OH. MY. GAWD. (Friends)

Member Name: GramiWay

Product:	Friends
Date:	06/06/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

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'Friends' was an American sitcom that aired from 1994-2004 spanning ten seasons. It is still repeated worldwide most commonly on digital service E4 in the UK. The show is firmly imprinted into modern culture and is regularly rated as among the best shows of all time and whether you like it or not you can't ignore it's impact on popular culture or the legions of fans that tuned in every week to watch it.

'Friends' made huge stars of its six main cast members. Those being Jennifer Aniston who played the often dumb, superficial Rachel, Courtney Cox as Monica, the obsessive and over competitive former fat girl, Lisa Kudrow as the amazingly kooky and just all round crazy Phoebe, Matt Le Blanc as the womanising and rather slow Joey Tribiani, Matthew Perry as the humorous Chandler and Monica's older brother Ross, an expert in dinosaurs and all other sorts of geek filled fun portrayed by David Schwimmer.

The six cast members appear in every episode of the show with various recurring actors supporting them over this time. The show revolves around their lives in Manhattan, New York City and features the everyday ups and downs the characters face such as work, living together , relationships with significant others, family and most importantly themselves. You mainly see the Friends' respective appartments as they all live together at some point over the course of the series, though a lot of scenes take place in the Central Perk coffee house underneath Monica's appartment building and I'm sure that just the idea of sitting around on a sofa drinking and having a good time with your friends is the reason for why we have so many of the places everywhere these days...

Spurred by the Rembrandt's hugely successful song 'I'll Be There For You' which is the show's theme tune, 'Friends' touches your heart whenever you watch it. There is a perfect blend of comedy [though some of it is a bit too far fetched on occasion], realistic situations that the characters find themselves in and just a touch of drama and sometimes really deep moments for such a show.

In my opinion it's the bond between the characters both in on screen chemistry and in the fact that their fictional selves are always there for each other. People are able to relate to the friendship between them and apply it to their own lives and also soothe their need to have people around them that care for them so much.

Each episode of the show is about 25 minutes long and is always named 'The One with...' and then something that relates to the episode even if it's only a small part. Most of the episodes focus around one simple story that is usually resolved by the end of the show though sometimes storylines can span several episodes or seasons and there's usually always already established plot lines working away in the background anyway. This is good as you can tune in randomly and not get too lost in the story and progress of the characters.

'Friends' is probably the most famous for it's on-off relationship between Ross and Rachel. The pair spend much of the show's run dating/breaking up/having a one night stand/getting married in Vegas when drunk and eventually having a child together. The chemistry between Aniston and Schwimmer is not very apparent at first though as their relationship grows you find yourself wanting them to be together and displaying immense frustration at the constant confusion that flows between them.

With six very different characters and a wide range of storylines 'Friends' is an excellent show to watch by yourself or with your family. Though some of the humour may be inappropriate for children there's a lot of physical comedy that will no doubt appeal more to a younger audience. With fast paced scripts and a strong set of writers the show never fails to bore you. Even the less exciting or important episodes usually have an extremely funny scene to keep you entertained. What's even more impressive is that the show doesn't rely on just one character to deliver the humour as all of the cast can move between comedy and more serious acting and a lot of the comedy often comes from their own character flaws such as Monica's weight, Joey's dumbness, Ross' consistant pattern of divorce and much more.

Over the course of ten seasons the show deals with Phoebe becoming a surrogate mother for her long lost brother and her constant rivarly with twin sister Ursula [also played by the fabulous Kudrow]. As well as Ross and Rachel's relationship, the pair also find themselves in other romantic situations with Ross having to deal with his lesbian ex wife and mother of his child and Rachel's constant struggle to separate herself from her spoilt, rich past and forge a proper career. Chandler and Monica's relationship continues to blossom once they get together and Joey is constantly searching for his big acting break.

Ross and Monica's parents and of course the amazing Janice [played by Maggie Wheeler] are just some of the supporting cast who bring their own unique style and blend of comedy to the show on numerous occasions. I just find myself waiting to hear the terribly nasal bleetings of Chandler's ex girlfriend Janice and in particular her catchphrase 'OH. MY. GAWWDDDDDD'.

'Friends' is just feel good television that lets you chill out and just forget about all your worries whilst it's on. It may not be an original formula and it may not always be the most amazing thing to ever grace your television screen, but it has a magic and the ability to connect with its audience and that is where its huge success and continued popularity comes from. If you haven't seen it yet, then where the hell have you been for the past 15 years?

Summary: One of the best TV shows of modern times