F.R.I.E.N.D.S. S.U.C.K.S.

I won’t be there for you
By Jessica Berget, Opinions Editor

I don’t think there is anyone who knows more about Friends than I do. It was my favourite show growing up. I remember when Joey and Chandler played Fireball; when Ross said Rachel’s name at the alter; and when Rachel made the English trifle with ground beef. There’s no doubt that the show had a couple of good moments, but c’mon, could it be any more overrated?

Netflix recently spent $100 million dollars to keep the television show on their streaming site, which should be an indication of how popular the series is on their platform. It’s understandable that the show was huge in the ’90s and early 2000s, but I don’t understand why there are still so many people who actively enjoy it.

First off, all of the jokes are outdated, which makes some scenes cringe-inducing to watch. Remember the jabs at Chandler’s “cross-dressing” dad? Or the fat Monica jokes? The comedy on the show is also very shallow and predictable. You could give some different characters the same dialogue and it would all sound the same because the jokes aren’t specific or special to the character. It’s like the writers of the show didn’t write jokes for the character, rather just jokes for the characters to say.

I find it also mostly focuses on melodrama more than story or character development, like who is kissing or sleeping with whom. It’s like a soap opera. Maybe they should have called it “Friends with Benefits.”

Let’s set aside the fact that it’s a little problematic (almost any show would be when it’s 20 years old; it’s a product of its time). I find myself hard-pressed to find any well-written jokes, characters (besides Chandler), dialogue, or story in this sitcom. Friends is a terrible, superficial, long-winded show with an obnoxious laugh track.

Moreover, Ross Geller has got to be the worst sitcom character to ever be produced. He’s creepy, possessive, jealous, whiny, and just plain annoying. He dated one of his students when he was a professor, and he even tried to have sex with his cousin. His character is enough to make me boycott the show entirely.

Friends was my favourite show growing up and I’m not afraid to admit it has a lot of great moments. However, those moments are far and few between and they don’t justify the entire show. Honestly, there are so many better sitcoms to watch out there that Friends is a waste of your time. You want a good, witty ’90s sitcom with lovable, well-written characters and a great story? Watch Frasier.