Friends vs How I Met Your Mother: Exploring the Similarities of Two Iconic Sitcoms
Heeeey, How you doin’? This article is gonna be legen-wait for it-dary! Legendary!
Does that ring a bell? I am pretty sure these catchphrases are familiar to most of you from the iconic sitcoms Friends and How I Met Your Mother.
Both shows have a dedicated fanbase and are known for their witty humor and relatable characters.
Moreover, there are many similarities between the two shows that are worth exploring. As a huge fan of both of them, I decided to share some of them with you.
1. “Because a Promise Between Friends Means Never Having To Give a Reason”
First and foremost, both Friends and How I Met Your Mother are ensemble shows that revolve around a group of friends living in a big city.
In Friends, we have Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe,
How I Met Your Mother features Ted, Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Robin.
Both shows explore the ups and downs of friendship, relationships, and navigating life in your 20s and 30s.
2. From Lincoln High to Barney’s Peace Corps
Another similarity between the two shows is their use of flashbacks and flashforwards to tell their stories.
In Friends, we often see flashbacks to the characters’ past experiences, such as Ross and Rachel’s high school prom or Monica and Chandler’s first kiss. Really, how many cameras were actually on Monica?
How I Met Your Mother uses even more flashbacks and flashforwards to unravel the story of how Ted met the love of his life.
3. Love is Totally Nonsensical
Both shows also feature a strong romantic subplot that drives the plot forward.
In Friends, we see Ross and Rachel’s on-again-off-again relationship, while Chandler and Monica’s secret relationship adds a new dynamic to the group.
How I Met Your Mother, on the other hand, centers around Ted’s quest for love, including his constant affection towards Robin. The love between Marshall and Lilly is a prime example of true and enduring love. Even Barney had his romantic moments among multiple, muuuuultiple casual sex affairs.
4. Suit Up, We Were on a Breeeeeeak
One of the defining characteristics of both shows is their use of catchphrases and running gags.
Friends gave us “How you doin’?”, “We were on a break!” “I knoooooow”, and “Joey doesn’t share food!”
How I Met Your Mother introduced us to “Legendary!” and “Suit up!”. “Haaaave you met Ted” and “Challange Accepted” (Barney Stinson is responsible for all of them)
These phrases have become iconic and are often used by fans to reference the shows.
5. Central Perk and MacLaren’s Pub
Both shows have iconic hangout spots where our favorite characters spend their time.
Even more, Ross’s first kiss with Rachel was indeed at Central Perk, and Ted met Robin for the first time exactly at Maclaren’s Pub.
6. Clint and Swarley
Both shows have moments when some of the main characters are referring to their friends with “wrong/fake” names. I am sure that die-hard fans remember Chandler being called Clint by Phoebe and Joey and how the entire pub yelled out “Swarley” when Barney entered.
7. Daddy’s Home
Both shows have one character who is seen as a playboy. Joey and Barney are womanizers and enjoy the company of women, and both of them use some catchphrases to get their way with women.
However, while Joey is known for being a bit dim-witted and naive, Barney is often portrayed as more cunning and manipulative in his approach to women.
I am sure you may think of many more similarities; please feel free to share them in the comments.
What’s most important is that both shows have captured the hearts of audiences around the world and continue to be loved by fans all around the globe.
