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Was "Friends" considered a "white show"?
- Thread starter UnemployedVillain
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They all have a cheesiness to them, and to me, there is an endearing, likable quality there (just depends on if that's your thing or not). You're right, lots of sitcoms have this component, and I don't think it's just 90's shows, but it was a lot stronger then than now.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Or Fresh Prince. That wasn't bland, though.
I think this song, from a different show, is funnier w/o the context than that Phoebe smelly cat song is while knowing the context.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO6wGt7xLLQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO6wGt7xLLQ
Are you saying that shows like The Cosby Show were just as guilty for having mainly black characters or that they didn't act "black"? Both claims would be pretty silly.
To be clear, we're not talking about Friends being bland. We're talking about it being incredibly white-focused.
UnemployedVillain
Member
Fresh Prince compared to Friends? The fuck? From the handful (literally 5) episodes I've seen it's writing is way better, and it actually deals with a number of issues and deeper themes. Maybe I'm wrong, but Friends seemed pretty shallow throughout its entirety
As someone who completely didn't "get" that show, it felt like if you weren't married, it wasn't for you.
Friends get criticism where Roseanne, Frasier, Seinfeld, etc. do not because of how much a gap exists between its on-screen NYC representation and reality.
Bunch of white people having a majority white social circle isn't a big deal. Them interacting literally only with white people 99% of the time in a city as diverse as NYC is.
Yeah, that show is pretty white too. Name one Asian guy in that show of a family living in San Francisco.
I think many people struggle to articulate that logic and reasoning though, and for that reason I don't think it's always fair to ask someone to try and dissect a joke they laughed at. Asking a broad question about why something is funny is a little different though, I was wrong to criticize that.
Friends is as white as it comes, but this isn't offensive in context. Rachel is giving out candy on Halloween to try and get experience with kids. She gives the first kid all the candy to get him/her to like her, and has to give the second kid cash because she's out of candy. By the time this (black) kid shows up she has candy again but the kid came because he heard she was giving money and balks at the candy.
Why would you do that?
Member
I love Friends, but I hate the way black kids are portrayed on the show. Every single one of them who had a semi-notable part was nasty or mean.
There's the girl in a Christmas episode who called Ross a "scrud" and was nasty to him because he accidentally broke another kid's leg.
There's the boy in a Halloween episode who wanted to get money as a trick or treat instead of candy from Rachel because she was giving out money after she ran out of candy. He told her to shut up and argued with her after she said she got more candy and wasn't giving out money anymore.
There's a kid who accidentally kicked Ross on a swing set and knocked him down, then laughed about it, which Ross commented on.
In fact, the only other time I can think of any kid in general with even a slightly negative demeanor was during the reception of Monica and Chandler's wedding, where a heavy girl named Gert wanted to dance on Ross's feet after two other girls, then complained that he wasn't dancing fast enough.
They scene isn't considered among the best of the series at all. The song they're singing is well-known because that specific character is known in the show to perform cheesy and terrible songs in a coffee house, and that was her signature song. Therefore, the song is often associated with the character.
The scene is only funny if you know the character, and even then I personally didn't find it funny, just a cute way to end the episode within the episode's context.
The show is definitely funny outside of that.
There's the girl in a Christmas episode who called Ross a "scrud" and was nasty to him because he accidentally broke another kid's leg.
There's the boy in a Halloween episode who wanted to get money as a trick or treat instead of candy from Rachel because she was giving out money after she ran out of candy. He told her to shut up and argued with her after she said she got more candy and wasn't giving out money anymore.
There's a kid who accidentally kicked Ross on a swing set and knocked him down, then laughed about it, which Ross commented on.
In fact, the only other time I can think of any kid in general with even a slightly negative demeanor was during the reception of Monica and Chandler's wedding, where a heavy girl named Gert wanted to dance on Ross's feet after two other girls, then complained that he wasn't dancing fast enough.
They scene isn't considered among the best of the series at all. The song they're singing is well-known because that specific character is known in the show to perform cheesy and terrible songs in a coffee house, and that was her signature song. Therefore, the song is often associated with the character.
The scene is only funny if you know the character, and even then I personally didn't find it funny, just a cute way to end the episode within the episode's context.
The show is definitely funny outside of that.
Cindi Mayweather
Member
Okay. Please post the stand out moments in Friends that are gut busting funny.
I can post examples from Seinfeld (the GOAT).
Elaine dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQu_NLRvULM
Elaine high on painkillers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLQRKnZ2cK8
I'd like to see Friends' chops.
I can post examples from Seinfeld (the GOAT).
Elaine dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQu_NLRvULM
Elaine high on painkillers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLQRKnZ2cK8
I'd like to see Friends' chops.
