Why I Will Continue Watching “Friends” Reruns Over and Over Again
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“I’ll be there for you…..when the rain starts to fall….”
I find it difficult to believe that this popular show has now become “classic nostalgia”.
24 years ago, the show with titles that started with, “The One Where…” aired for the first time. Almost a quarter century ago! Does that seem crazy to anyone other than me?
Every time I scroll through TV shows, I ALWAYS click on Friends to see which episode it is. Some of them, (even after watching for a good part of my adult life) still make me laugh out loud. I know I have seen every episode more than once, and I will continue to do so until it is no longer in syndication. Why? Because it takes me back to a happy time in my life.
This show, about 6 perfectly imperfect human beings, was on TV for 10 full seasons. In a world of New York city living, these people seemed to spend every free moment together. They supported each other, at different times developed feeling for each other, and in the end still remained oddly close to each other. It may not seem like a realistic dynamic, but it sure brought ratings and love for the cast.
At a time before texting, iphones and social media, the 6 friends always seemed to be around each other. They spent time together in Central Perk over coffee, cracking jokes and sharing feelings. They went to movies and concerts together as a whole group, or in couples. They stopped by each other’s apartments and helped themselves to whatever they wanted, as if they had homes with each other. It was such a simple, yet, fantastical situation. None of them ever had envy for each other or felt like they were not part of the group. If there were hurt feelings, they were repaired within the 30 minutes that they were on TV. (20 with commercials).
It seemed to be an almost perfect dynamic. It made me, as a chronic audience member, want to find 5 people just so I could live in that kind of relationship.
The main reason I will stay tuned to episode after episode of this show, is because it was something that my daughter and I bonded over. It didn’t matter if we were in the middle of a full blown argument during her hormonal teenage years, or if she “hated” me that week, for disallowing her to go out…
