The ever-popular television show from my childhood, "Friends," still has a massively devoted following. I never really hopped on the "Friends" bandwagon and saw only a few episodes here and there. For some reason, the characters all annoyed me and never felt like they were actually very good at being friends.
When I think of popular television shows and try to compare friend groups to "Friends," I can come up with such better examples of a tight-knit group of fictional friends.
1. New Girl
This show is hilarious, witty and has its heartfelt moments. The cast works so well together, and the character personalities are unique while also remaining believable within the group. The typical jerk personality of Schmit and his polar opposite, Nick, feel like genuine close friends. The happy energy of Jess and the semi-cynical attitude from Cece also add a realistic layer to the show and the group, as a whole. These characters have a warmer and less forced relationship together than the characters of "Friends."
2. How I Met Your Mother
This show gets some criticism for the ending of the series, but I kind of thought it all played out really well. The character personalities also seem to get a lot of negative reactions because people have expressed that most of the characters have personalities that are not easy to accept. Barney is a womanizer, Ted is kind of a downer, Lily and Marshal cling to each other and Robin is emotionally unavailable.
However, I feel like this friend group is perfect and works so well together. We have to remember that we are seeing their lives play out from one perspective, which is an older Ted. We see what he saw in his friends and why he truly valued them, even when they obviously had their own flaws. We also got to see how each character developed and changed throughout the years.
3. Workaholics
Three friends and their inability to deal with adulthood cannot get old. They are ridiculous and hilarious, but highly devoted to each other — even when they get too competitive. Yeah, Anders, Blake and Adam are incredibly immature and not great at their jobs, but they are carefree and value each other. These are perfect examples of friends who find the importance of experiences than much of what society says is "normal."
4. Skins (UK)
This show is an all-time favorite of mine because it is just the right balance of bizarre, humorous and serious. We get to see multiple groups of friends every two seasons, and the drama that they endure. This makes their complicated relationships with one another just as genuine as a real young adult-aged friend group.
The show also tackles some realistic, difficult subject matter in which the group of friends is able to push aside their differences and support each other.
5. Parks and Recreation
I am obsessed with this show and how funny it is. The writing and acting is absolutely genius, which makes the dysfunction of a small branch of government oddly entertaining. Leslie Knope is my idol and she makes her department feel special. Such an odd array of personalities just works and having friends that you work with become more like family is a really rare accomplishment, especially if those colleagues are as strange as the Pawnee Parks and Recreation department.
6. The Office
I just finished watching the series, in order, from start to finish. I laughed, I cried from laughing so hard and I cried when it ended. This show took such a dull profession and a commonly hated work environment and made it into something that was interesting and incredibly funny.
The characters are odd and certainly seem like those that you would encounter in a real-life office, but then showed us what that would like when the people in the office got to know each other and become actual friends. It seems most office settings keep people and their personalities dulled down so that work is the only thing on anyone's mind, but this office showed us what happens when we focus on the people, rather than the work itself.
And it is comedy gold.
7. Broad City
OK, a two-person friendship has a different dynamic from a larger group of friends. But, I still think the strong bond between Illana and Abbi is much more natural and believable than the relationship of the groups in "Friends." The two best friends take on adulthood together and not always in the most conventional ways, but they always have each other to lean on. They raise each other up and have endless support to offer one another.
8. Boy Meets World
Throwing it back to a time of prime television perfection, the friendships in this classic show were so well depicted and very real. Navigating high school and the young teenage years is awfully awkward and wondering which friends were true friends was a very real issue during those years. The trio, Sean, Cory and Topanga were such a natural fit as best friends that I am still convinced those three actors are just as close as their television characters. They showed me exactly what real friendships were made of and just how important those relationships are throughout your entire life.
9. Stranger Things
These kids should be the definition of what true friendship looks like. The crazy things that happen to their town, and their friend, Will, going missing — into a completely different dimension — only brought these friends closer together. Even when they all questioned the possible effect that letting Eleven and Max into their inner circle could have on this group of friends, they all made sure to include each other's opinions and then come to an agreement whether to accept the girls into their group.
They also went above and beyond to refuse defeat in order to save their friends and their town, never giving up on each other.
10. Young and Hungry
This is a guilty pleasure show that I watch when I just need something lighthearted and easy to watch. Gabi and her best friend, Sofia, are mid-twenty-something roommates just trying to make it in their careers and still be able to pay the rent. Throughout the series, the on-and-off relationship between Gabi and her wealthy boss, Josh, and friendship with Yolanda and Elliot — also employed by Josh — is slightly baffling, at first, but quickly grows on you.
The characters become closer friends the more Josh and Gabi become romantically involved. Even as drama and usual shenanigans ensue, the support for Gabi and Josh to finally become — and remain — a couple is consistent. At times, even the sarcastic and outspoken manager, Elliot, seems to root for Gabi and Josh, even though he pretends he dislikes Gabi for her lack of celebrity status.
This unlikely group of people still have each other's backs and do their best to support each other, especially when someone is going through a difficult time. Even just the friendship between Gabi and Sofia is believable because they naturally have this sisterly bond and clearly would do anything for each other.
11. Big Little Lies
Despite most of the status-obsessed, upper-class parents — too involved in their children's lives and school politics — the three main characters still represent a strongly bonded friendship. Murder, marital issues and motherhood are the recurring themes within this new HBO series.
Three women show us exactly how to be loyal and supportive of each other even in the most difficult of situations. Even the surrounding characters, that cause much of the stress and tension we witness throughout the first season, are shown to be somewhat decent human beings with the ability to put aside differences in order to stand up to and for one another in the most crucial moments.
To be able to accept the darkest of secrets in someone else and continue to be a support system is incredible and something that shows a very real friendship. There are complex layers to the relationships within this show, making the friendships and alliances that much more inspiring.
I like my television shows to feel authentic in some aspect — even if some situations are unrealistic — the relationships between friends can still feel real. "Friends" is one of those shows that feels like the characters do not actually fit together and their whole relationship felt forced. The characters were far too narcissistic to have the ability to be as close as they were and their quirks were targets of scrutiny among the group, instead of as accepted, unique qualities.
