In a final tally that I found telling, 1/4 of voters said they couldn't stand any of the main characters from the sitcom Friends. As a reformed Friends hater, I think I can relate to those who have no use for the Central Perk Crew. The thing that used to really bug me about Friends was the overexposure/overhype. The end of the show's first season was right around the time I started working at a bookstore. For quite awhile, a week didn't go by where the cast members weren't plastered on the covers of dozens of magazines. I'd be stocking magazines and see the cast on various covers and say, "these @#$! again?!" I can't remember when I watched it the first time, but I do recall wondering what all the fuss was about after I did see it.As I mentioned, my attitude towards Friends has mellowed over the years. Although I am not what anyone would term a regular viewer, I have checked it out more over the past couple of years. Although I feel it's a good show with some solid writing, it's not like they reinvented the sitcom wheel. Having said that, I don't think it was the intention of the show's creators to accomplish that feat. Still, when I consider how Friends is elevated to the level of sitcom greatness by some, I have to shake my head.
To me, it seems like the appeal of Friends is gender-based. I compare it to Grey's Anatomy in that regard. Although I know that there are guys who watch Friends, I have never heard any of them rave about the show. Speaking of Grey's, the timing of it's debut (less than a year after the Friends finale) was fortunate because I think it fills a primetime void for "Friendsters" who can no longer get their Thursday night fix.
For what's it worth, had I voted, I would have chosen Chandler as my favorite.
Here are the final results:
Poll question: Who is your favorite "Friend"?
I can't stand any of them- 25%
Chandler- 23%
Phoebe- 20%
Joey- 18%
Monica, Rachel, and Ross- 6% each
2 comments:
Just my opinion, but I think the people who really like Friends stuck with it beyond the first season. I didn't care much for it that first season. The characters were really shallow and I just didn't think it was all that funny. Somehow, they kind of grew on me. Friends may not be groundbreaking, but it is one of my favorite shows of all times. My husband really likes it, too. We watch at least one re-run of it probably every day if there's nothing else on.
Jessica: Something I forgot to add: because it was TV history, I watched the series finale of "Friends" with some friends. Although I thought the episode was OK, I did like the final scene of the cast all putting their keys on the counter... that was a very nice touch. Chandler's line to close out the show was perfect too.
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