Like others have said, go out and do things. And I would suggest somewhat organized things- don’t just start jogging in the park, join a group that holds events. Don’t start just start hanging around the bookstore, join a bookclub. Bowling league, dart league, car repair class. Whatever it is, you want something where the same people will be there week after week. It’s much easier to talk and build a relationship with people you see every week rather than people you meet one day at the running track and may never see again.
Oh and that TV version of friendship - I’m not going to say it’s completely fictional. It’s not. But it’s also very time/situation -dependent and even long friendships change over time. My husband has had a friend since high school - we’re 55 now. There have been time periods where he hasn’t seen this friend all that often ( mostly when our kids were young) but that didn’t matter. They sometimes didn’t talk for months at a time due to busyness , but they picked up right where they left off.
Yeah my dad used to belong to the local Moose club. My friend currently is very active in the Lions club. I still see Eagles clubs. My cousin is SUPER involved in the American Legion (can only join if you’re a non-combat veteran or related to a veteran) and there’s also the VFW (for combat veterans). There’s also still bike clubs around if you ride.
There’s also the local Rotary club and Toastmasters.
My friend who’s in the Lions club does a ton of charity work with them. Lots of different volunteer opportunities. He in fact now has more volunteer hours outside of Lions since he’s retired, and he got those connections through Lions.
Yeah, it’s tough to maintain that sort of friendship they show on TV where a bunch of old high school or college friends hang around together for ten seasons. In reality, people’s career, family, and other situations takes them in different directions. The Walking Dead is probably a more realistic portrayal of friendships over the years than Friends or How I Met Your Mother. Eventually it’s just you, Daryll, your friend Rick’s ex, Michionne and a bunch of new randoms, wondering how that asshole Negan, who you couldn’t stand a few years ago, is now one of your best friends.
What I’ve found is that it’s good to have at least one friend who regularly throws parties with everyone you know. Or you can do this yourself (although we don’t).