nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Which obnoxious Friends character are you?

[Deleted User]

Let's face it. They're all horrible people.

Self-involved, sexist, downright rude.

I don't want to identify with any of them.

Monica is the worst. I've been doing some homework, I've been taking notes. After having been laid up with the flu over the past few days, I've been carefully studying back episodes of Friends on Netflix.

She threw a plate at her friends during a simple boardgame. She's bossy, she's rude, and I bet nobody would be her friend if it weren't for the fact that they like her brother (let's not get started on him).

My questions are three-fold.

Why was this TV show ever popular?
Who was the most awful character?
And which of these horrible, horrible people do you identify with?

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

Earthhorse

partyguinness wrote: »

It was a vacuous bubble gum sitcom with 6 self absorbed fragile all somewhat pathetic and needy characters living in a nice safe bubble and remarkably without any ethnic minorities.

Two of the main characters are Jewish.

EmmetSpiceland

Earthhorse wrote: »

Two of the main characters are Jewish.

Half Jewish. “Looked” into earlier. Only the dad, played by the wonderful Elliot Gould, is Jewish.

Woke Hogan

randd1 wrote: »

Tried to bang another black woman too (as did Joey, a good episode actually. "MONKEY LOVER!!"). He was with a Chinese chick as well.

Jesus Christ!

partyguinness

Earthhorse wrote: »

Two of the main characters are Jewish.

That does not make them an ethnic minority.

Most US sitcoms are like that anyway e.g. Fraser, Will and Grace

Wayne Jarvis

Woke Hogan wrote: »

Jesus Christ!

In what episode did Ross bang Jesus Christ?

Apiarist

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Phoebe was an absolute dose of a character. Annoying, needy, the sort who would describe herself as ‘kooky’, ‘left field’, ‘a beautiful freak’ etc.

Besides Charlie, Phoebe is the only character in Friends that I could actually like.

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Ross was by far the best. That neurotic NY Jew character is always a good one.

He is a very bad caricature of a scientist and an awful character overall.

Earthhorse wrote: »

Two of the main characters are Jewish.

Oi, don't make me choke on my pastrami, next you'll be calling Joey a minority.

Bob Harris

I've had better fun painting ceilings than watching Friends.

I remember in secondary school people would talk about the previous night's episode the morning after.
I had never seen it and when I did all I could wonder was why people found it funny and would quote lines from it all day long.

The only thing remotely funny I ever saw in it was when Ross caught Bruce Willis posing and telling himself he was a neat guy. Beyond that it's drivel.

Wayne Jarvis

I think David Schwimmer can do physical comedy well. Him hiding from his girlfriend's da never fails to make me laugh.

partyguinness

I could not abide Rachel or Monica as my sister is a hybrid of both of them.

Phoebe was just an idiot.

I was not so hateful of the guys.

Gun to the head, I think Joey was the least insufferable.

EmmetSpiceland

partyguinness wrote: »

That does not make them an ethnic minority.

Most US sitcoms are like that anyway e.g. Fraser, Will and Grace

I don’t think Fraser was Jewish.

partyguinness

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

I don’t think Fraser was Jewish.

What I meant was most US sitcoms from the mid 90s were predominantly white with very few ethnic minorities. Friends has not the only culprit.

valoren

In fairness, the writers self acknowledged these were all flawed characters midway through the first season with the episode featuring the unapologetic psychologist who dated Pheobe and points out how messed up the group dynamic is. I don't get the backlash as the characters are not presented as flawless bastions of moralistic integrity.

lertsnim

Seinfeld is where it's at. Now they were arseholes but entertaining arseholes.

Greyfox

victor8600 wrote: »

He is a very bad caricature of a scientist and an awful character overall.

Ross was a magnificent character, some of his moments like the leather trousers, "my sandwich" and the spray tan are absolutely hillarious. Also once people seen what happened in the prom video everyone wanted him to get with Rachael.

B_ecke_r

Greyfox wrote: »

Ross was a magnificent character, some of his moments like the leather trousers, "my sandwich" and the spray tan are absolutely hillarious. Also once people seen what happened in the prom video everyone wanted him to get with Rachael.

