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Meghan Ellison

Prof. Furaha Henry-Jones

Eng 1101

2 October 2020

Evaluation Essay

“When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month or even your year – I’ll be there

for you,” lyrics of The Rembrandt’s hit song made famous as the theme song to Friends, an

American television sitcom that aired from 1994 - 2004. Over two decades ago, NBC aired its

first episode of Friends, starring an ensemble cast of six friends navigating their 20’s and 30’s in

New York City. The show was an instant hit and a must-watch; during the show’s tenure, it

accumulated many Emmy Awards. Fast forward 25 years later, and surprising to some, Friends

had made a comeback and can be credited to a group of new viewers, Millennials and Gen Z,

that hadn’t even been born when the first episode aired. The show’s relatable cast, fashion and

culture, and recent popularity on Netflix have proven to be relevant over decades, making it one

of the greatest TV shows to date.

Some TV shows and movies that have aged well can be described as “classics.” There is

sometimes fondness and appreciation for TV shows and movies that take you back in time and

reminisce about the good old days. These nostalgic shows are filled with pop culture references

and trends that are unrelatable and obscure in today’s world. The show Friends is timeless and

the storylines and cast of characters are still relevant to most viewers, and most can identify with

one of the six characters. It doesn’t matter if you are 50 or 16; the dynamics of friendships and

those interactions are relatable. New episodes of Friends aired for ten years; the characters

portrayed were in their twenties when it began and ended with the characters being in their
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thirties. Viewers feel like they are taking this journey with the characters and experiencing life

events as they unfold, for example, Rachel working at a café until she can find a career that suits

her or Ross going through a divorce and having to date again. During this series, there are so

many big and small life events that a new generation of viewers can still appreciate.

Although Friends is one of the all-time best shows to ever be on TV and is still attracting

new viewers, some elements of the show could appear out-of-date now. The 1990’s fashion and

style are forgivable and easily overlooked since some of those same trends have recirculated and

are currently en vogue and retro. However, the most glaring difference is the lack of cell phones,

social media, and connectivity via the internet. In the 1990s, the concept of a “smartphone”

would have been foreign or unimaginable. The connectivity via social media apps, instant

answers via google, would drastically change this group of friends’ interactions. Today, walking

into a coffee house, would it be feasible to see a group of six friends all talking and interacting

and not staring at their phones? Perhaps, this is one reason why the show is so desirable to the

GenZ and Millennial generations. They may crave in-person experiences and conversations

rather than just texting back and forth and having to compete for attention with a phone. It’s very

fathomable that “We were on a Break,” or “Pivot” would have been a trending hashtag or the

lyrics to Smelly Cat would be part of a Tik Tok Video.

Despite Friends being a very relatable show to some, it was not reliable for all. The

show’s lack of diversity among the cast was unrealistic and left many minority groups feeling

unrepresented. In big cities that are diverse, like New York, it is very uncommon to see only

caucasion, heterosexual people interacting. This became a big problem in Friends because the six

main characters only interacted with predominantly white characters. The show was created 25
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years ago, and it is interesting to see how the TV industry has changed since then. If Friends was

made in today’s era, we would probably see a more diverse group of characters.

In recent years, Netflix acquired the streaming rights to Friends allowing many viewers to

re-watch the TV show from their childhood. Friends are the all-time best show to binge-watch

and Netflix made that possible and helped Friends regain popularity amongst younger crowds.

Ten years’ worth of episodes available to stream back-to-back, around-the-clock and on-demand

is a rarity. Also, Friends show merch is even more popular today than it was 25 years ago.

Today, you can easily find Friends hoodies and t-shirts, Central Perk coffee mugs and the iconic

gold-framed that hung on Monica and Rachel’s apartment door.

Another attribute that helps secure Friends as one of the greatest shows is its impending

and much-anticipated reboot. Earlier this year, pre-covid, HBO announced it would bring

together the cast for a reunion special. This announcement blew up all over social media,

creating a frenzy among original (older) and new (younger) viewers, both calling the reunion

episode “The One Where They All Got Back Together.” This type of excitement and anticipation

can only come if a show was genuinely great, to begin with. Although the filming date was

delayed due to covid, all fans are eagerly awaiting a release date. One can only imagine the

number of Friends viewing parties that will celebrate the cast coming back together.

Friends has proven to be of relevance decades after it aired because of its relatable cast,

fashion and culture, and recent popularity on Netflix. Following the six friends through their

difficulties and successes as they live their lives is something generations will never forget. The

popularity of Friends is continuing to rise; the question is, will Friends continue to be the greatest

show for decades to come? At least for now, Friends can reign as one of the greatest sitcoms ever

on TV.