“Friends” at 25 (Part I): The One with the Analysis
Author’s Note: This is the first part of a five-part series on the legacy of Friends as it reaches its silver anniversary. Click here for Part II, in which I delve into what the show meant to me personally. Click here for Part III, where I take a deep dive into the classic Thanksgiving episodes. Click here for Part IV, where I rank the 25 best episodes of the show’s run. Click here for Part V, where I rank the best acting performances on the series. For my recap of the reunion special that aired in 2021, click here.
25 Years After its Premiere, the Legacy of Friends is Still Hotly Debated
Next Sunday marks the silver anniversary of Friends, which aired its pilot episode as part of NBC’s legendary Thursday night lineup on September 22, 1994. The wildly popular sitcom ran for 10 highly rated and culturally impactful seasons and exited with a series finale that remains one of the most watched entertainment broadcasts in television history.
Despite its popularity, Friends was divisive among television viewers even when it was on the air. There were many who found the cynical absurdism of Seinfeld and the high brow wit of Frasier to be infinitely superior. And certainly there were large swaths of people who rejected the white-washed, laugh track-assisted, heteronormativity of all those shows and their ilk…
