Friends remains a cultural phenomenon but has gained some classic television vibes after being off the air for 20 years. The genre-defining sitcom has adapted and endured every development in entertainment, seamlessly transitioning from cable to streaming. This is largely due to the unrivaled humor of Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, the late Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer. Once NBC found their six leads, the slice-of-life series fell into place, setting up a decade of chaotic daily adventures, romantic and professional trials, and the solidification of the friend group that stuck together no matter what.
Friends’ Comedy Is Timeless (For The Most Part)
Friends’ Cast Each Delivers Their Own Style Of Amazing Jokes, Overshadowing The Jokes That Are In Bad Taste
The writers and actors honed basic character concepts that all lent themselves incredibly well to comedy, with a particular brand of jokes stemming from each actor that, set against a perfect backdrop of kitschy, high-class, and colorful dรฉcor, came together nicely. For me, Chandler’s sarcasm and Phoebe’s detachment provided the best jokes. There are plenty of razor-sharp quips throughout the series that pack a perfect punch at the moment โ and then there are the episodes where the absurdist comedy builds into something completely outlandish, such as the out-of-control trivia competition and race to reveal Chandler and Monica’s relationship.
The writers and actors honed basic character concepts that all lend themselves incredibly well to comedy, with a particular brand of jokes stemming from each of the six.
A byproduct of most properties that are now a few decades old, not everything about Friends’ humor has aged well. The worst offender is the use of LGBTQ+ characters as punchlines, which continues into the later seasons. Joey being the “dumb” friend isn’t great either, representative of a bad character archetype that still hasn’t faded from sitcoms. Joey’s character lives on because his intelligence is complemented by his being the sweetest, truest friend of them all. Like most things from the 1990s, people take Friends as a product of its time and focus on the good.
Some Of Friends’ Core Storylines Are Now Annoying
A Lot Of People Are Tired Of Ross & Rachel By Now, While The Supporting Arcs Are Much Better
The episodes with offensive jokes are relatively easy to skip. Trickier are the long-running storylines that don’t hold up today. Friends has some amazing ongoing storylines: the wild twist of Monica and Chandler waking up in bed together is followed by a season of laugh-out-loud shenanigans as they hide their relationship, and it actually makes sense that they would want to start without the pressure of the rest of the friend group watching them. After they are discovered, their arc for the rest of the series is a strong depiction of an evolving relationship and, eventually, a marriage.
Friends acknowledges the emotional and logistic complications of some of these scenarios but emphasizes that nothing takes away from the love.
Friends was also ahead of its time in other regards, most notably through the depiction of unconventional family dynamics and paths to having children. After some initial tension, Ross peacefully co-parents Ben alongside his ex-wife Carol (Jane Sibbett) and her partner Susan (Jessica Hecht). Phoebe is a surrogate for her brother Frank (Giovanni Ribisi) and his wife Alice (Debra Jo Rupp), Rachel becomes a single mother, and Monica and Chandler adopt. Friends acknowledges the emotional and logistic complications of some of these scenarios but emphasizes that nothing takes away from the love.
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What has been less able to face the test of time is the series-long on-and-off mess between Ross and Rachel. This romance is part of the hook of Friends and it is possible to appreciate the recurring “We were on a break” joke and their finally getting back together in the end, because it was always meant to be. However, the drama of it all can come across as immature and indecisive, even without delving into the additional criticism of Ross being untrusting and unsupportive of Rachel’s career, which leads to their first break-up.
Friends Aptly Depicts Realistic Struggles & Friendly Support
The Characters Go Through A Lot But Are Always There For Each Other
Friends starts to lose its je ne sais quoi towards the end, and Ross and Rachel pretty much only (and finally) work things out because it’s the end. But what never goes away is the main group’s dedication to each other. Throughout the series, pretty much every pairing has a moment together that illustrates how any one of them could be there for each other if needed. Joey and Phoebe are often paired together in this way because they are the singles, but Chandler comforting Rachel about her feuding parents proves this point.
The iconic intro really says everything you need to know about Friends. Its 10 seasons show a lot of real ups and downs in these people’s lives, elevated by awesome comedy and the characters always coming to each otherโs rescue. Phoebe marrying Mike (Paul Rudd) is hugely valuable for the show because it shows how the group still rises to the occasion of one of them marrying someone outside their circle. With these resonant storylines and gut-busting jokes, while also having survived some major industry changes, Friends will likely endure for another generation yet.

- The main six cast members are all hilarious in unique ways, while the situational humor builds over episodes of seasons.
- Storylines about evolving relationships and unconventional family dynamics are grounded and impactful.
- The main characters have an incredible relationship, showing unwavering support among friends.
- Some of the storylines and jokes haven?t aged well.