I'm a huge friends fan so naturally I loved this book. There wasn't a lot of new things that I learned while reading this book but I did enjoy going through it again. It was very nostalgic and the author did a great job writing about this historic show.

Friends
by Jennifer C. Dunn
Pub Date: 15 Dec 2019
#NetGalley

I have read ever FRIENDS book i have been able to get my hands on and this one was very informational and offers a new take.

Maybe I am too much of a Friends fan, but there was nothing new in this book that hasn't been told in the previous other books and articles about the hit TV show.

The novel Friends: A Cultural History by Jennifer C Dunn is yet another book about the 1990s phenomena of the sitcom Friends and its influence on additional television programming and character development and other sitcoms on television. This book deep dives into the actors’ personal lives during the filming, and the relationship formed before, during and after the show. It showcases the family dynamics of the characters because the characters actually refer to their friends as their family… as opposed to their biological parents/siblings.

The show Friends was groundbreaking in many ways – it featured LGBTQ characters as early as Episode 1, Chandler’s Dad gender identity as he transitioned, surrogacy, open dialogue about sex among women, a lesbian wedding, and many more cultural firsts for television.

If you are a die hard Friends fan, (get that joke…Bruce Willis was a guest star on Friends…) or just a television/pop culture buff, then this book is for you. If you are a moderate Friends fan, you may find it to be a tad dry in sections as she takes on the anthropology of the show and the accompanying changing culture in the 1990s. But overall, it’s a great overview of the series and definitely makes me want to stop reading this book so I can binge a few episodes of Friends!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Friends: A Cultural History is about the very popular television show Friends, it's characters and how it has affected the world of sitcoms. Friends was the first 'hangout' type sitcom based on six friends who basically hung out. This show influenced shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Seinfeld. The author also talks about the actors/actresses behind the six friends and how the show has affected their stardom and how they relate to their respective characters. I really enjoyed reading this and I would love to read more of these type books about other television shows.

Thank you NetGalley and Rowman and Littlefield for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I love how the author connected the show Friends to so many things culturally and laid out how they broke ground on so many issues that were controversial back when the show aired, but not at all now. This was an enjoyable read and I enjoyed every second reading it!

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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I've only read one other book in this series ( Gilmore Girls: A Cultural History ), which led to me expecting a few things from this book—most of which I didn't get (which is both a positive and a negative comment). I'm going to try not to spend too much time comparing the two books because it seems unfair—but it's inevitable, so . . .

When I requested that Gilmore Girls book on Netgalley, I noticed the publisher had a similar title about Friends available—and who doesn't like Friends? So, I requested that one, too—really diving into The Cultural History of Television. Granted, Dunn has more episodes to work from, but she does a better job of getting examples from all over the series—using different episodes/lines/characters to make related points rather than grabbing the same episode/line/character over and over and over again. One of the biggest strengths of the book is the depth of examples she musters for almost every point, reading this book is almost like binge-watching the entire series.

She begins with a chapter describing the success of the show, its place in the history of sitcoms—building on what had come before and shaping its successors. Then she moves on to looking at the impact of the show, its characters, and its actors on mainstream American pop culture—I do think she tried to make a little more hay than was warranted with some of the intertextual links she made in this chapter, but it came across as a quirk rather than a flaw. The third chapter discussed the way that the show replaced a biological family for a found family of friends as the core relationships for the characters. I really appreciated this section of the book and it gave me high hopes for the rest.

The third section of the book explores the legacy of Friends on American—and global—pop culture, as seen in fashion, music, memes, the way we talk (e.g., try to tell someone to pivot without invoking Ross trying to get his couch up the stairs), and the actors' future roles and shows. This part wasn't as strong as the first part of the book, but it was entertaining and an interesting way to think about the show. Dunn follows that with her list of the best 25 episodes, including an episode synopsis and a few sentences describing why that episode made the list. Fans will quibble over this list (for example, I think she got 15-18 of them right, and I can't understand why she picked the others)—but I can't imagine any fan not enjoying reading it.

The thing that makes me reticent to heartily recommend the book is the second section of the book, which includes the chapters: "Friends Happy Not Doing Too Much," "Friends Happy Not Thinking Too Much," "Thin, White, Upper-Middle-Class Friends," and "Stereotypes, Sexuality, and Friend-ly Tensions." Dunn states that this section "interrogates cultural identities represented on Friends." There is a lot of interesting material presented in this section—whether you ultimately agree with her analysis or not—and most of it is well-presented. However, it's a pretty problematic section. First, it assumes the readers will share her Progressive views (or at least hold ones close to hers) and that 2019 Progressive positions ought to provide the basis for evaluating the shows portrayal of characters/issues/themes, rather than the standards of the time the episodes were produced.

