[caption id="attachment_140679" align="alignright" width="287"]
Nisal Katipearachchi[/caption]
This past week, audiences were treated to “Friends: The Reunion”, also known as “The One Where They Get Back Together”.
The special premiered on 27 May 2021 on HBO Max and unsurprisingly, Friends: The Reunion was trending worldwide for a hot second. Longtime fans of the show and even those who aren’t particularly fond of the show tuned in to watch the main cast revisit their iconic roles and the sets, and interact with celebrity guests, taking us all on a nostalgia trip for the ages.
Friends was an American TV sitcom which aired from September 1994 to May 2004, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. However, the show is beloved globally, notably amongst a certain age group who grew up with the show. Since its heyday, however, the show hasn’t been as universally loved by those across the board. Notably, younger audiences who are being newly introduced to the show see issues with the show and its content.
Before we take a look at why it is that the show may not be for everyone, we must reveal our own personal biases. For those of us who grew up during the time that Friends was airing on Lankan TV, and being oblivious youth at the time, our personal perception is that of a fan to whom the show is precious. So we apologise in advance for any partialities; we’ll try our best not to be too biased.
Friends is one of those TV shows that has become strangely timeless, despite its very obvious ‘90s and early 2000s trappings. It has long been a staple with many of us, going from purchasing DVD box sets, watching clips of it on YouTube, and paying to stream it online especially when it was included on Netflix in 2015, where it found a whole new generation of fans.
But that’s not to say Friends is or has always been universally beloved. Even when it was airing, plenty of people criticised the show for its lack of diversity and its tendency to make jokes vaguely based in gay panic, particularly about Joey and Chandler, two roommates who were often concerned that people would think they were in a romantic relationship. And at present, talking about the elements of Friends less worth celebrating has become something of an occupation.
The show has issues of course, there’s quite a bit that no longer seems so funny. We see that hardly an episode goes by without a dig at overweight people (a running joke that had Courtney Cox crawling into a fat suit for flashback scenes), gay people were only represented by Ross’s ex-wife, and Joey’s obsession with watching hot women make out with each other. Strangers assuming Chandler was homosexual was a common punchline. Aside from Ross’s dating pool, minorities were practically nonexistent. Even the extras appearing on the show, which was set in New York City, which was well identified as a melting pot of multi-cultures in ‘90s America, were largely white. But also, this wasn’t the only ‘90s sitcom to ignore diversity. There were Cheers and Seinfeld which were equally guilty.
[caption id="attachment_140680" align="alignleft" width="291"]
Yasas Ratnayake[/caption]
With the reunion airing, a lot of opinions have been shared and speaking to a number of fans and non-fans alike, we found that their reason for liking or disliking friends is largely personal, and as comedy tends to be incredibly subjective, this really shouldn’t come as such a surprise to any of us.
But, because we are able to poke holes in the Friends narrative, does that make it a bad show? Feroze Kamerdeen, best known for his incredibly popular political satire Freddy, shared that to him, personally, great comedy is something that is able to stand the test of time. He said that this often happens when the subject matter is rooted in the core issue that it is making fun of. He shared that some of the best comedic works he has found, he is able to relate to even today despite them being from decades in the past. Works like Monty Python or the Yes Minister series, or even The Office – we all know a version of an overzealous incompetent manager blinded by their own narcissism. While the circumstances differ, the core concept transcends time.
However Feroze shared that comedy is subjective, and while it is affected by the narrative of the times it is in, its effectiveness is also reliant on each individual audience member and their experience at the time. He shared an example where he has a friend who absolutely is adamant that his show titled America from 2005 is his best work. Feroze shared that while he personally disagrees, believing his later works to be far better, for her, at the time she caught that show, she was going through something in life and that show was able to give her a certain amount of relieving escapism and so she holds it dear to her heart.
Comedian Nisal Katipearachchi also shared his experience with Friends, stating that he was a latecomer to the show, watching the show well beyond its time of popularity. However, he has re-watched the show multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed it on each re-watch as if it were the first time. Nisal said there’s something to be said about working a joke that remains funny even when the viewer already knows the punchline.
However, fellow comedian Yasas Ratnayake shared that he personally never took a liking to the show. He watched a couple of seasons but was never really hooked and stated that even regarding his experience with the reunion, he watched a bit of it and forgot to watch the rest.
[caption id="attachment_140677" align="alignright" width="289"]
Asanka Sahabandu[/caption]
Yet another Lankan comedian, Asanka Sahabandu, also shared that for no particular reason Friends was just not a show he fell in love with, and this is true for a lot of viewers. Friends as a show resonated with some and was absolute trash to others, and there are those in between who sort of like it but it’s forgettable to them.
Personally, for us as fans, one of the most grating things is to hear people shrug and say “eh, it’s just not funny” after impatiently watching three random episodes and declaring their verdict. But this of course is biased behaviour, often leading to unnecessary arguments about whether Friends is actually funny or not and if people have “good taste in comedy” – which is just a question we should know not to ponder in 2021. Because comedy is subjective, most things we like or love all come down to personal preference, and to understand this, we have to accept that people are different and we are diverse. When you love something so aggressively, it is natural that we feel the need to shove our favourite show down our friend’s throat, feeling as if you yourself are committing a crime by not being able to guide them into the light.
For us, the reunion special was a breath of fresh air, during these difficult times when it really hasn’t been our day, our week, our month, or (especially) our year (had to squeeze this in). There will be those who don’t feel the same way and as painful as it is to see your friends go about their days not absolutely loving this show, there is no universal truth when it comes to comedy or entertainment – it’s just a fact of life you’re going to have to learn to live with.
