As a fan who grew up with Friends gracing our screens every Thursday night, I can’t help but reminisce about the cultural shift it brought about during its tenure. The show’s impact is undeniable, and it all stemmed from its relatable storylines and the raw emotions that resonated with viewers worldwide.
David Crane and Marta Kauffman, the creators behind the popular 90’s sitcom “Friends”, have shared that NBC made them reconsider one of Monica Geller’s actions in the initial episode. Monica is among the six memorable characters who captivated audiences across the globe for nearly a decade, as they followed her through various relationships, job shifts, romantic entanglements, parenthood, and numerous crises written by the show’s team.
However, in the debut episode titled “The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate,” Monica takes an action that caught the notice of NBC’s executives. An act that, surprisingly, the live audience played a part in determining whether it would make the final edit. In this installment, Monica spends the night with a man on their initial date. She calls him “Paul the wine guy,” and her decision to sleep with him stems from his revelation of not having had sex in two years. The issue arises because Paul has deceived her, and he misled her into sleeping with him by claiming he needed it out of pity rather than genuine attraction.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, NBC officials expressed dissatisfaction with this aspect of the script. Crane explains that the executive in charge stated, “We won’t find Monica likable because [in the pilot] she sleeps with a guy on the first date.” They argued that it makes her more relatable and sympathetic instead. He also mentions that the live audience was given an uncomfortable questionnaire at one point.
At our rehearsal, the network sought to demonstrate that viewers wouldn’t approve of Monica sleeping with a man on their first date by passing around a survey. “The options in this questionnaire were extremely biased: ‘Is Monica, if she sleeps with a guy on her first date, considered a) promiscuous or b) a woman of ill repute?’
As a movie critic, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the unconventional choices made in the show, as evidenced by the unexpected responses on the viewer ballots. It seemed that both the studio executives and the audience recognized the unorthodoxy, with the latter expressing their approval with a collective “No, it’s fine.”
TV’s Cultural Progress from I Love Lucy to Friends
The show’s cultural impact speaks for itself. The audience acclaim was constant up until the end, and it all had to do with the lighthearted spirit of its storylines and its constant emotional manipulation with ‘will-they-won’t-they’ romantic arcs. It’s a very vanilla show, but at the same time, the TV landscape was pretty different 30 years ago. Fan-favorite character Monica being shamed because of something like sleeping on a first date is insulting to us now, but that’s how progress develops. Remember, executives prevented Lucille Ball or anyone else in I Love Lucy from even saying the word “pregnant,” despite her being married to her on-screen husband. Things take time.
In this review, I’m thrilled to say that the creators dared to break conventions and incorporate elements that genuinely advanced the narrative. We saw the portrayal of openly gay characters, their marriage, and even casual relationships, which felt refreshingly authentic. Some humor may seem dated now, but looking back, it tackled themes of maturity that should have long been considered ordinary, without the fear of network executives censoring adult decisions for character autonomy.
Friends
is available to stream on Max here
.
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2024-08-19 04:32