Jennifer Aniston recently commented on the legacy of 'Friends.' (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)
Jennifer Aniston, who famously played Rachel in Friends, recently made a comment on the iconic sitcom’s legacy, and completely misinterpreted the way young people view the series.
Aniston told AFP (via Yahoo News) that “comedy has evolved” to the point that it has become harder for comedians, who she believes are struggling to adjust to shifting social norms.
“Now it’s a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life,” Aniston said. “[In the past] you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh — that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we’re not allowed to do that.”
Aniston added, “There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive. There were things that were never intentional and others… well, we should have thought it through — but I don’t think there was a sensitivity like there is now … Everyone is far too divided.”
Nothing could be further from the truth; Friends might have ended back in 2004, but it has experienced a surprising resurgence among Gen Z, thanks to Netflix, which introduced the series to a whole new audience.
According to Nielsen, Friends totaled around four percent of all Netflix views in 2018; the streaming giant paid $100 million to continue streaming Friends for another year. Currently, Friends can be streamed on HBOMax, and still has a large fandom among teens today; indeed, the show’s popularity with the younger generation is well-documented.
These days, the show has become something of a period piece, documenting the “before time,” when social media and smartphones were still the stuff of science fiction.
Friends has always been something of an aspirational fantasy (especially Monica and Rachel’s glorious apartment); the show is set in a soft, gentle world, where work is an afterthought, and there’s always enough time to lounge in a coffee shop and talk about first-world problems.
The characters are archetypal, relatable, perfectly cast, and genuinely care about each other; even during its original run, the show always had a strangely nostalgic aura to it, a rose-tinted memory of “the good old days” that never really existed.
Friends captures the optimism of the 90’s, along with the privileged ignorance; homosexuality is something of a novelty and a casual insult, usually directed at Chandler, who is often viewed with baffling contempt.
Chandler’s father is a trans woman and a walking punchline, and the fact that Monica was fat in high school is treated like a terrible moral failing, and mercilessly mocked by the group. The notable lack of diversity, even among background characters, really stands out in today’s media landscape; Friends takes place in a fictitious version of New York that bears little resemblance to any major American city.
Marta Kauffman, who created the series with David Crane, has stated that she feels “embarrassed” by the show’s lack of diversity. Friends is a show written to be sickly sweet and wholesome, but at its most awkward moments, highlights the insidious bigotry of the 90’s.
Why does Jennifer Aniston believe Gen Z are offended?
The problematic aspects of Friends have been criticized, particularly during the years when it was trendy to write moralistic thinkpieces detailing the sins of popular media.
Nowadays, most seem to understand that fiction is a product of its time; most of the critical commentary wasn’t intended to shame fans for enjoying the show, but to point out how things have changed.
Aniston might have stumbled across an article, or a few tweets that poke fun of the show, and perhaps misinterpreted the criticism.
In some ways, Friends was viewed as progressive during its time, and despite its failings, the show still captures the feeling of being young, aimless and figuring life out, one step at a time.
When it comes to storylines, the first five seasons have aged quite well; the show is at its best when the characters are trying (and failing) to grow up, stumbling in the face of small obstacles and melodrama. Later seasons see the characters devolve into obnoxious caricatures, and loses whatever sense of self-awareness the series had.
Aniston’s comment on how it is no longer acceptable to “joke about a bigot” also completely misses the mark, as backlash to comedy is often sparked by punchlines that punch down on the marginalized; no one has a problem with mocking bigotry (other than bigots).
After all, two of the longest running scripted shows on television are South Park and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, popular comedies that make ignorant, intolerant characters the butt of the joke.
Friends isn’t offending the younger generation; it’s pure comfort food that occasionally shows its age. If anything, the show has proved shockingly resilient, finding a new audience long past its prime.
