Friends Essay

The traditional idea of American friendship has evolved drastically over time. In this age, no longer do you see the close group of friends chatting at the ‘Central Perk Café’ or engaging in many misadventures in the basement of Foreman’s house, such as they did in ‘That 70’s Show’. The aged image of a group of friends and their wise, perceptive teacher, Mr. Feeney, happily standing in the halls of John Quincy Adams middle school is fading out. This overused 1970’s-1990’s idea of friendship no longer applies to most American friendships today because our culture has swayed into a more modern viewpoint, due to the

Marianka Dodd Professor Warren Textual Analysis 30 March 2015 Friends, Makes Life Better Before the 1994 television season started, networks were declaring that the upcoming fall season was going to be the “Year of the Family”. Many creative powers were aiming to capitalize on the familiar formula of relative-based series with shows like: Family Matters, All-American Girl, Me and The Boys, Full House and Party of Five. On September 22, 1994 David Crane and Marta Kuffman created a new sitcom by the name of Friends and it featured an unconventional family of friends. The characters, Chandler Bing, Joey Tribbiani, Monica Geller, Ross Geller, Phoebe Buffay, and Rachel Green lived off and with one another in Manhattan, New York.

I remember it like it was yesterday. My best friend and I, TJ used to always hang out together. We would take walks in the woods, play cars, ride bikes, and sometimes even play hopscotch; things normal kids would do. People thought it was strange to have a boy best friend, but it didn’t matter to me. He was great company on lonely days, and never gossiped about anything. He was the type of friend you could always count on. Little did I know that TJ would soon be gone.

Friendships are an essential part of human’s social development. The quality and amount of friends an individual has can impact an their growth. Friends fulfill a majority of different needs that when met can have positive responses.

When Friends first aired in 1994, five years into the original run of Seinfeld, it was criticized for being a “knock-off Seinfeld.” Although there were significant similarities between the two shows, there were also vast differences. Seinfeld and Friends were targeted to two very different audiences, and they represented the relatively new idea of “friendship comedies” in different ways. Despite their differences, both Friends and Seinfeld portrayed friendship and humanity in relatable ways, and molded “friendship comedies” of the future.

I remember how I felt that day, It's a feeling that continuously haunts me and no matter how hard I try to forget it always finds its way back into my mind. It's a mixture of hurt and anger because I never thought that someone so close could spread such a rumor. I would never do anything to hurt anyone, especially try to take my closest friends fiancé for myself. The reason for which she assumed that I was capable of doing that, is a puzzle that I am yet to solve. As despicable as this may seem, however, I am very thankful for this event, for her assumption has taught me a very valuable lesson.

NBC’s hit show Friends has become one of the most-watched and highly acclaimed sitcoms of all time. Instead of revolving around family and work, like prior sitcoms such as Family Matters and Full House, Friends changed it up and revolutionized the sitcom landscape by featuring six 20-30-year old friends living in the New York City borough of Manhattan as they attempt to discover themselves. From the constant change of careers, whether it was getting laid off or promoted, to going from relying on their parents to being completely on their own, Friends is able to relate to so many and remains the show that captures the age group of 10-20 almost perfectly. Although Friends has been around for nearly two decades, it has recently risen to prominence

Another nuance that Seinfeld executes perfectly is its characters. They are real. They are relatable. Every event that a character goes through in the show can somehow be applied to our own lives, because nothing is romanticized in Seinfeld. While Friends portrays Monica, a previously overweight child and current Chef, as an attractive woman with a

What does true friendship look like? A show of quick wit and humor, Friends has been the show that has influenced people from all about the globe, that is to say if those influences are exceptional or inadequate. For ten years viewers have seen the development, maturity, and loyalty of friendship; this gang of six introduces the culture of the mid 1990s to the early 2000s and audiences are shown evidence of change in modern society. In this longer episode of Friends, “The Last One: Part 1 & Part 2,” viewers see the development of growth among the six companions.

Freud sees no benefit to the practice of religion, he instead classifies it the same way one would a patient with psychological neurosis. He parallels the habitual practice of devotion and spiritual belief to that of compulsive actions that serve only to perpetuate our lack of maturity as a species. According to Freud religion was initiated as a result of guilt over a prehistoric murder of the tribal/pack leader of early human ancestors. The further premise is that the monotheistic worship of a father figure stems from the victim of this prehistoric murder being the father of his attackers. The subsequent erection of totems and creation of rituals were in response to a remembered guilt over this first event. Freud’s explanation

Gabler also expresses his thoughts on this issue in his article, "[friendships on tv] what makes this so remarkable is that it has been happening at a time when it is increasingly difficult to find this kind of deep social interaction anyplace but on TV." Granted, this sort of behavior on TV, or on social media can give us unrealistic expectations for our own lives including our interactions with our friends and family. It gives us the expectation that our friends are always around, or that we can always turn to anyone in our family which for some people is not always true. Gabler asks his readers, "How many adults do you know who manage to hang out with their friends every single day for hour after hour?" The answer to that question is simple, none do. It is almost impossible to hang out with friends every day of the week or every hour. We all have lives we need to attend to, and making time with friends can be such a mission because we are all so consumed by our daily

In my opinion, this seems to be one of the most popular types of television shows. An example of a show categorized under comedy from the past might be Seinfield. This show aired from 1989-1998. A television show that is popular today that is a comedy is How I Met Your Mother. How I Met Your Mother aired from 2005-2014. Seinfield and How I Met Your Mother are both alike. The two shows just aired in separate decades. I feel like the producer of How I Met Your Mother made this show because the show Seinfield was such a popular show in the previous decade. Both shows are about a group of friends that always meet at the same restaurant or bar and sit at the same booth. The plots may be different, but there are many similar things about the two shows. An example of similarity between the two shows are the repeated phrases. For instance, Seinfield uses the phrase “not that there’s anything wrong with that” the same way that How I Met Your Mother uses the phrase “Challenge accepted”. You might not understand this comparison unless you have actually watched the shows. There are many similarities, but to me, Seinfield does not appeal the same humor as How I Met Your Mother. However, my parents like Seinfield better. So this is just an example of different generations growing up watching different

Friendship is not simply a "relationship", knowing someone, conversing with that person, or dealing with that person in business, school, or in casual acquaintance. True friendship is not just a "relationship", but self-sacrificing love. A friend is also one who supports, sympathizes, and is a person in whom you can confide. There are unique qualities that a person must have to be considered a friend.

Friendships are an important part of everyday life. The vast amount of research focusing on friendship (i.e., Fehr, 1996; Hays, 1984; Argyle & Henderson, 1985) is indicative of just how important friendship is to everyday life. The importance and necessity of friendship is also evident by how these relationships are portrayed on television. Shows such as Friends, Cougartown, Psych, and How I Met Your Mother portray various different kinds of friendship. Shows such as these provide viewers with a unique opportunity to be able to be an observer in these relationships and to see how these relationships form and develop. In some instances, viewers may have the opportunity to watch a friendship begin and blossom throughout the course of a television series.

Have you ever had someone in your life who helped you figure out who you were? Someone who showed you the right path. Someone who was there right next you even if you did not take that path. Someone who always seemed to be right, but never held it against you when you were not. Someone whom without your life would most likely be entirely different. I have. Her name was Jessica.