# Re-watching Friends **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [February 9, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251 "2015-02-09T20:16:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [October 24, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/61 "2016-10-24T02:09:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’ve been thinking of finally watching _Friends_. I’ve seen exactly one (1) episode, and that was while staying in a hotel room in Kuala Lumpur in 1999. But the wife and I are going through _The Big Bang Theory_ now, and that show is so good that I wondered if it might make earlier shows like _Friends_ pale in comparison. Now that I’m back in the US, I’m pleased to see _Friends_ being shown so often. TBS seems to have two hours just about every night, and other channels air it too. So I’m getting caught up a little. Funny how these things can be tracked historically. I recall endless reruns of Lucille Ball’s various shows. Twenty or 30 years ago, it was M_A_S\*H. Today it’s _Friends_, _Seinfeld_ and _The Big Bang Theory_. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/62 "2016-10-27T00:36:14Z")
i happened upon a complete series dvd set. it holds up pretty well. i like how they do a thanksgiving episode every year. phoebe’s wedding was the best and prettiest. watching one after the other i noticed that chandler and richard had similar body language and an easy way with monica’s idiosyncrasies. the richard character fit in the best with the 6 out of all the outside love interests. interesting how the show had 3 of the women who ended up on criminal minds. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/63 "2016-10-27T18:44:42Z")
This thread is over a year old, but that’s OK. 🙂 Friends holds up amazingly well. My wife and I are watching through them on Netflix; and like Malcom in the Middle, it’s hard to find a bad episode. I have to agree with Quimby, Lisa Kudrow is the best of the bunch by far. Her character Phoebe is hilarious and Kudrow pulls it off perfectly. Rachel in real life is… wow… not a nice person at all. I’ve never been a big Ross fan, except for when he’s a side character to the story line. The one exception is when HE WAS ON A BREAK! Everything else where he’s a whiny ass… no thank you. Where he shined was when he was just part of the conversation: Joey: That’s how they do pants! First they go up one side, they move it over, then they go up the other side then they move it back, and then they do the rear. Ross, will you tell him. Isn’t that how a tailor measures pants? Ross: Yes, yes it is… in prison! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/64 "2019-08-09T01:44:36Z")
Bumped. Despite Phoebe’s likely angst, Pottery Barn now has a line of _Friends_ stuff: [https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/friends-tv-pottery-barn/](https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/friends-tv-pottery-barn/) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/65 "2019-08-09T04:50:22Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Bumped. > > Despite Phoebe’s likely angst, Pottery Barn now has a line of _Friends_ stuff: [https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/friends-tv-pottery-barn/](https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/friends-tv-pottery-barn/) Wow, they really don’t give you the old-timey pricing for that apothecary table. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/66 "2019-08-09T14:38:10Z")
I’m surprised at the Friends positivity in this thread. I’m actually surprised two-fold. The first is that it’s so cool to hate Friends I’m surprised there are so many people (like me!) who genuinely like the show. The second is I’m surprised the people who do hate it are restrained enough to not threadshit. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/67 "2019-08-09T15:35:44Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Something that always distracts me when I watch the shows now is how much Jennifer Aniston changed over time. Or actually, it’s more like trying to put my finger on exactly \*what \*changed. Something about her face is different, starting I think, in the third season. Obviously weight loss will change one’s face, but it’s more than that. I can’t remember if I actually heard she’d had plastic surgery or if I’m confusing it with the Rachel character. Her voice seems to have change in some way also, though again I can’t quite pinpoint how. Does anyone else know what I’m talking about? I think she had a bit of a baby face early on but seemed to have a little more defined cheekbones later. Her voice I think matured and deepened a little over time. I think the quality of the show was pretty consistent over time. The biggest change that I see from early years to later ones is the girls’ fashions got a little less dressy and more casual. Ross and Phoebe didn’t change much in my opinion, Joey visibly aged during the show but I agree that it takes some talent to convincingly play someone that uneducated. He didn’t seem stupid, he just seemed like the guy who didn’t study at all. Chandler’s character perhaps evolved the most, he went from being a joke machine to being a little more complex. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/68 "2019-08-09T20:34:43Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Joey visibly aged during the show but I agree that it takes some talent to convincingly play someone that uneducated. Chandler’s appearance went downhill _far_ more than Joey’s. Perry was having a lot of personal issues (and seems to still be not in a good place). It showed. LeBlanc’s real acting abilities shine in _Episodes_ where he nominally plays himself. But with amazing gusto and lack of self-awareness (most of the time). