Analysis of the TV Shows Friends and How I Met Your Mother - Essay Example

An Analysis of the TV Shows “Friends” and “How I Met Your Mother” In every generation, there is a program about a group of friends and how those people create relationships within their circle. These programs teach us about the importance of friendship and how our lives turn out to be completely different because of a set of people whose influence over us we chose to allow into our daily lives for one reason or another. In the 1994, when our parents were the teenagers in their formative years, the television program that influenced them the most was the show about a group of people who had an uncanny love for coffee and sitting around a coffee shop long before Starbucks turned hanging out in coffee shops a lifestyle. That show was a half hour comedy titled “Friends”. It was a show that influenced a whole generation in terms of fashion, outlook in life, and forces that drive their ambition to succeed. The group of friends from New York City were headed by Monica and Ross Geller. These characters were portrayed by the actors Courtney Cox and David Schwimmer. As their characters, these people showed off a side of a brother and sister relationship that we dont normally see on television. One that highlights the kind of support that siblings can give one another once they become adults because their parents now live too far away from them to help them out. They proved that not all siblings need to be bickering all the time and that, most importantly, siblings can actually share friends and be a part of the same social circle. Their other friends were played by Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Greene), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani) and finally, Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry). As far as friendships go this group has it very tightly knit. They live the life in New York City and never seem to want for money even though they are rarely seen working. They seem to spend most of their time just hanging out together and sipping coffee, having heart to heart talks or just getting into one sort of hijinks after another. Just as in the real world, these group of friends somehow end up dating one another and eventually, one or two them have highly successful hookups. However, that is not to say that the show takes relationships lightly because it is after all a comedy show. It was the way that they handled the seriousness of these relationships in a light manner that set this show apart from the others in their time slot. That is the characteristic that made the show and its characters special. Friends was a ground breaking show during its era. It had all the common characters from everyday life that the viewers could identify with. The men were comprised of the “looking for love” kind, the career women, the players, and the spaced out friends who are always good to hang out with when you need a good laugh. Everybody knew somebody who was exactly like Monica, Chandler, Rachel, or Joey. The show helped the term “extended family” and take it a whole new level. Friends showed everyone that family need not be confined solely to the relations based upon blood and direct DNA. Family is actually whomever we choose to let into our lives. They are the people that we connect with on a level that we would not even normally connect on with our own family. These are the people whose friendship and understanding of us was born out of common interests, goals, and personal connections. They are the people who choose to be there for us even when others would have abandoned us. These people are the people whose relationship with one another are the tried and true “Friends”. And nobody bothered to question the reality of the story lines on the show or the absurdity of some situations in it because everyone wanted to have friendships like those 5 people. There was a whole generation of people whose friendships were lived vicariously through these interesting people who, for TV characters, also had a highly flawed side that they needed to fix. But instead of having friends abandon them, these were the very people who called them on their misdeeds and helped them overcome their mistakes in life. It is because of these reasons that “Friends” has become an iconic part of 90s television and the show continues to run endlessly in cable syndication. Monica and Ross rag tag team of friends continue to influence viewers of all ages to this very day and their lifestyle, it continues to exist in our society and has even evolved into a new way of life for the modern young professional. The modern young professional. These are the people depicted on the television show “How I Met Your Mother” which to most people from the 90s, is simply an updating retelling of the classic “Friends” series. Having watched both shows, I would have to say that they are right. First aired in 2005, the show is also a half hour comedy that is supposed to depict the story of Ted Moseby and his search for that one woman who would be his true love and the mother of his children. He has 4 other friends along with him during this search. Just like in the original show, Ted Moseby, portrayed by Josh Radnor has the backing of his friends Marshal Eriksen (Jason Segel), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), and Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) during his quest to find out who he really is and where his life is headed. The setting of “Friends” has been updated for this show with a hip neighborhood bar taking the place of the local coffee shop. Just like the other show, these characters rarely seem to go to work since they have unlimited expense accounts that allow them to simply hang out and bum around all day. Oh, they also live in New York City. Funny how the characters from the two shows never seem to bump into each other. Maybe because different networks own the shows. “How I Met Your Mother”, just like its predecessor has found a way to become a driving influence for its new generation of viewers, Using updated story lines and settings, the characters on the show have redefined the “extended family” concept and allowed their characters even more room for development than their counterparts. Where “Friends” would have been somewhat reserved having still been shown in a different era, “How I Met Your Mother” has the ability to go over the top and push the envelop in a way that the other could not. “How I Met Your Mother” obviously does not subscribe to the same “happy ever after” concept that seemed to be the driving force behind “Friends”. Their characters may had dated at the beginning but the end result of the relationship did not have to be marriage and a child such as in the case of Rachel and Ross. Rather, they have shown us the evolution of relationships in the 21st century by showing that characters who had hot and heavy relationships in the past, as in the case of Robyn and Ted, can actually become the best of friends and still hang out and support each other long after the lust in their loins have faded away. The analysis of the two shows have shown me that the concept of friendships creating extended families is something that has not died and has even been strengthened in concept by “How I Met Your Mother” based upon the foundation that was set for the idea by “Friends”. This means that what was originally meant to be a simple, fun loving show actually had a positive impact upon the development of the human society. As such, things that were meant as jokes and situational jump off points have become an actual part of our lives and friendships. Gone are the days when friends were merely incidentals and the concept of family life was the center of all sitcoms. These days, family is family but your friends is where your real life takes place. It is among these people whom you can really let your hair down and be who you really are. Without judgment or fear of reprisal. These shows, “Friends” and “How I Met Your Mother” have taken friendships to a whole new level when it comes to having other people help us discover our self identities. Works Cited "The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate." Friends: The Complete First Season. Writ. Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. Dir. Kevin Bright. Warner Brothers, 2004. DVD. “Pilot”. How I Met Your Mother : The Complete First Season. Writ. Carla Bays and Craig Thomas. Dir. Pamela Fryman. 20th Century Fox Television, 2005). DVD. Read More