Friends remains a classic

Friends remains a classic

When six dysfunctional best friends with completely different personalities decide to take on life in New York City, what can go right?

The six inseparable characters on NBC’s hit 90’s television series Friends, have given its viewers laughs and memories for nearly twenty years.

Spanning ten years on air, Friends is packed with drama between all six of the main characters. From season to season, new problems arise in many aspects of their lives, such as their love lives, friendship, family issues, and many others.

The creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, never changed their idea of the show when it was developed in 1993, but many name changes occurred before they settled on Friends. These names include “Insomnia Café”, “Six of One”, and “Friends Like Us”.

Each and every season of the show was ranked within the top ten in the final television season rankings, topping at number one with season eight. The show was nominated for an astounding 62 Emmy Awards, and is ranked in the top 50 TV shows by several magazines, including Empire and TV Guide.

Chandler cracking a joke (from giphy.com)

The show was not your typical, unrealistic American sitcom. Many viewers around the world can relate to the characters and events on the show.

The show provides every day humor, as dry as it is, every day events, and everyday problems that people everywhere can relate to. The show is about everyday people doing everyday things, and their everyday problems. At the same time, though, the characters serve as an example of what friendship should be like. These people always had each other’s backs, through thick and thin.

As I stated previously, the main characters make the show so special. Each character is different, and they are tremendous all in their own ways.

First, you have the most notable in Joey Tribbiani. Played by Matt LeBlanc, Joey is the most lovable character in the cast, in my opinion. The pickup line, “How you doin’?” will forever be a classic thanks to this character, and his innocence and loyalty towards his friends is what makes Joey, Joey.

Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, is most famous for her relationship with another main character, Ross. Rachel is probably the character that had the most impact on the show, due to her actions throughout the series. Phoebe Buffay, played by Lisa Kudrow, is most notable for her odd personality. A once homeless teenage girl, Phoebe truly loves her friends, and will do anything to help the people she cares about.

The six main characters of the show (image from The Independent)

Chandler Bing, played by Matthew Perry, is the sarcastic one of the bunch. Rarely do you see an episode where Chandler’s dry humor is not displayed. Chandler is the funniest character on the cast. No doubt about it.

Monica Geller, played by Courteney Cox, is the control freak. She always had to be the boss, and was sometimes annoying. God character, though, she provides much diversity in the cast.

Last but not least on the main characters, you have Ross Geller. Played by David Schwimmer, Ross is a science nerd, pretty much a nerd in general, but he is a really funny character. He is known for his off and on relationship with Rachel, which he says is due mostly because, “We were on a break!”

Supporting characters also play a large factor in the show’s success. Some of these characters include Gunther, Janice, and Richard to name a few. Gunther, played by James Michael Tyler, is the main employee at the group’s favorite coffee shop which they visit frequently, Central Perk. He has a little crush on Rachel, and Gunther is at the butt of most jokes at the shop.

Janice, played by Maggie Wheeler, is an annoying ex-girlfriend of several of the guys, and she continually pops up in episode after episode. Her nasally voice is the worst, but she makes the show funny due to the way the main characters despise her.

Richard, played by Tom Selleck, is a former boyfriend of Monica. The guys adore his masculinity, and his awesome mustache looks great on T.V.

The show was shot in California, but takes place in New York City. Much of the show takes place either in Central Perk, Monica’s apartment, or Joey and Chandler’s apartment. Audiences made up of 500 people were live on the set when each episode was recorded.

The show has a very distinct theme song, “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts. The line “I’ll be there for you” in the song will forever be linked with the show.

I personally have seen each episode of Friends at least twelve times in my lifetime, and it is still my favorite show of all time. Episodes never get old, the jokes never wear off, and the story lines are always interesting. Maybe six best friends can make something good out of nothing in a big city.