Friends (1994-2004)

[Covert Rain]

Synopsis:
Six young men and women live in the same apartment complex and face life and love together in Manhattan, New York City. As they're constantly sticking their noses into each another's businesses, as well as sometimes swapping romantic partners, the group always get into the kind of comic situations that most other people never experience, especially during breakups.

Creators:
David Crane, Marta Kauffman

Starring:
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer

Seasons:
10 (236 Episodes)

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

 

[Covert Rain]

After Matthew Perry died and my daughter visited from college she found herself watching the show again. Now when she comes home she watches more of it. Now my younger daughter, wife and myself find ourselves revisiting the show. Aside from some jokes that are borderline today the show holds up remarkably well. We find ourselves laughing constantly. Such a great cast and hilarious writing. One of the best sitcoms of all time.

 

[Covert Rain]

Evidently there has been almost a billion minutes streamed (with almost a 50% spike in ratings) since Perry died. That is unheard for a show that ended 20 years ago.

 

[cardncubfan]

The wife & I started re-watching the old Bob Newhart show. It's still freaking hilarious 40+ years later. We already went through every episode of Adam 12 & now decided to re-watch BN.

 

[Covert Rain]

The wife & I started re-watching the old Bob Newhart show. It's still freaking hilarious 40+ years later. We already went through every episode of Adam 12 & now decided to re-watch BN.

Out of the blue a few years ago I re-watched SOAP and Sanford and Son.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I've never been a huge fan of half hour comedies but in the last decade or so I've watched/rewatched (and enjoyed) Get Smart, SOAP, Mary Tyler Moore, WKRP, MASH, Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, Taxi, Night Court, Cybil and The Nanny.

I've tried to watch Friends several times but the humor just doesn't work for me. I loved Murphy Brown until the pregnancy and then never watched it again. Seinfeld went from being my favorite show to something I just couldn't bear to see another moment of.

I liked Newsradio a lot but just one too many Dick's on that show (namely Andy) so I finally gave up on it. I also liked Grace Under Fire until fame and/or alcohol took their toll on Brett Butler. I liked Arrested Development but never went back to it after if was first cancelled. And off the top of my head I think that's pretty much the sum total of my sitcom experience through the years except for catching a random episode here and there.

 

[Chaplin]

I've never been a huge fan of half hour comedies but in the last decade or so I've watched/rewatched (and enjoyed) Get Smart, SOAP, Mary Tyler Moore, WKRP, MASH, Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, Taxi, Night Court, Cybil and The Nanny.

I've tried to watch Friends several times but the humor just doesn't work for me. I loved Murphy Brown until the pregnancy and then never watched it again. Seinfeld went from being my favorite show to something I just couldn't bear to see another moment of.

I liked Newsradio a lot but just one too many Dick's on that show (namely Andy) so I finally gave up on it. I also liked Grace Under Fire until fame and/or alcohol took their toll on Brett Butler. I liked Arrested Development but never went back to it after if was first cancelled. And off the top of my head I think that's pretty much the sum total of my sitcom experience through the years except for catching a random episode here and there.

For half hour comedies that are more recent, you can't go wrong with Parks and Rec and What We Do in the Shadows.

 

[AzStevenCal]

For half hour comedies that are more recent, you can't go wrong with Parks and Rec and What We Do in the Shadows.

I think P&R will work for us, we liked the few episodes we watched. I'm not familiar with Shadows so I'll check it out.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I think P&R will work for us, we liked the few episodes we watched. I'm not familiar with Shadows so I'll check it out.

Shadows is absolutely hilarious.

A great new sitcom is English Teacher on Hulu. Smart, sweet and genuinely funny, while adeptly commenting on what teachers are dealing with today’s kids. Not raunchy at all. Just really good clean fun with a big heart… while not being schmaltzy either.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Shadows is absolutely hilarious.

A great new sitcom is English Teacher on Hulu. Smart, sweet and genuinely funny, while adeptly commenting on what teachers are dealing with today’s kids. Not raunchy at all. Just really good clean fun with a big heart… while not being schmaltzy either.

I just dumped Hulu but I'll pay for it again in a few months so I'll give it a try then. It sounds like our kind of show.

 

[gimpy]

I've never been a huge fan of half hour comedies but in the last decade or so I've watched/rewatched (and enjoyed) Get Smart, SOAP, Mary Tyler Moore, WKRP, MASH, Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, Taxi, Night Court, Cybil and The Nanny.

I've tried to watch Friends several times but the humor just doesn't work for me. I loved Murphy Brown until the pregnancy and then never watched it again. Seinfeld went from being my favorite show to something I just couldn't bear to see another moment of.

I liked Newsradio a lot but just one too many Dick's on that show (namely Andy) so I finally gave up on it. I also liked Grace Under Fire until fame and/or alcohol took their toll on Brett Butler. I liked Arrested Development but never went back to it after if was first cancelled. And off the top of my head I think that's pretty much the sum total of my sitcom experience through the years except for catching a random episode here and there.

Go a little further back and you'll find a couple more.

Sanford and Son
All in the Family
The Jefferson's
The Golden Girls
Rowan and Martin's, Laugh In

More that I can't think of or remember.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Seinfeld and The Office should be on anyone’s list!

 

[AzStevenCal]

Go a little further back and you'll find a couple more.

Sanford and Son
All in the Family
The Jefferson's
The Golden Girls
Rowan and Martin's, Laugh In

More that I can't think of or remember.