I'm not going to get into a point-by-point evaluation of these chapters, that's not what this post is about, I'm just looking at this broadly. For example, Dunn begins her chapter on the anti-intellectual bent of some of the humor by pointing to the re-election of George W. Bush as president as one bit of evidence to the rise of anti-intellectualism in the era. I'm not sure I see the wisdom in insulting conservatives, Republicans, or moderates who voted for Bush and who enjoy discussions of a beloved sitcom and might be reading the book.

Yes, the writers couldn't have made many of the jokes they did if the show was being produced now—but I'm not convinced that means they shouldn't have then. At one point (at least) Dunn does concede that 2019 standards are different from those of that era, but it doesn't stop her from criticizing aspects of the show for being products of their time. It seemed to me that at any point where she judged the show's treatment of something in these chapters, she condemned it rather than look for an opportunity to be charitable. Now, there is a certain amount of intellectual stimulation and pleasure to be found in arguing with a book—and my notes indicate that I did a lot of that during these chapters—but at a certain point I started wondering why someone who clearly disapproved of so much of the show would watch it as much as she clearly has. To me, that detracts from the overall experience.

I'm not trying to suggest that Dunn's criticisms are baseless, or that I disagree with everything she said in this section. I just think she comes across as unexpectedly antagonistic to the show and doesn't do herself any favors with many of her readers.

It's annoying that I had to spend that much time attempting to explain my problems with that section—it's dicey so I tried to do a good job of that, but now that's taken the majority of my space here. By importance, it should be about 1/3 of what I say about the book (maybe 40%). But to expand my comments on the rest would render this too long to read (and write, honestly).

I had one other stumbling block with the book—but this is more stylistic and is easily forgettable. You've probably read or heard the line: "Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process." I've seen it variously attributed, but E. B. White seems the most likely candidate. It's a trite observation by now, but mostly because it's true. Dunn explains too many jokes for little profit—generally, they're jokes that don't require an explanation in the first place (especially for fans who know the joke, but I think it's true regardless) and her explanations frequently border on condescending. White (or Twain or whoever) would probably have been willing to say "Explaining a joke or a meme" had they been aware of the concept. Neither one of these things is a major issue, but it grates on the nerves and makes the experience less positive

Ultimately, while I enjoyed the Gilmore Girls entry more, I think this book makes the series seem more promising and will likely lead me to read more of it. On the whole, this was a very enjoyable read and die-hard fans will easily dive into most of the book and relish the experience. And even on those points, a reader will disagree with her on, they'll enjoy ransacking their memories for counter-arguments. Really, this is an excuse to think deeply about a favorite show for however long it takes you to read 300 pages, not much wrong with that.

Probably the most comprehensive review of the “Friends” phenomenon and what it was like to grow up as generation “x” er. Truly well- informed and organized effectively. Perfect for fans of the shows and other sitcoms enthusiasts.
Highly recommend!.

The 25th anniversary of Friends has brought a lot of books about the series. This one is a deep dive into Friends place in pop culture. I found it entertaining and not at all dry even though the topics were more scholarly than other recent books about the series.

This book covers a lot of information about Friends and for the most part I found it interesting.

The chapters were:

* Friends changes the sitcom landscape
* Friends one-screen and off
* Friends as family
* Friends happy not doing too much
* Friends happy not thinking too much
* Thin, white, upper-middle-class Friends
* Stereotypes, sexuality and Friendly tensions
* Friends music, fashions and locations will all be there for you
* Friends among fans: memes and alternative narratives
* Friends forever
* Appendix: The One with the Twenty-five Best Episodes

This book discusses the beginnings of the show, the actors, their characters, what was happening in their real lives when they were doing the show and what they've done since. When I originally watched it and even watching the shows today, I didn't consider it too deep ... but this book does. It analyzes how, though there were brief secondary characters of colour and different nationalities, the main characters were white, how they were able to live in such nice apartments, etc. It also examines the different roles and relationships of the characters over the ten years. It showcases some of the sayings from the show that have come into our lives like "How YOU doin'?", the impact of the song on the Rembrandts and how the show connected to other shows.

Though there was a lot of information, I was surprised that there was no mention of the surrogate mother of Monica and Chandler's surrogate babies, Bruce Willis, Pete and a brief mention of Gunther.

According to the author, the Ross and Monica were the least liked characters ... I personally found Ross and Rachel annoying and hated how prominent their storylines were.

This book was just okay for me..... I suppose I was expecting MORE. At times the book read like a summary of episodes, and I felt like it would have made more sense to rewatch the show than to read about it-- and watching it would certainly have been more enjoyable. I rarely say I don't like an author's style or writing, but unfortunately I didn't fall in love with either this time. A die-hard fan may just want to pick it up for part of their collection, but other than that, I think this will just not be a book that I full heartedly recommend to our readers. Sorry!

