In January, Friends was added to Netflix in multiple different countries. Since then, an uproar has occurred, with multiple articles being written about it. People are outraged by the show, saying that it is homophobic, transphobic and lacking representation of people of colour. A show that has been off the air for almost 15 years is now causing backlash.
Friends first aired in 1994, and quickly picked up a major following. With its witty and sarcastic humor, and relatable characters, people all over the world tuned in to watch. In the first episode, a major risk was taken: a woman left her husband for another woman. In 1994, a lesbian relationship on TV was a new concept, and many people criticized the show. Today, people are criticizing the show for not having enough representation of the LGBTQ+ community. When we criticize the show today, we need to take into consideration the era in which it was created. Look at other shows from 1994. Were they representing the LGBTQ+ community? Other than Will & Grace, which came out four years later, I cannot recall any. People need to remember, Friends came on the air 24 years ago, in 1994; not in 2018. A show created over two decades ago should not be held to the same standards we hold our television to today. Societal norms change weekly—let alone in 24 years.
Friends is not a perfect show. It has its problems. Its lack of diversity is one of them. Being set in a diverse city like New York, one would think that the on-screen cast would be more diverse, yet it is not. On the positive side, maybe the producers did not write characters with specific skin colours and picked the best actors for the parts. But seeing as we are talking about Hollywood here, this could have been the producers’ choice to make it a fully white cast, and only throwing in other ethnicities here and there. We will never know, but why are we complaining about it now? The show is not in production and there is no reboot happening. Calling out the show may just get you agreement from others, but it will not change the cast.
Despite issues some viewers may have with the show, it did break ground in topics and issues we are still having today. In the first season, all six cast members were paid the same amount. In the second season, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston were paid more than the other actors. In the third season, the cast banded together to negotiate the same contracts. It is rumored that Schwimmer took a pay cut in order for this to happen. For the next seven years, the actors continued to have identical monetary contracts. That is rare today. Women are still making less than their male counterparts, especially in Hollywood. This is what women are currently fighting for; yet in the ‘90s, this was a no-brainer for the Friends cast. All the characters were equal, with equal screen time, so why not pay them equally?
Friends came on the air in 1994—24 years ago. The show was loved by many and continues to be loved. I started watching Friends from a young age and in 2004 when it ended, I remember watching the finale with my family and crying. I was five years old. I have watched every episode of Friends more times than I can remember, and I reference it frequently. I don’t understand why people are having issues with a show that for its time was leading societal change. Yes, if Friends came out today, with the same script and same cast, these issues could be brought up and fought. But Friends is not a new show. Friends came out in 1994. It dealt with society’s issues in 1994. It cannot possibly represent society today in 2018.