Well, actually, Get Smart predates all of them. But sure, I've watched a lot of Sanford and Son, All in the Family, The Jefferson's and the Golden Girls but I never found any of them to be can't miss TV. So I never sat down to watch any of them, they were just always on. I watched every episode of Laugh-In when it was first ran. As a 13 year old in 67 when it started, I was mesmerized by the quick paced humor not to mention developing a lifelong crush on Goldie Hawn.

But that reminds me of another TV show that I watched regularly and re-watched a few years ago. It didn't really pass the test of time but Barney Miller was great back then.

 

[gimpy]

Those are good shows. I also like the variety shows, Carol Burnett, Laugh In, Smothers Brothers, and one that my dad really liked, Red Skelton.

All shows listed were great.
Forgot about Dick van Dyke.

There's more, but just can't recall them all right now

 

[oaken1]

Bob Newhart show was good

Hmmm,... maybe get a semi sci-fi fix and look for The Six Million Dollar Man?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Those are good shows. I also like the variety shows, Carol Burnett, Laugh In, Smothers Brothers, and one that my dad really liked, Red Skelton.

All shows listed were great.
Forgot about Dick van Dyke.

There's more, but just can't recall them all right now

Yeah I actually liked the 60's/70's variety shows a lot more than most sitcoms. In addition to the ones you mentioned, I also looked forward to watching The Gary Moore Show, Glen Campbell Goodtime Show, The Dean Martin Show, Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Flip Wilson Show, Everly Brothers Show, The Muppets Show, Hollywood Palace and even Hee Haw. And many more that I'm forgetting right now.

I didn't have a problem with music from my parents era but I was especially fond of the variety shows that had popular groups/artists of the day aimed at the younger generation. As I'm sure you recall, we didn't have music videos or anything like that so variety shows were often my first chance to see performances by the Drifters or the Turtles or the Mamas and Papas or Simon & Garfunkel or Roy Orbison or the Byrds or the Hollies and so many other popular artists that topped the 60's charts.

 

[oaken1]

Yeah I actually liked the 60's/70's variety shows a lot more than most sitcoms. In addition to the ones you mentioned, I also looked forward to watching The Gary Moore Show, Glen Campbell Goodtime Show, The Dean Martin Show, Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Flip Wilson Show, Everly Brothers Show, The Muppets Show, Hollywood Palace and even Hee Haw. And many more that I'm forgetting right now.

I didn't have a problem with music from my parents era but I was especially fond of the variety shows that had popular groups/artists of the day aimed at the younger generation. As I'm sure you recall, we didn't have music videos or anything like that so variety shows were often my first chance to see performances by the Drifters or the Turtles or the Mamas and Papas or Simon & Garfunkel or Roy Orbison or the Byrds or the Hollies and so many other popular artists that topped the 60's charts.

Hee Haw was a staple in my house.
The only downside was it was directly followed by Lawrence Welk...which sucked...but then The Untouchables came on

 

[AzStevenCal]

Hee Haw was a staple in my house.
The only downside was it was directly followed by Lawrence Welk...which sucked...but then The Untouchables came on

My parents watched Welk every week so with just one TV in the house I went along for the ride even though I too found him unbearable. Usually I just sat there and read and re-read my James Bond or Matt Helm books until an act came on that interested me.

 

[gimpy]

Hee Haw was a staple in my house.
The only downside was it was directly followed by Lawrence Welk...which sucked...but then The Untouchables came on

Except for the Lennon Sisters.

 

[Bada0Bing]

In the 90s I watched Married with Children in the early 90s and The Sopranos in the late 90s and missed everything in between because I was too busy for tv. I watched Friends a couple years ago and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Except for Ross, and Phoebe at times, I thought the characters were fantastic. Chandler was my favorite to start, but Joey got more and more hilarious as the seasons went by.

It's crazy how different the world was before cell phones.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

I remember it getting bagged on by some for its lack of diversity among the friends back then. Imagine the casting if it were made today?

 

[AzStevenCal]

In the 90s I watched Married with Children in the early 90s and The Sopranos in the late 90s and missed everything in between because I was too busy for tv. I watched Friends a couple years ago and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Except for Ross, and Phoebe at times, I thought the characters were fantastic. Chandler was my favorite to start, but Joey got more and more hilarious as the seasons went by.

It's crazy how different the world was before cell phones.

Yeah, David Schwimmer just ruined everything for me, couldn't stand to watch him in pretty much anything. Well, except for the greatest show of all time, Band of Brothers. And even there he was just great at being easily disliked. Anyway, I actually liked Phoebe and Joey quite a bit along with most everyone's favorite, Chandler. All told, I guess I liked the characters overall (minus Ross) but the humor just didn't work for me.

I liked Married With Children a lot until Steve (David Garrison) left the show. In fact, I had been looking forward to the premiere initially because Garrison and Ron Leavitt were involved in it. Garrison co-starred in one of those great but cancelled far too quickly TV shows called It's Your Move where he played opposite a very young Jason Bateman and Leavitt created both shows. I probably would have stayed with it even after Steve left but for me it was a double whammy when they replaced him with Ted McGinley.

And I loved the Soprano's, I was hooked just from hearing the opening song.

 

[Mainstreet]

Seinfeld and The Office should be on anyone’s list!

Watching Seinfeld never gets old. It's hilarious and I like the real life scenarios.

 

[Mainstreet]

I wish the Big Bang Theory television show never ended.

About the only programs I watch are Expedition Unknown, documentaries and sports.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I wish the Big Bang Theory television show never ended.

About the only programs I watch are Expedition Unknown, documentaries and sports.

Oh man, how did I forget to mention the BBT? Easily my favorite all time half hour comedy show even with it's ups and downs. We don't ever rewatch it start to finish anymore but there's probably 60 episodes we watch fairly regularly.