Is Friends Overrated? (Video Essay)

Even though Friends is a very successful show, it seems to be very polarising on the internet - which I was intrigued about. I was never really a fan of it but I decided watch the whole thing and then analyse seasons 1-10 in this video essay.

music:

time codes:
0:00 - Intro
0:32 - Seasons 1-2: The Early Years
3:25 - Seasons 3-5: The Early Peak
13:25 - Seasons 6-7: The Late Peak
18:55 - Seasons 8-10: The Weird Years
26:04 - Outro

sub count:
1,614

[azul]

one of my favorite things about the show is how ross is my least favorite character and yet david’s performance is one of my favorites. his delivery is so good, that’s probably why i hate his character so much lol.

[mbanerjee]

You don't watch Friends for comedy, you watch it for comfort. Same with Gilmore Girls.
It's okay for something to just be fun and sweet. The chemistry of the cast is what sells it. And yes, David Schwimmer is criminally underrated.

[wizardari]

The only thing I didn't like about the show is the progression of Joey's character. Compared to the early seasons they made him dumber, I think his character had a lot of potential

[rasmustagu]

"Is it overrated? Probably. Is it overhated? Definitely" has to be one of my favorite conclusions to an analysis on YouTube. Love how articular your writing is!

[LeetTron]

100% agree that shwimmer is comparable to steve carell in the office. Very committed to his role and you can see it in every scene.

[bobbyokeefe]

The first two seasons are in deed not the funniest but they feel the most real, like they are set in the real world with real people and not in a sitcom tv world, it has almost a documentary-like time capsule feel to it, of early 90's young adults living in NY city in their 20's, I like it lol...

[ΑΡΙΣΤΟΤΕΛΗΣΛΑΧΑΝΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ]

Honestly the first 2 seasons are my favourite.

The characters feel like actual adults, instead of children in the bodies of 30 year olds

[zachcushing-murray]

I think my biggest issue with the show is lack of overall character growth. Chandler is the only one out of the six that clearly grows, Joey doesn't grow at all, Phoebe barely if any, Monica marginally, Ross only really because of fatherhood, and Rachel largely undid her character's arc in the finale by staying

[Soul-gfvv]

I have to mention this regarding Joey and Rachel's crush for eachother. I know I didn't like it either, but I disagree with your opinion that it seems off. Look at it this way, Joey is a very sexually active person who has never felt a deep connection with women, Rachel was a superficial woman who was into "looks", in the episode "the one that could have been" shows that if Rachel did not leave her rich life, she would've hooked up with Joey, because she was shallow and she'd easily swoon over "good looking soap opera actors". Also, Joey and Rachel did have an infatuation over eachother when they first met, as mentioned in the show, Rachel says "I had a crush on you when I first met you" and Joey replies "I know Monica told me.". So, the whole point of the scenes where Joey and Rachel have a thing for eachother, I percieve it as more like a regression in their characters, because at that point, Joey matured as a character and felt connected to Rachel, whereas Rachel, because she matured from a shallow person to this wise, smart, single mother and career woman, she could sometimes feel scared and overwhelmed and she felt the need to momentarily regress back into her "shallow self", and she was at desperate times at that point since she is raising a child alone (well not alone but you know what I mean) and she is growing older (which we all know she's not fond of) So it's like she wanted to feel young again, having a thing for this "cute good looking actor". At least this is how I view it. But of course when they wanted to hook up, it got all awkward, because the maturity and friendship they built up for eachother doesn't allow for that to happen. Rachel is too mature to have a fling with Joey, and Joey, even though he is a sexual person and finds Rachel very attractive, he sees her only as friends because their friendship grew too strong for it to turn into anything serious.

[chels_o]

it may not be the best show ever but it’s so comforting and i’ve rewatched it so many times. i cant help but love it

[azul]

friends is one of my favorite shows of all times because it’s my comfort show. it nails it with making the audience feel a sense of belonging, and that’s why it’s got so many fans all around. i started watching it when i was 13 and it felt like company, i think that’s why it’s so successful. its not the best written flawlessly directed masterpiece, but it is (in my opinion) funny, and knows how to keep you company. i was literally alone all day because both my parents worked a lot, so it was my way to fill the silence with something cheerful. i don’t think nobody can judge anybody for caring for this show.

[Olivia-owt]

If it wasn't for Phoebe I wouldn't care about the show because she spices things up.

[Handlethis]

I don't think it's overrated. It was very popular when it aired and reemerged years after it ended. I suppose it depends on what you value. Frasier was the show winning all the Emmys at the time, but I haven't seen it come up in pop culture nearly as often as Friends.

[Jimifan]

I live in China, and for whatever reason Friends is insanely popular over here (along with other pop-culture artifacts like Titanic, Avatar, Forrest Gump and The Big Bang Theory). A lot of people I know have learned English by religiously watching Friends episodes. It's probably THE most popular American TV show ever over here.

[Headpfones]

Fun fact: The character of Ross was written just for David Scwimmer to play

[signalfire]

A lot of people regard Season 8 as their favorite because it was the season of the show that aired after 9/11. In a lot of ways, Season 8 was when the show peaked in terms of it being “comfort” TV because it healed a nation. I know a lot of people who started watching the show live on TV after 9/11. My family included. Before then, we used to just watch reruns and episodes in syndication. Season 8 was the first season that we sat down as a family together and watched the new episodes as they aired on NBC and we continued this tradition until it was over. I also think that played a part in why Season 8 won the show it’s Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy.

[kickflipkraz]

I love friends but the prom thing has always drove me nuts. To this day, I don't see what was so 'heroic' about Ross, who had nothing to do in the first place, offering to be Rachel's replacement date. Like, there's nothing selfless about it. It was Ross getting what he wanted.

[loveRCDtv]

Something else to note on why Friends has longevity and is still so beloved after two decades is because... The Cast/Crew are all still on good terms! There was never any drama or scandals, everyone got along to the point of considering each other family, and they all fondly appreciate the old days.

That is something that is so rare. I see left and right in the news that X actor had an altercation with Y actor, or the director created a toxic work environment etc. Which can leave a sour taste for future rewatches.

[anabutyrski]

I actually did like the relationship between Joey and Rachel. Not because they were meant to be but because to a lot of people, it was relatable. Sometime you have friendships with people you really care about and could confuse those feelings for romantic feelings. Than when you actually date, you realize that you were better off as friends. Not only that, but I also enjoyed the fact that they had sole relationships in between them that didn’t work out, specially since all the girls always found Joey attractive yet, no one dated him.

[AlexDominguez-us]

One of the things I love about Friends is that no character is a saint, like real people are. Ross has proven a bunch of times to be selfish in a bunch of ways. Rachel really ruined most, if not all, of Ross’s other relationships. Chandler often insults his friends (although in good fun) and enjoys the chaos he causes from time to time. Monica is from time to time extremely rude when someone messes with her stuff. Phoebe straight up insults her friends but she does it in a way that people find it funny and don’t really realize how rude she is. And finally, Joey sleeps with people and never calls them back