With a few weeks left until the new season of TV shows start, I’ve been relying heavily on some of my “classic” favorites to get through the summer. Out of all of my favorites, I don’t think anything tops Friends.
At the time Friends was on TV, I wasn’t interested in it. It wasn’t until a few years after Friends went off the air that it even came on my radar. When college rolled around my roommate and I watched all 10 seasons one semester. I was hooked. As soon as the 10th season ended, we started over with the first season.
When some shows end I am at peace with their endings. After watching 10 seasons of Friends, I was not ready to say goodbye. It wasn’t just saying goodbye to a TV show, it was saying goodbye to characters I came to think of as my every day friends. Every time I need a little bit of comfort, I turn to my “Friends” and laugh with them.
For 10 years we (or those who watched it in real time not in a semester) follow Ross, Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler & Joey in their every day lives. They apparently have jobs (although we rarely see that) & take us on their journey through love, loss, friendship, good days, bad days & hilarious antics.
Each episode is different and rarely does one lead directly into the next. Yet at the same time there is always the underlying relationships and story lines.
Why I Love It
Friends is one of those shows that you can sit down and watch for 20 minutes or get sucked in for an entire day. The episodes are short but the story lines are complete to where you aren’t left hanging. Even in the sad episodes, humor gets mixed in.
While they lived in NYC and I couldn’t necessarily relate to their lives, I still found comfort in knowing that even the perfect TV characters didn’t have it all together.
Heck, Ross even said the wrong girls name at his own wedding.
One of my favorite things about Friends is that so many of my friends and co-workers have seen the episodes over and over again as well. When discussing pivot tables in excel no discussion is complete without someone yelling
Pivot…. Pivot… – The One With the Cop
If someone is having a bad day an episode of Friends tends to fix their mood. It is a show that so many people have seen over the years that it can come up in conversation and very few people end up lost.
My week was made when Taylor Swift and Phoebe sang Smelly Cat together. Even Taylor Swift is a fan.
When it comes down to it on a bad day there was someone who could relate to me, on a good day there was someone who could laugh with me. Friends has an episode for every kind of emotion out there. Once you’ve been through the series once, you can go back and pick out your favorite episodes.
My Favorite Episode
Looking back on all of the seasons, it is a toss up between Joey and Chandler as my favorite character.
When it comes to my favorite episode though there is no questions asked that my favorite episode is The One With the Red Sweater. The entire episode itself is not necessarily my favorite, but the last few minutes gets me every time.
Needless to say we find out the father of Rachel’s baby. Joey’s reaction is priceless and I laugh so hard I cry every time I watch it (spoiler).
Why You Should Watch It
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to live in a loft apartment in New York City and drink coffee all day. Each day new adventures will wait with your six best friends and at the end of the day you’ll go to bed knowing that someone has your back.
In other words, it is free on Netflix or you can buy it on Amazon.
Yes, there are 10 seasons but the episodes are short and you can easily watch 6 episodes in a night week.
Have you watched Friends? Who is your favorite character?
AAH i love friends so much!! But i can’t find it on netflix, I use a UK version 🙁