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Friends (1994-2004)

Grab a coffee from Central Perk and gather round, it’s time to reminisce about the 90s hit show “Friends.” Ross and Rachel. Chandler and Monica. Joey and Phoebe. All 6 had their own unique traits, allowing us to identify with each one. Ross was somewhat of a whiney weenie, but still guys gave him the cred he deserved for nabbing Rachel after years of pursuit. Then of course, Rachel was the hottie with the hairdo that inspired a nation and a nose job that took her from making movies like “Leprechaun” to making millions on NBC. Chandler was the quick-witted, wise guy, with a retort for everything and an always changing one liner to boot. Monica, the obsessive, cleaning-crazy, perfectionist brought her over the top need to succeed each week. Her successes included giving the worst back rubs and trying to cook individual Thanksgiving dinners (Got the KEYS!?) for all her friends. Joey was the moronic and masculine man of the bunch. Dumb as rocks, Joey was still able to entrance unsuspecting females with a quick “how you doing?” pick up line. And lastly, Phoebe. She was the loony and lovely blonde that had a story for everything whether it was in a past life, or her present one.

Friends, like Seinfeld, was an entertaining sitcom ride through the problems, perils, fun and fantasies of 6 everyday friends. It was always entertaining though; it prompted important questions like, “how did these people, as they were so often in between jobs, or unemployed for long periods of time, afford a huge New York City apartment?” Joey's acting career consisted of maybe one job a year (Mac and Cheese, being a butt double). Rachel served drinks at Central Perk for quite a while. Phoebe had the Relaxi-Taxi, but must have gotten some serious cash for Smelly Cat. These are just some of the perplexing conundrums I always ran into when trying to analyze this fictitious, yet addictive television show.

All questions aside, “Friends” was one of a kind. From “Big Fat Goalie,” to “We were on a Break!”, to “Chanandler Bong” (typo by TV guide), to “Regina Phalange,” the scenes and the characters will forever live on in our memories and hearts. It is in syndication and on DVD for our viewing pleasure, so we can continue to enjoy “The one about one of the greatest 90s TV shows of its time.”

Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow)		Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry)		Monica Gellar (Courteney Cox)		Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer)		Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston)		Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc)

Almost as famous as the show was the ubiquitous theme song “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrants. 
Still need more Friends?  Visit the official site or watch episodes online at Hulu.