Ten ‘Friends’ Episodes That Prove It Was The All-Time Greatest Show In The History Of Everything
The first episode of 'Friends' aired twenty years ago today. Cue your feelings.
Ten ‘Friends’ Episodes That Prove It Was The All-Time Greatest Show In The History Of Everything
I have had the classic TV sitcom Friends in my life longer than most of my actual real-life friends. That really isn’t surprising given I was only nine years old when the show premiered, but it’s still yet another startling reminder of the passing of time. Seinfeld turned 25 recently, and now Friends is turning 20; my television touchstones are getting older and so are we. Cue the violins. Or, in this case, The Rembrandts’ top ten hit, “I’ll Be There for You”. They’re even celebrating by recreating the famed coffee shop Central Perk in a SoHo pop-up store. It serves free coffee!
Since premiering on 22 September 1994, the show has been acclaimed, imitated, criticised and reappraised, but never forgotten. It ended only ten years ago, but watching Friends today has a nostalgic, comfort food quality, but also surprises with its frankness towards sex. These help disguise the weird and frequent off-colour jokes about homosexuality as well as the Gen X sensibility that occasionally dates the material like a Windows 95 video manual, especially when compared to the next generation of TV comedies like Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock.
When Friends was good it was great. More so than Seinfeld and several years before Sex and the City, Friends got the mix of relatable friend dynamics within the confines of a fantasy sitcom world just right. I was obsessed with the show – along with millions and millions of other loyal viewers in that pre-torrent age – and it is at least part of the reason why I wanted (and eventually did, last year) move to New York City and live the life of a carefree twenty-something. Frequently hilarious and quotable from a great cast, here are Junkee’s favourite Friends episodes.
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Words by Glenn Dunks.