Fandom Features #2: Friends (1994-2004)

Fandom Features is a Thursday feature/weekly meme created by Bianca at The Ultimate Fangirl to creatively showcase the many fandoms in this world. Feel free to share details about the fandoms you are currently in, as the goal of this feature is to showcase the fandoms we belong in and maybe encourage people to join in your respective fandoms!

This week, I will be talking about the show that people have been talking about. In general, Friends happened way back in the 90’s. So when I turned 17 and legit was old enough to understand what they were all laughing about, I gave the show a try.

FRIENDS — Season 2 — Pictured: (l-r) Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay (Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

I have been wanting to feature Friends on my blog for so long, but I do not know what platform I could do it in. There’s the Fangirl Corner, but I guess that would instead focus on something else. So when this feature came up in my head, I thought “Hey! Why not talk about Friends?”.

It was all a blur, really. There was this buzz around the Internet that this show called Friends was finally on Netflix. Luckily, I knew some of the actors from the movies. There’s Jennifer Aniston who is literally everywhere. The guidance counselor from Easy A, and then there’s the old dude who was Zac Efron when he was younger. Then there’s Matt LeBlanc, who was Lucy Liu’s boyfriend in the Charlie’s Angels movies. And Courtney Cox from Cougar Town. (There was nothing good on TV when I watched an episode of Cougar Town, okay?) The other white dude sounds like a cartoon character.

I had nothing to do that summer. I did not know that my 2nd year would be in freakish hell. I think that was also the time that I started the blog.

So I dived in. Let me just say that I almost did not watch it because of the low quality, but then again it was 1994. Then jokes got great, and everything was so funny. It was not about the laugh track because it was so hilarious! I finished watching all of the 10 seasons in a month. That is how good this show is. If I had to pick the best season, I would have to say Season 3 and 7. I can’t choose.

I mean just look at Phoebe. That is my face (and everyone else’s) when they hear the opening theme of the Friends.

Everyone says I should watch Seinfeld first because it is “the original”, but I’m not doing that right now. Friends is this TV show where you can just sit back and relax. It’s like laughter treatment. Just in case you still don’t know what it is all about (and I will assume that you are living under a rock from the 80’s) : Friends is a comedy sitcom about six friends living in New York City, trying to balance their lives and their love life. The friends are Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Rachel Green, Chandler Bing, Joey Tribbiani, and Ross Geller. The show ran for 10 seasons, creating one huge fanbase. It became a huge phenomenon, and I kid you not, the cast of Friends were equally paid $1,000,000 per episode by Season 10.

One of the many reasons why people loved Friends is because it had this authenticity that they are real people, even though they each have pros and cons. It was pure and genuine comedy, and you can see that everyone was having fun. Everyone can relate to each of the characters. Plus it simply has the heart to deliver amazing stories every episode. It is funny without even trying. I mean have you ever seen a group of actors who just click like magnets? They really are Friends for a reason.

See even a late 90’s kid like me enjoyed each and every episode of Friends because it is pure comedy gold. You do not know what you are missing in your life. You need it. It needs you. It’s begging you to watch it because this series is really amazing. Watch it, and you will see what I mean. I reckon that if you’re not laughing by the episode of the blackout, then just give it a go because it is the healthiest dose of laughter medicine that you can get.

So if you decide to jump on the Friends wagon and you cannot manage not to fangirl/fanboy about it with anyone, I’ll be there for you. 😉

Do you have any fandoms that you featured on your blog this week? Link it here! Let’s talk about our fandoms!