Friends, and why it ain't "GREAT"
So now Friends has ended and I have had time to recover. Thank god Rachel and Ross got back together, I have no idea what I would have done with myself had Rachel stayed on the plane to Paris. Well anyway, I was sitting by the pool today and heard some fat ladies talking about Friends and how great a show it was, and then also my roomates fuck toy (some of you may commonly refer to her as a "girlfriend") was trying to tell us that this was unequivicably the #1 sitcom of all time. I could not have disagreed with her more. When using the word great in TV sitcom land I can only refer to a few shows who were either groundbreaking, entertaining to the masses not a specific dempgraphic, and shows that had brilliant writing. These shows are; Cheers, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Cosby, MASH, Seinfeld, and All in the Family. Now while I do not enjoy all of these shows they all have their place in sitcom history for many different reasons, reasons which Friends cannot possibly contend with.
Cheers may well have been the most well written comedy show of all time. The characters were flawless and their daily interaction were right on. This show was on when I was in grade schoo-high school and while I had never been to a bar it made me laugh everytime it was on. There was nothing fony about this show, it was real people sitting around a bar and making everyone laugh. This show endured character changes to one of the main characters and a brilliant secondary character and their replacements may have been better, that goes to show you how well written the show was.
Seinfeld, while not a personal favorite, is the most quotable show of all time. No soup for you, Serenity Now, Hello Newman, Shrinkage, Master of my Domain, Bob Saccomano, The Assman, A FESTIVUS FOR THE REST-OF-US, the Manzere all of these references make you laugh in some way. There will never be a more clever show on Television.
MASH was grounbreaking in so many ways. It is the only sitcom based on an historical event. It was the most dramatic sitcom of all time and it was nominated for more awards then any show ever. It used brutal language and showed graphic images to get it's point across, and it to endured character turnover and may have came out with better characters in the end. And if it is writing you want you need only watch 2 episodes the final one and the episode where Hawkeye is trapped in a hut with a Korean family that speaks no english, the show is a 23 minute monologue by Alan Alda, simply brilliant.
Cosby was the most positive portrayal of a black family in TV history. Until that time black families were slapstick comedy like Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford & Son. Bill Cosby broke down barriers by saying black families could be well to do and have a good structured family life. And there willingness to introduce black culture and history on the show through the use of guest stars is still unmatched to this day.
All in the Family and I love Lucy were probably the two most groundbreaking comedies of all time. Lucy challeneged the establishment by having a lead female character and by pushing the boundaries of what could be said on television. Archie Bunker did the same some 20 years later. His total biggotry and racism was unbelievable to see on television yet it represented a segment of society. These two show are timeless classics.
The Honeymooners is without a doubt the best Television show of all time. "To the moon Alice" and "Baby your the greatest" are the two best lines in TV history. This show was basically 3 people, one room and one camera and thats it. No fancy editing and camerawork, just pure comedy genius with the orginal comic duo of Ralph Cramden and Ed Norton. If there is a better straight man/funny man combo out there I have not seen it. This show is the basis for all sitcoms ever, it was the first and still is the best. This show has truly stood the test of time.
Friends, while a worthy show and a funny show has none of these qualities. It had a strong core audience and that core audience is the number 1 draw for advertisers, but it did nothing groundbreaking and does not appeal to a mass audience. For sports fans, Friends is the Frank Thomas of TV. Yeah it'll get in the Hall of Fame cause it has all the nice numbers but when you go to the banquet are you there to get Friends (Frank Thomas) autograph or are you there to get Barry Bonds or Willie Mays autograph? I think we all know the answer to that.
Peace & Love
KD
Cheers may well have been the most well written comedy show of all time. The characters were flawless and their daily interaction were right on. This show was on when I was in grade schoo-high school and while I had never been to a bar it made me laugh everytime it was on. There was nothing fony about this show, it was real people sitting around a bar and making everyone laugh. This show endured character changes to one of the main characters and a brilliant secondary character and their replacements may have been better, that goes to show you how well written the show was.
