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The Writers Of The Television

Decent Essays

Since the creation of the television, thousands of sitcoms have been created. Most spend a few years on the air and are quickly forgotten after they have ended. Very few TV shows paved the way for what television is today and, after spending ten years on the air, Friends is one of those few. Friends was so groundbreaking because of its unique writing, its cast chemistry, and its ability to resonate with the people in its era. Friends consists of six friends, Joey, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe, living in New York and discovering themselves. The writers of the show were able to do something extremely rare in television; they created an ensemble cast of six main characters. No one person played a larger role then the others …show more content…

The writing of the series played a large role in making it so iconic but making it even more iconic was, perhaps, it’s ensemble. The chemistry, or lack there of, between cast members has been the downfall of many television series, but that was never a problem for Friends. Not only was each actor perfect for his or her character, but each actor was also perfect for each other. The show worked best when all six characters were on the screen. If, for example, Joey had a date, it was rarely shown on screen. Instead, what was shown was the six friends discussing the date after the fact. Many supporting characters, such as love interests, were written off because it seemed as if they somehow go in the way. Monica and Chandler both had many love interests and yet, they ended up marrying each other. All ten seasons consisted of the same cast, and no one ever got tired of seeing the same six faces on their TV screen. During season one each cast member was making a different salary but by the end of the season they were negotiating their pay to be equal, which was unprecedented at the time. The chemistry was so great that it spilled over into their real lives. All six cast members remain close friends to this day. Jennifer Aniston is the godmother to Courtney Cox’s daughter and while each has gone on to star in other television series, they will still frequently appear on each other’s show.

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