“Could it BE any better?” – Chandler, F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Arguably, one of the most popular dialogues from the show that most of us from Gen X to Gen Z would remember! ‘THE REUNION’ triggered it all.
A show that began 26 years ago with young characters who were very much on their own without significant parental supervision/interaction. A show that remained relatable as we progressed from our conservative ideas of love & friendships. F.R.I.E.N.D.S. remains wildly popular with young viewers even now and Gen X – Z are happy that the sitcom is still around for them, reruns after reruns. One may be confused as to how and why a generation of people who weren't even born at the time of the original run are as in love with the show as those who watched when it was originally broadcasted from 1994 to 2004.
One of the major reasons could be that most characters are relatable. With their flaws, mannerisms, quirks and conversations, we relate to them. Back then one would watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Doogie Howser, M.D. or Grey’s Anatomy based on a friends’ recommendation rather than an algorithm. All characters in these shows have their flaws, but we loved them with it. Today, a flawed character is dissected to origins of trauma to explain its grey character and it is not about liking them, but more about understanding them. Unlike today’s era of curated OTT entertainment where shows are recommended based on what you have watched previously or a social media personality (influencer) preferences, Gen X-Z was more about Discovery and not Curation.
Back then we used to discover a charmer Joey, nerdy Ross, funny Chandler, control freak Monica, weirdo Phoebe or fashionista Rachel or look for these in our group of friends. I am sure many have found their life partners thinking oh she looks like Rachel, oh he is funny like Joey. As F.R.I.E.N.D.S. co-creator Marta Kaufman said in an interview, “The show is about a time in your life when your friends are your family."
But as we progress to the next few decades, we are being curated. Our friend circle is no more a motley crew like F.R.I.E.N.D.S., but rather a like-minded cult of believers. In an age of life coaches broadcasting that one should hustle all day long, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. sounds utopian, working sparsely and spending all their time at Central Park coffee shop. Escapism surely it is, but who doesn’t want a break from reality.
Gen X – Z discovered everything, telephones, colour TVs, cable TV channels, MTV. They quite literally sang and experienced ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ to pop music, to all genres in fashion & music, CDs, DVDs, Walkmans, iPods, reading an actual newspaper to internet, cloud and an entire digital uprising. The new generations may never fully understand how it was not being able to reach someone on demand, but why one would rather send a voice mail call from a local phone or leave missed calls as signals for our friends to step out or just to let them know we are thinking about them.
We Xers on the other hand have seen technology becoming a part of life, at a slow and steady pace before it was exponentially digitized. While we are still checking on apps on FB, to find which character of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. we resemble the most, we have embraced the curated life as smoothly as our patient discovery phases. It actually may be why if there are people who are pragmatic and in control even with an overload of technological information, it’s the Gen X.
We HAVE experienced the best of everything right, Could it be any better?
Well, George Ball says ‘Nostalgia is a seductive Liar’
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