Life on Rural Street

FRIENDS

A friend of mine asked me today, "What do you think of 'Friends'?"

Here was my response:

I think the when the show originally aired (what - in '94?) It became hugely popular for a couple of reasons. One, the writers & actors had a way of very accurately portraying the mindset of people in their 20's. People who were adjusting to the working world and learning what it meant to be independent but still needed a "family" (their 'friends') They knew just when to pull out the jokes but also when to tug at heartstring to catch people's emotions. Two, the producers & writers weren't afraid to hit on big issues from the very beginning. For example, Ross' wife divorcing him because she was lesbian but them having a kid together. Rachel leaving her fiance at the alter. Phoebe being a surrogate mom for her brother and his wife. They managed to touch on these issues while still poking fun at themselves AND the issues. People needed that comedic break.

I think it held up because people fell in love with the characters. A lot of people who started watching it, kept watching because they were, in a way, "growing up" with the friends. They watched Chandler and Monica get married, they watched Phoebe get married, they watched Rachel and Ross have a child - just as they were doing all of this.

In the meantime the show ran reruns and started catching younger audience members. People like me, who began watching it in college, realized that they really did do a good job of capturing a 20 to 30 year old in transition and then in turn that new audience fell in love with the characters. So you now have this massive fan base that has watched the characters develop and change and touch on tough issues and to be honest, there aren't many shows out there right now that do that in the same way. Sure there are great shows out there - but not many that are somewhat realistic at dealing with these tough issues and change but also still keep a good sense of humor so the subject is light enough to enjoy watching on TV. So people feel they'll be missing something next fall when these characters aren't around anymore. I think it's interesting also that a lot of people almost feel as if an "era" in their life is ending with this show. It's crazy a TV show can make people feel that way.