HE'S HER LOBSTER

partyguinness

Greyfox wrote: »

Ross was a magnificent character, some of his moments like the leather trousers, "my sandwich" and the spray tan are absolutely hillarious. Also once people seen what happened in the prom video everyone wanted him to get with Rachael.

Okay. Obviously you are a big fan. I am not as easily amused. I watched it all and can appreciate it for what it was- a warm comfort blanket of escapism for young women.

Personally I found it a little too annoying at times and a bit whiny/insecure teenageresque.

'Look at me. I am so pathetic and needy. Somebody save me from my vacuous self'

Fraser was more my cup of tea but that went a bit pear shaped too.

Airyfairy12

I watched a load of episodes a while back and noticed how Chandler's a bit rapey, he preys on women, tries to trick them into sleeping with him, gets them drunk so he can take advantage, he makes remarks about trying to have sex with women that are passed out.
He'd be on the sex offenders list.

TheValeyard

Friends was class.

I'd be Mr. Heckles, I'm getting old and grumpy and I like wearing dressing gowns.

Greyfox

valoren wrote: »

In fairness, the writers self acknowledged these were all flawed characters midway through the first season with the episode featuring the unapologetic psychologist who dated Pheobe and points out how messed up the group dynamic is. I don't get the backlash as the characters are not presented as flawless bastions of moralistic integrity.

True, the characters are supposed to be flawed. As an example Homer Simpsons's flaws make him a better character

partyguinness wrote: »

Okay. Obviously you are a big fan. I am not as easily amused. I watched it all and can appreciate it for what it was- a warm comfort blanket of escapism for young women.

I'm not easily amused either. I appreciate comedy is subjective but its popularity tells you most people found it very funny

Airyfairy12 wrote: »

I watched a load of episodes a while back and noticed how Chandler's a bit rapey, he preys on women, tries to trick them into sleeping with him, gets them drunk so he can take advantage, he makes remarks about trying to have sex with women that are passed out.
He'd be on the sex offenders list.

True but back then it didn't seem a bit rapey, he just seemed like a man rubbish with women. Also Chandler was also a character that wouldn't be capable of rape

Antares35

I'd like to know why if it was so unpopular and terrible, you have spent two whole days watching it and taking notes, while you had a wealth of other stuff to watch at your fingertips!

I thought friends was good for it's time. They often ad libbed and some of the one liners were brilliant. Anyone with a brain cell who watched it also realised that it was not a true depiction of late twenty/ early thirty year olds living in New Work at that time.

Earthhorse

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

Half Jewish. “Looked” into earlier. Only the dad, played by the wonderful Elliot Gould, is Jewish.

In that case they may not even be Jewish at all as it passes through the maternal side.

B_ecke_r

Earthhorse wrote: »

In that case they may not even be Jewish at all as it passes through the maternal side.

he celebrates Hannukah

EmmetSpiceland

Earthhorse wrote: »

In that case they may not even be Jewish at all as it passes through the maternal side.

If you’ve been mitzvah’d and gotten the “snip” are you not automatically enrolled?

Earthhorse

B_ecke_r wrote: »

he celebrates Hannukah

He also dresses up as the Holiday Armadillo.

He's a deeply disturbed man.

TheValeyard

Earthhorse wrote: »

He also dresses up as the Holiday Armadillo.

He's a deeply disturbed man.

The worst thing he did was wear those skinny leather pants lol

Earthhorse

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

If you’ve been mitzvah’d and gotten the “snip” are you not automatically enrolled?

You should consider donating to Wikipeadia, Emmet, it's an invaluable resource.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_is_a_Jew%3F

[Deleted User]

Why does Ross, the largest friend, not simply eat the other 5?

Leg End Reject

Omackeral wrote: »

Why does Ross, the largest friend, not simply eat the other 5?

Wouldn't be kosher.

topper75

It was a thing of the time, a shift away from traditional el bueno y el malo duality. Two other contemporary shows, Seinfeld and the Sopranas could also be described that way: hugely popular but no upstanding likeable character in the whole show. Each of the Soprano characters were particularly cnutish but it made good TV.

Baron Kurtz

Reg Rogers: The Director.

"I'm hurt!!!"

"Stuff your talentless faces with my mother's crabcakes!"

Gas man altogether.