There's just something about it. The show itself is far from reinventive. It's basically a mix of Cheers, Mary Tyler Moore and any "The Gang" type movie. But it was the remarkable cast that changed the way television looked at ensemble comedy.
Jennifer Anniston, Courtney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow not only had unbelievable group chemistry but no two of them were better together than any other two. (Although I prefer Joey and Chandler team up episodes.) Not to mention each one was told over and over again that they were the break out star and should take that. But the big 6 stuck together. They negotiated together, and ended up being the highest paid cast in TV history. And it was always about all six of them, never did the show become "The Rachel Show" (as it easily could have, because no matter what anyone says, Jen was the breakout star)
But that's not the only reason I love Friends. Friends represents a moment to me. It was the first "grown up" show I really followed. It was the first time I started describing people as a "character from show." Like, "I'm a Rachel, and my friend Helen is sooo the Phoebe of our group!" (To take a totally arbitrary example that has no relevance to my real life whatsoever!) And oh yeah, that show is really really funny. Like hilariously funny. Watch the early episodes again some time. Brilliant.
And it made me start hanging out in coffee places, which sort of defined my life in high school. Just saying.
1 comment:
WIN!
yeah...obviously i agree :-)
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