It's a pretty shallow show. It's got some nice serious moments but it's a light comedy through and through. It never really tried to be much more than that, and I think it succeeded at providing that experience. There's a ton of funny episodes and the writing is often sharp/witty, even if it's inherently a corny/cheesy premise.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
No, I meant in terms of the context of the OP. Obviously Fresh Prince is miles better.
wild wild rice
Member
No one likes Friends so you win by default. Also, lol @ "Eileen." Close enough.
Twin Peaks is pretty white.
Gotdatmoney
Member
The discussion isnt about if the shows were good.
Fresh Prince was also different, had the same typical family humor of other sitcoms but when it was serious it was serious, the comedy took a backseat, Married with Children was some heavy dark humor all the time.
UnemployedVillain
Member
Who hasn't experienced some moment that someone in Seinfeld has? It's like a turing test
FortuneFaded
Member
You forgot Ben. He was a real piece of shit.
Cindi Mayweather
Member
lol Whoops.
I'm sure people like Friends, I just want to know the appeal. If it's funny, I'd like to see some funny moments.
ldcommando
Banned
No one is funnier than Eileen though
Agree with this post. Especially watching the early episodes, the writers were not very thoughtful or careful about their content. But it's still worth watching and a well written show (even if it is flat sometimes).
The Smelly Cat thing is blown out of proportion. I don't know anyone who thinks that's one of the funnier skits in the show. It's just a well known running joke that Phoebe can't write songs.
MMaRsu
Member
Yup Fresh Prince actually resonated with me on an emotional level that no other Sitcom has done for me I think.
That's not true; Friends dealt with the concept of how much money and time you should spend on your wedding day and how important weddings are to women... twice.. wait, three times!
MHWilliams
Member
There's a ton of shows. If you're talking comedies, most these days feature diverse ensemble casts.
Take Mike & Molly. While the two title characters and their families are blue collar white people, their supporting cast branches out from that. And that's on the low-end of many shows these days, where the problem is minority actors in leading roles.
People don't understand the reason Friends is called a "white" show. The issue is most of the speaking and supporting cast was white. This was such a big deal back in the day, because Friends takes place in New York, which is demographically quite mixed. Once people started noticing it, the show actually started casting minorities in roles, beginning with Aisha Tyler's major supporting role as Ross' girlfriend.
Friends was notable for its complete omission of anyone non-white for a long time.
I'd say the quiz in Friends is a classic scene. The setup is that the guys are playing the girls for who gets to live in the bigger apartment. It's also an example of a plotline that spanned across several episodes of the show. Not sure how enjoyable it will be without knowledge of the characters, but here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oENQjvY96dM
The conversation sort of switched over to why people don't think Friends is funny, which is what the poster you quoted was referring to I think, not the whiteness aspect.
The Artisan
Member
full house?
Just_myles
Member
Yes. It totally was. I believe in the latter half of the shows run, they tried to inject some ethnicity when it was apparent there was none. Cool show though all the same.
PeskyToaster
Member
If by white we mean lame then yes Full House is whiter than Friends.
I watched the whole series and I can't remember too many scenes that might be stand alone funny. Maybe a bit with Ross' leather pants. It seemed great to me back then but became quite middling on rewatching some episodes.
Think the major appeal was just goofy stuff happening in their lives?
Lol, that scene is classic.
That and 6 middle to upper-middle class people living in apartments bigger than Donald Trump suite in Manhattan,
.oldie but a goodie. Joey is a actor (not very smart as well) sometimes he gets big parts or small parts, but sometimes he tries to get something that's way outside his level of expertise (you'll see this across the entire series). He's pretty good at bullshitting, and relying on his looks to get him parts. This is pretty much a good example of him when he has to take on a bigger role then he signed up for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WreiLLGrCEY
Why would you do that?
Member
lol I was thinking about adding him in there, but I didn't think he was mean, just being funny with the pranks and stuff that Rachel taught him. But maybe he does count.
(Point still stands about the black kids, though. But oh well)
Haha, it's really not. Ross' white teeth, leather pants, game scene (someone posted it above), just to name some off the top of my head. There's a greatest hits DVD out there somewhere that is excellent (used to watch it all the time).
That and 6 middle to upper-middle class people living in apartments bigger than Donald Trump suite in Manhattan,
Rachel was a waitress for a long time, but she does come from a rich family. Joey didn't have consistent work for awhile until he landed the job in the soap opera. I don't think I would classify them as strictly middle class until later on in the season.
Do people in NYC have a diverse group of friends? It's a heavily segregated city in regards to housing.
Gotdatmoney
Member
Mainly cause the characters were actual people as opposed to carcitures who went through actual real shit. And they grew throughout the show. Will is a way different character at the end of the show.
ross and his anger issues over his sandwich. chandler dealing with eddie the crazy roomate.
And the bossy fat white girl that insists on dancing on Ross's feet at Monica and Chandler's wedding.
Like these. Just saw the one with Eddie. Chandler is worth the 20 minute episodes alone.
ldcommando
Banned
The two parties episode is pretty funny
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