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/69 "2019-08-09T21:01:50Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Bumped. > > Despite Phoebe’s likely angst, Pottery Barn now has a line of _Friends_ stuff: [https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/friends-tv-pottery-barn/](https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/friends-tv-pottery-barn/) But where is the bird cage? Where is the folding divider thingy? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/70 "2019-08-09T21:03:20Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Wow, they really don’t give you the old-timey pricing for that apothecary table. You can’t even smell the opium. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/71 "2019-08-09T21:24:34Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oUc0vbSlanM/hqdefault.jpg "A semi-alphabetical listing of Black actors with speaking roles on Friends") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUc0vbSlanM) ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/72 "2019-08-09T21:26:08Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oUc0vbSlanM/hqdefault.jpg "A semi-alphabetical listing of Black actors with speaking roles on Friends") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUc0vbSlanM) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/73 "2019-08-10T00:03:16Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > I never saw it, but I’ve heard that Cox fronted a failed sitcom called the Misfits of Science, and she had done a popular turn before that in a recurring role at Alex Keaton’s girlfriend on “Family Ties” (19 episodes), as well as a feature film (“Masters of the Universe”). Aside from Kudrow’s hilarious bit as Ursula, Cox is the only one I’d ever seen. Before it became the Ross and Rachel show (the reason I stopped watching about five seasons in), the A plots were about Monica and the B plots about the others. “Misfits of Science” was a drama! A serious drama about people with bizarre powers working together to fight evil… in some way. In the first episode there’s a monster obsessed with Amelia Earhart, for some reason. There were other episodes with characteristics, too! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2019, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/74 "2019-08-10T01:31:28Z")
[The One With the Lego Set](https://kotaku.com/lego-s-friends-central-perk-set-is-an-impressive-collec-1837067579). ---
**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 11, 2019, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/75 "2019-08-11T21:42:12Z")
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is offering a series of _Friends_-based coffee drinks. Yesterday we tried the Phoebe, a cookies-and-cream frappe. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/76 "2019-08-14T15:47:21Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Bumped. > > Despite Phoebe’s likely angst, Pottery Barn now has a line of _Friends_ stuff: [https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/friends-tv-pottery-barn/](https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/friends-tv-pottery-barn/) Ha! Thanks for the bump! Thanks to you bumping a thread that was almost 3 years old, I don’t have to be a thread killer… unless no one replies after this. Uh Oh. Is it possible to be a thread killer twice? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/77 "2019-08-14T15:59:01Z")
My favourite analysis of Friends [courtesy of Lrr](https://youtu.be/PVQO76I0Sh0?t=6). ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/78 "2019-08-14T16:10:57Z")
> [@Trancephalic](#): > > [https://youtu.be/oUc0vbSlanM](https://youtu.be/oUc0vbSlanM) And the point of this is? ---
**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 16, 2019, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/79 "2019-08-16T04:43:13Z")
And to celebrate the 25th anniversary of _Friends_, 12 shows will be shown in movie theaters nationwide over three nights this fall. ---
**Author:** ![MrLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@MrLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrLee)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251/80 "2019-08-17T22:25:38Z")
For its time, certainly at the beginning anyway, Friends was exemplary without quite being ground-breaking. It had/has a lot of things going for it: - skilled writers - an attractive, talented cast - a well-moderated grown-up-ish tone for the time - mild references to sex, drugs and alcohol - but nothing too ‘HBO’ … - very good and balanced characters - a good mix of sentimentality and silliness - although it veered too much towards the former in future years. It’s interesting to compare it to Seinfeld, which was in many ways a more comedically edgy and adult, sophisticated show. Somehow, Friends seems to have aged better. - Seinfeld had a more limited cast, and - it seems, at least, more limited budget - It was more male/masculine both in terms of its cast and storylines - While the characters in Friends had moments of selfishness and pettiness, overall their characters are portrayed sympathetically. All of the characters in Seinfeld are to various degrees (comedically) unpleasant, or the comedy is structured around the antisocial quirks of their colleagues/partners. Comparatively, Seinfeld feels rather acidic,in a very 1990s way. These days, we prefer our acidity in a different flavour, but our tastes for saccharine content (like in Friends) haven’t evolved much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-watching-friends/712251.md?page=5)