Generally they are all employed. There’s brief periods in which a given character may not be employed for a while, but that never lasts, and it’s always clear that there are consequences for not having money coming in.
They actually had a bit of a meta-moment about that. They were all sitting in the coffee shop, complaining about their jobs and how their bosses hated them, when one of them said, “Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it’s 11 AM and we’re all sitting in a coffee shop?”- at which they all hurriedly stood up and rushed out.
You don’t think the Dick Van Dyke Show, with Rob & Laura sleeping in twin beds, is an artifact of the 50s?
You don’t think I Love Lucy, with no one commenting on the oddity of a grown woman periodically getting spanked by her husband as a means of discipline, and whose pregnancy is never described with the actual word, is similarly an artifact?
You don’t think The Andy Griffith Show, set in its fairy-tale version of an all-white south, is an artifact?
There is a metric ton of stuff from “Friends” in our modern culture now - The Rachel haircut is one of the obvious examples (which was addressed in the show, too, when Rachel asks her mom, “If you want to be like me, couldn’t you just get your hair cut like me?”). We are SO using stuff from “Friends” all the time. Anybody here going commando at the moment? Hopefully not in another man’s fatigues!
I think I’ll do some deep knee bends.
There was something about Friends when it started that really hooked me. I was in my mid 20s just hanging out in college at the time and so I identified with the show. As the seasons progresses, I still liked the show but not as much as I used to. I think a lot of the characters became characatures and some of the romantic arcs with guests ended in unrealistic ways at times (the cop who shoots birds in the morning, the rich guy who wanted to fight Tank Abbot). Despite this, it’s still very funny in reruns, though I don’t watch it all that often anymore.
It still feels part of its time (ie the 90s), but no more so than Seinfeld or some of the other examples that Skald mentioned.
I think people need to remember, too, that “Friends” was about horrible people doing ridiculous things (like “Seinfeld”). Nice people doing logical things make terribly boring sitcom characters.
Great book, but he IS a bit of a pill. I think he hates all things Brooke Shields, so you are correct to connect her to his dislike of the show. Matt LeBlanc’s scene with her involved her licking his hand in a silly seduction scene. Agassi flipped out jealous. From then on, Friends is short hand for all things bad about Brooke’s career.
Agassi was honest in his pillishness, and that makes for an excellent book.
Of course they are. It’s just that the entertainment quality of these shows is still as strong as it ever was. You’ll find fans of all ages who like these shows because the material is strong. I don’t think in 50 years, there will be the same warm regard for Friends that there are for these shows.
Wwe’ll have to wait 50 years to find that out. Or you will; I plan to be dead by then.
Well–not so much “plan” as “expect.”
That interesting since Larry David, the co-creator of Seinfeld, has said he felt that Friends was a Seinfeld knock-off.
I’ll be sure to dance on your grave. It’s the least a friend could do.
Seconded. I enjoyed it throughout its run, although obviously some episodes are better than others. I could pretty much count on five or six laughs per show, and that’s a great average for most half-hour TV comedies.
Oh, and what Wheelz said.
Favorite lines:
“I’m the Hannukah Armadillo!”
“Ew! Ew ew ew!”
“How many different categories of hand towels does Monica have?”
“We were on a break!”
“I wonder, should I use my powers of invisibility for good or evil?”
“I got you The Velveteen Rabbit because I know you like cheese.”
“But this is laminated.”
“It was a good sandwich, too.”
Like my grave won’t be booby-trapped against just such a circumstance.
“Just so you know, it’s not that common, it doesn’t happen to every guy, and it IS a big deal!”
“I knew it!”
Has anyone mentioned Jennifer Anniston’s nipples yet? They were the high-beams…er… highlights of the entire series.
“That’s a relatively open weave and I can still see your… nipular area”
Also, I thought the whole segment with Ross (who is my least liked of the cast) flirting with the cute pizza delivery girl is brilliant.
“You know they add the smell…to the gas…”
If you look at the first year of Friends it is a really well written show with excellent acting.
And considering Friends is a rip off of Seinfeld (A bunch of friends, just talking and not doing much) to have such a stellar first season is remarkable.
But the fame of the actors/actresses was so overwhelming, it started to go to the cast’s heads.
I don’t think it’s anything they did on purpose but when you get so much fame and press thrown all over you, it’d be hard not to let it effect you. This as opposed to shows like Seinfeld which took years to build to a decent fame level.
Friends is still better than a lot of sitcoms but this may be a lot of sitcoms are just lousy. But if you compare the first year of Friends to the rest, something definately happened. And I’m not just taking about the Rachel + Ross storyline
I don’t watch the reruns that often anymore, but I still catch it occasionally. Generally, I still find it pretty funny, and better than just about any sitcom currently on TV.
For its first few weeks of airing, I hated Friends. After a few episodes, I caught one and liked it. Even now I find the pilot probably the worst episode.
I think it’s aged well, except for the girls’ hair in the first few seasons. I watch and I wonder why anyone would make Courtenay ugly on purpose with matron hair. I never liked “the Rachel.”
Just today I was walking around with
You slept with someone else?
We were on a BREAK!
in my head.
Which led to one of my other favorite lines eventually: “You FELL ASLEEP?”
I could watch the prom episode and the apartment-bet episode every day.
My favorite line from my favorite episode:
“I thought you guys were just doin’ it – I didn’t know you’re in love!”
Sort of encapsulates the entire zeitgeist of the whole generation.