Nisal Katipearachchi[/caption]
This past week, audiences were treated to “Friends: The Reunion”, also known as “The One Where They Get Back Together”.
The special premiered on 27 May 2021 on HBO Max and unsurprisingly, Friends: The Reunion was trending worldwide for a hot second. Longtime fans of the show and even those who aren’t particularly fond of the show tuned in to watch the main cast revisit their iconic roles and the sets, and interact with celebrity guests, taking us all on a nostalgia trip for the ages.
Friends was an American TV sitcom which aired from September 1994 to May 2004, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. However, the show is beloved globally, notably amongst a certain age group who grew up with the show. Since its heyday, however, the show hasn’t been as universally loved by those across the board. Notably, younger audiences who are being newly introduced to the show see issues with the show and its content.
Before we take a look at why it is that the show may not be for everyone, we must reveal our own personal biases. For those of us who grew up during the time that Friends was airing on Lankan TV, and being oblivious youth at the time, our personal perception is that of a fan to whom the show is precious. So we apologise in advance for any partialities; we’ll try our best not to be too biased.
Friends is one of those TV shows that has become strangely timeless, despite its very obvious ‘90s and early 2000s trappings. It has long been a staple with many of us, going from purchasing DVD box sets, watching clips of it on YouTube, and paying to stream it online especially when it was included on Netflix in 2015, where it found a whole new generation of fans.
But that’s not to say Friends is or has always been universally beloved. Even when it was airing, plenty of people criticised the show for its lack of diversity and its tendency to make jokes vaguely based in gay panic, particularly about Joey and Chandler, two roommates who were often concerned that people would think they were in a romantic relationship. And at present, talking about the elements of Friends less worth celebrating has become something of an occupation.
The show has issues of course, there’s quite a bit that no longer seems so funny. We see that hardly an episode goes by without a dig at overweight people (a running joke that had Courtney Cox crawling into a fat suit for flashback scenes), gay people were only represented by Ross’s ex-wife, and Joey’s obsession with watching hot women make out with each other. Strangers assuming Chandler was homosexual was a common punchline. Aside from Ross’s dating pool, minorities were practically nonexistent. Even the extras appearing on the show, which was set in New York City, which was well identified as a melting pot of multi-cultures in ‘90s America, were largely white. But also, this wasn’t the only ‘90s sitcom to ignore diversity. There were Cheers and Seinfeld which were equally guilty.
[caption id="attachment_140680" align="alignleft" width="291"] Yasas Ratnayake[/caption]
With the reunion airing, a lot of opinions have been shared and speaking to a number of fans and non-fans alike, we found that their reason for liking or disliking friends is largely personal, and as comedy tends to be incredibly subjective, this really shouldn’t come as such a surprise to any of us.
But, because we are able to poke holes in the Friends narrative, does that make it a bad show? Feroze Kamerdeen, best known for his incredibly popular political satire Freddy, shared that to him, personally, great comedy is something that is able to stand the test of time. He said that this often happens when the subject matter is rooted in the core issue that it is making fun of. He shared that some of the best comedic works he has found, he is able to relate to even today despite them being from decades in the past. Works like Monty Python or the Yes Minister series, or even The Office – we all know a version of an overzealous incompetent manager blinded by their own narcissism. While the circumstances differ, the core concept transcends time.
However Feroze shared that comedy is subjective, and while it is affected by the narrative of the times it is in, its effectiveness is also reliant on each individual audience member and their experience at the time. He shared an example where he has a friend who absolutely is adamant that his show titled America from 2005 is his best work. Feroze shared that while he personally disagrees, believing his later works to be far better, for her, at the time she caught that show, she was going through something in life and that show was able to give her a certain amount of relieving escapism and so she holds it dear to her heart.
Comedian Nisal Katipearachchi also shared his experience with Friends, stating that he was a latecomer to the show, watching the show well beyond its time of popularity. However, he has re-watched the show multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed it on each re-watch as if it were the first time. Nisal said there’s something to be said about working a joke that remains funny even when the viewer already knows the punchline.
However, fellow comedian Yasas Ratnayake shared that he personally never took a liking to the show. He watched a couple of seasons but was never really hooked and stated that even regarding his experience with the reunion, he watched a bit of it and forgot to watch the rest.
[caption id="attachment_140677" align="alignright" width="289"] Asanka Sahabandu[/caption]
Yet another Lankan comedian, Asanka Sahabandu, also shared that for no particular reason Friends was just not a show he fell in love with, and this is true for a lot of viewers. Friends as a show resonated with some and was absolute trash to others, and there are those in between who sort of like it but it’s forgettable to them.
Personally, for us as fans, one of the most grating things is to hear people shrug and say “eh, it’s just not funny” after impatiently watching three random episodes and declaring their verdict. But this of course is biased behaviour, often leading to unnecessary arguments about whether Friends is actually funny or not and if people have “good taste in comedy” – which is just a question we should know not to ponder in 2021. Because comedy is subjective, most things we like or love all come down to personal preference, and to understand this, we have to accept that people are different and we are diverse. When you love something so aggressively, it is natural that we feel the need to shove our favourite show down our friend’s throat, feeling as if you yourself are committing a crime by not being able to guide them into the light.
For us, the reunion special was a breath of fresh air, during these difficult times when it really hasn’t been our day, our week, our month, or (especially) our year (had to squeeze this in). There will be those who don’t feel the same way and as painful as it is to see your friends go about their days not absolutely loving this show, there is no universal truth when it comes to comedy or entertainment – it’s just a fact of life you’re going to have to learn to live with.