:12:05Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Keep in mind when Friends was a hit show, many people only had 5-8 channels to pick from. ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and a few independent channels. > > So the competition was much much less. Nowadays when I watch Seinfeld I’m disappointed in how unremarkable the show is. Seinfeld was a big fish in a small pond. It wouldn’t do nearly as well in today’s media environment with all the competition and all the options. > > But even in the 90s, I didn’t care for the show Friends. _Friends_ was on the air from 1994 to 2004. We had digital cable during that time period. Far from 5-8 channels, we had a couple of hundred. Even Bruce Springsteen’s lament about “57 channels and nothin’ on” was several years out of date. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/74 "2018-08-19T00:25:16Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > _Friends_ was on the air from 1994 to 2004. We had digital cable during that time period. Far from 5-8 channels, we had a couple of hundred. Even Bruce Springsteen’s lament about “57 channels and nothin’ on” was several years out of date. Exactly. Most people had cable for ten years or more at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/75 "2018-08-19T00:57:56Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Oh, now Sex and the City, THAT show sucked. My sister and my mother loved it, but to me it was like nails on a chalkboard. I don’t know why, but I just found the characters really irritating. Not unrealistic, just incredibly, insanely annoying. Holy shit, yes. I hated that show. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/76 "2018-08-19T01:00:15Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The whole Ross and Rachel thing went on much too long. Much, much, much, much, much, much too long. They should’ve put on the brakes. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/77 "2018-08-19T05:42:40Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > :rolleyes: . All of them, privileged, no! - overprivileged dumbasses. The kind who often do VERY well in life,most knowing nothing much of anything (like Jay Leno’s jay-walking, tee hee) . -, getting by on money or looks, or general WASP-iness and ‘connections’ . None of THEM are changing the diapers on their senile parents, or working two part time jobs and getting $20 of food stamps a month. None of THEM are spraying their huge apartments with roach spray. None of THEM are riding the bus across town, it’s taxies and free rides, no problem-o. They plop out babies and all the angels sing. Life is a fucking wonderland, flowers and sex and good times non-stop …I swear, I hate all of them even more now. [It sounds like a Ken Loach sitcom would be more your thing.](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/23/i-daniel-blake-ken-loach-review-mark-kermode) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/78 "2018-08-19T05:53:27Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > The show finished some 15 years ago. > To watch it now, yeah the humor seems dated and also social norms have moved on. Also the last couple seasons it did run out of steam. > > But it makes perfect sense to me how much of a hit \*Friends \*was at the time: it was simply a lot funnier than anything else on TV at the time, plus it looked like a fun place to be: you want to be the seventh person hanging out at Cafe Perk. But also I can see why someone watching it now would think it was crappy. The humor holds up well, and there was even a not-too-old thread about that. As has been mentioned elsewhere, one thing contributing to its success is everyone remembers the younger days when you had a close-knit circle of friends, with everyone living in each other’s kitchen. I don’t have that anymore. Many people would love to have just such a circle of friends in large apartments in NYC. Gunther was probably the most underappreciated character. I understand he continues to make the most of it, even setting up pop-up replicas of Central Perk in places like London. I always find the distance shots of the World Trade Center poignant. It tells you it was pre-9/11. There was even one episode where Joey learns a British pub there sells Boddingtons Ale like they had in London, and he heads off to there. Just glad he did not head off there on 9/11 While we’re at it, _Sex and the City_ is a show we liked too, but we did see that in Bangkok. Watched DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/79 "2018-08-19T16:14:54Z")
I can’t say I hate it but I never thought it was more than mediocre. It was occasionally funny. There were some fairly decent comic actors in the cast, especially Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow. I have been surprised by how popular “Friends” was (and continues to be) in the UK. People quote lines from it, refer to specific episodes, use the characters as shorthand to describe someone’s behavior. I’ve never known anyone in the US with that level of knowledge or interest in this old (and not terribly accomplished or captivating) TV sit-com. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762/80 "2018-08-19T17:39:53Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Is it threadshitting to come into this thread and say you\* liked\* Friends? No, but maybe it could be to come in and say you never, ever watched it.😛 My wife liked it, and I watched it. It was Ok, but I admit is has aged very poorly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-hate-friends-as-much-as-i-do/819762.md?page=5)