Television
Stop Rewatching Friends and Binge These Underrated Shows Instead
For some time now, Friends has been a go-to television show for many of us who either revel in the 90’s/2000’s nostalgia or simply can’t find something new worth watching despite the seemingly endless options from our streaming services. This phenomenon is still so over-watched that Netflix was willing to fork over $100 million to WarnerMedia in 2019 (CNBC) to continue streaming the sitcom for their customers rather than funnel those proceeds into new content that is less, let’s say, dated.
While most of us love Chandler’s quips, Phoebe’s quirkiness, and Ross and Rachel’s quarrels, we must recognize the fact that Friends is really about six middle class, cisgendered, straight (save for one or two hints at Phoebe’s possible sexual fluidity), white people whose biggest problems are hiding london-born sexcapades and defining what a “break” means.
It’s also no longer possible to disregard the many moments where LGBTQIA+ issues, plus-sized people, and sexual harassment were the butt of offensive jokes that would absolutely not fly in 2020 TV. While this is not a listicle of said problematic moments, I leave for you a BuzzFeed article that outlines most of them.
It’s time to give up the childhood sentimentality of watching our parents’ favorite primetime and make room in our watch lists for new and underrated shows that highlight diversity and challenge social norms.
Underrated and Bingeworthy TV Shows
1. Feel Good
This somewhat-biographical Netflix original series is about Mae (Mae Martin)- a struggling Canadian comedian living in London. She finds a new relationship with George (Charlotte Ritchie) while dealing with an old relationship with drug addiction. The couple quickly run into problems with complicated sexuality exploration, unbalanced power dynamics, and identity crises that leave viewers enthralled in their lovely mess. The question is- could Mae be replacing one addiction with another?
Mae and George are both hilariously smart, bewitchingly frustrating, and sympathetically flawed. With other notable characters like George’s offbeat flatmate Phil (Phil Burgers) and Mae’s mother (played by a Friends favorite, Lisa Kudrow) to round out the cast, this gripping dramedy is a perfect balance of heavy issues and light humor, keeping it afloat in the sea of drug-centered TV shows. Feel Good not only discusses addiction, but diverse sexuality and the troubles that accompany, the struggles of gender conformity, and pressures in various models of relationships. With only six episodes in its debut season, this is certainly the most bingeable show on the list.
2. Atypical
Atypical is the coming of age story of Sam (Keir Gilchrist), an 18-year-old, penguin-loving, artistic boy on the autism spectrum. Through his friends, family, school, and work, Sam strives to find independence as well as companionship while his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh), father (Michael Rapaport [also a featured actor on Friends]) and sister Casey (Bridgette Lundy-Paine) all set out on their own transformative journeys. This show (another Netflix original) examines scrutiny against differently abled people and how they deserve their own stories to be told and cherished the same as the rest of us.
Though Keir Gilchrist is not on the autism spectrum himself, Atypical does feature autistic actors as secondary characters in Sam’s peer group. LGBTQIA+ themes are also thrown into the mix when Casey discovers she has feelings for another girl at her school. In this case, Bridgette Lundy-Paine is a part of the community in real life and recently came out as nonbinary! This heartwarming series is a trailblazer for media centering people on the autism spectrum along with other recognizable shows such as The Good Doctor and The A Word.
3. High Fidelity
This new iteration of the Nick Hornby comedy stars the electric and effortlessly cool Zoё Kravitz as a gender-swapped Rob Brooks- a Brooklyn based record store owner recently reckoning with lost love. She lets the audience know exactly who she is (a list making, highly emotional, and snarky music connoisseur) by breaking the fourth wall and telling us her thoughts as they come to her directly to the camera. Accompanied by her friends/coworkers Cherise (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and Simon (David H. Holmes), Rob lists her Top Five Heartbreaks, and the vibrant trio evoke a vibe of glowing zeal that translates through the screen.
Trading a straight white man for a black queer woman was an ostentatious move for High Fidelity- one that proved to pay off as it raked in praise from The Guardian and The New York Times for the choice. This Hulu original revives its narrative through a colorful lens that breathes new life into it while still honoring the original script of the love-scorned individual. Celebrating black and queer voices is quintessential in today’s entertainment not only for representation’s sake, but to amplify the stories of those who have for so long been suppressed. High Fidelity does this with ease.
4. One Day at a Time
Another remake joins the list with this modern version of the 1975 sitcom One Day at a Time, presenting the plot through the lives of a proudly Cuban American family. The single mom, nurse, and veteran Penelope (Justina Machado), with her justice warrior daughter Elena (Isabella Gomez), charismatic son Alex (Marcel Ruiz), and flamboyant mother Lydia (Rita Moreno) live as the Alvarez clan in their L.A. apartment. Hilarious, and lighthearted, this show explores the love, mishaps, strifes, and gags the family encounters in their day-to-day lives. A single trope couldn’t define each character with their specific quirks, traits, and flaws that create a well rounded ensemble which has captured the hearts of their dedicated fans.
However, these scripts are just as often educational and moving as they are comical, delving into topics such as racial injustices surrounding the Cuban family, LGBTQIA+ and gender matters with Elena’s queerness and nonbinary partner, and the anxiety and depression Penelope learns to face. There is a great deal of knowledge to gain from this all-embracing show which makes it harder to believe that Netflix canceled it in the first place. Luckily, it was picked up by Pop TV after a successful campaign to revive One Day at a Time took place on social media. Diversity proves again to be not only valuable but an urgent necessity in television.
5. Shrill
Annie (Aidy Bryant) is an aspiring journalist in Portland Oregon who is steadfast on changing her life without changing her body. She is learning to not only accept her body as beautiful but be proud of her fatness. This TV adaptation of the book Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West is Certified Fresh over at Rotten Tomatoes with a 93% on the Tomatometer. The critics’ consensus states that Aidy Bryant’s stellar performance along with the poignant social commentary on body negativity “create a show that proves self-acceptance isn’t one size fits all.”
Seeing a fat woman’s story portrayed in a positive yet realistic fashion is promising for the direction of society’s extreme body image issues. While this series concentrates on the specific experiences of Annie as a plus-sized woman in America, her story is not solely based on her weight and therefore made more universally relatable to its audience. She is not just a fat woman. She is an intelligent woman with ambition in her field. A funny woman who is loyal to her friends. A sexual woman with frustrating boy problems. A resilient woman who battles family loss. Shrill is telling the world that people with fat bodies (or any type of body, for that matter) are just as worthwhile and the media should be treating them as such.
Though Friends is comfortable for most of us, it’s time to get familiar with fresh opinions, insights, and themes like those showcased in these underrated and very bingeworthy TV shows.
In other words, Friends is Kraft mac and cheese, and we need to expand our pallets.
We are currently experiencing another Golden Age of television, and with that comes modern narratives with cutting-edge characters to compliment. These tales not only entertain us but help shape our view on the world. So, ditching the stale and problematic for the multi-colored, vibrant, and astute is necessary in our current climate- not to mention entertaining as hell!