Seinfeld, while not a personal favorite, is the most quotable show of all time. No soup for you, Serenity Now, Hello Newman, Shrinkage, Master of my Domain, Bob Saccomano, The Assman, A FESTIVUS FOR THE REST-OF-US, the Manzere all of these references make you laugh in some way. There will never be a more clever show on Television.
MASH was grounbreaking in so many ways. It is the only sitcom based on an historical event. It was the most dramatic sitcom of all time and it was nominated for more awards then any show ever. It used brutal language and showed graphic images to get it's point across, and it to endured character turnover and may have came out with better characters in the end. And if it is writing you want you need only watch 2 episodes the final one and the episode where Hawkeye is trapped in a hut with a Korean family that speaks no english, the show is a 23 minute monologue by Alan Alda, simply brilliant.
Cosby was the most positive portrayal of a black family in TV history. Until that time black families were slapstick comedy like Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford & Son. Bill Cosby broke down barriers by saying black families could be well to do and have a good structured family life. And there willingness to introduce black culture and history on the show through the use of guest stars is still unmatched to this day.
All in the Family and I love Lucy were probably the two most groundbreaking comedies of all time. Lucy challeneged the establishment by having a lead female character and by pushing the boundaries of what could be said on television. Archie Bunker did the same some 20 years later. His total biggotry and racism was unbelievable to see on television yet it represented a segment of society. These two show are timeless classics.
The Honeymooners is without a doubt the best Television show of all time. "To the moon Alice" and "Baby your the greatest" are the two best lines in TV history. This show was basically 3 people, one room and one camera and thats it. No fancy editing and camerawork, just pure comedy genius with the orginal comic duo of Ralph Cramden and Ed Norton. If there is a better straight man/funny man combo out there I have not seen it. This show is the basis for all sitcoms ever, it was the first and still is the best. This show has truly stood the test of time.
Friends, while a worthy show and a funny show has none of these qualities. It had a strong core audience and that core audience is the number 1 draw for advertisers, but it did nothing groundbreaking and does not appeal to a mass audience. For sports fans, Friends is the Frank Thomas of TV. Yeah it'll get in the Hall of Fame cause it has all the nice numbers but when you go to the banquet are you there to get Friends (Frank Thomas) autograph or are you there to get Barry Bonds or Willie Mays autograph? I think we all know the answer to that.
Peace & Love
KD
3 Comments:
I never understood why friends was so popular. And where is Alf on your list of great sitcoms. Alf was groundbreaking in the fact that it showed the world that aliens and humans could coexist in a family and disproving the myth that all aliens are not friendly. And to my knowledge, it was the first sitcom to star a furry puppet but I could be wrong.
First, to the replies...
The first funny sitcom to star furry puppets was the Muppet Show. While a variety show, it was still and is a funny little piece of the old wicket. We all know people (yours truly included) that have sat around and cracked jokes like the two guys in the balcony.
As usual, Kris' fat takes the cake, but to forget the one sitcom that is sitting on the tip of my tounge the minute this conversation started hurts me to no end.
Just because the Emmy Academy doesn't recgonize the Simpsons as a sitcome doesn't make it so. The Flinstones were the first animated sitcom and they were primetime, just like Lisa.
If it's not a situation comedy, then what is it? It's animation, but it's not a cartoon in the Teen Titans and Powerpuff Girls sense. The jokes, references and guest stars would confuse the average WB watcher and I've been laughing out loud for the last 14 years.
Yes, the animation does put them in a different category, but I do feel it does deserve it's place up there with the all time greats.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a lesbian locker room to conquer. OUT.
-Michelle Wei
Although the muppets and the simpsons were fantastic shows, i can hardly see the argument that they were sitcoms. They are like the Dennis Rodman of basketball, they make extremely valuable contributions, but its hard to take a looney toon seriously.
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