This is far from the first book about Friends, but it’s definitely worth the read if you’re a fan of the show. It also provides an interesting time capsule for today’s youth, especially those who have taken to ripping the show apart for every perceived slight.

Here’s the thing — Friends was groundbreaking. It allowed single women to discuss sex in a way that had never before been seen on TV. It featured LGBTQ characters from the very beginning and went on to portray TV’s first on-screen lesbian wedding. Yes, many of the jokes around this topic seem insensitive now. But at the time, they made LGBTQ people like myself feel a sense of belonging and acceptance that had been denied to us by mainstream entertainment for far too long.

Within the pages of this book, readers get a much deeper appreciation of the way Friends was impacted by society and how the show, in turn, altered society and television forever. As a result, the author does stray from Friends several times. Sometimes, her analysis gets a bit dry as well. But overall, this is a solid read for those who have any interest in Friends or even just TV history.

Just ok. I am a big Friends fan. I am watching the series in full for the umpteenth time. This book delve into the lives of the actors and how the show and actors are linked. It tries to show how this show shaped later tv sitcoms. The book has too many non interesting things that made it boring. I ended up just skimming each chapter. I felt like I was reading a school term paper about the show.

I first like to thank the author Jennifer C.Dunn and NetGalley for the ARC copy of 'Friends" I will be honest--I am providing this review before completing the book. I am uncertain at this time if I will finish the book in its entirety. The version of the book I have been provided is an early, not final edited format so this may be the reason it is a bit of an overwhelming read. The writing reads and feels like a school textbook. While I appreciate that the author has done so much research and is providing the reader with an abundance of information--it is just a bit too much!

I am a fan of the TV show "Friends" and was very interested in reading this book. But as mentioned above it felt like I was reading a book for a college class--every page is just packed to its limit on every possible rating and comparison to other TV shows etc. I was happy to find a book about the show that was not just fluff and recycling details and/or gossip about the show and the actors that I would already have heard/read in the past being a fan of the show. That being said the portions of this book that I have made it through was so dense that it took the "fun" aspect of the remembrance of the show and made it feel like homework reading assignment.

I think that I will try to continue to read the book, as I am interested in where the author is taking the research she has done--If I do I will provide a updated review.

Friends: A Cultural History dives into the history the television cultural phenomenon, Friends. A longtime fan of Friends, I’m always anxious to dive into anything series-related.

Unlike other Friends books and articles, Dunn’s book focused not only on the fun facts and revisiting of the series, but also what the series meant in a popular culture contribution to 90’s through modern society. Discussion of the making of “the friend zone” and other trademarks that forever changed culture. She also discusses areas where the series (thankfully) is now dated—such as references to a brief he/she humor that no longer holds up. Dunn challenges readers to take a deeper look at the series and the relationship between characters and forces the reader into looking at the series in new ways. Was Ross as smart as he thought he was? Did Rachel belong with Ross? Or Joey? Perhaps Phoebe was smarter and more manipulative than initially thought. I’m not sure I’ll see the series in the same way after reading this book. I also can’t wait to watch the series again!

I recommend this book, and readers should remember that this book is more than just an entertaining retelling of the story—it will challenge how you see the series. Pop culture fans should enjoy this one!

I enjoyed the start of this book. I liked the balance of the praise and criticism. At the end when it started getting into memes and top episodes then it got too be too much of a fan praise. I would rather have read more about the series. It did cause me to look at the series with a different lens. I found that it was a bit repetitive in parts where it kept referencing the same scenes and issues.

Full disclosure: I am obsessed with Friends. The TV show is what I like to refer to as my "comfort blanket". Had a good day? Celebrate with an episode of Friends. Bad day? Commiserate with Friends. It's always my go-to show regardless of what's happening in my life. I take a lot of comfort just knowing it's on the television as background noise.
As a bookworm, then, it only makes sense that my second favorite thing to do other than watching Friends is reading about Friends. This book was exactly what I wanted. It's a deep-dive into the many talking-points surrounding Friends, exploring timely issues like sexuality and relationships, the politics and culture of the 90s and early 2000s. I'll look back on my beloved Friends with newfound fascination after reading the book. A must-read for every Friends fan.

2 stars
I LOVE Friends, but this books a little too bland for me. It was like reading a Wikipedia article. Thought Iwould be getting more inside than I did.

I am a huge fan of the Friends tv show. However, I think I need to stop reading books about it. They always disappoint. This one had a lot of great information, but I felt like the author kept stating the obvious. She would refer to an episode and then explain exactly what was was meant to be told (Fat Monica means that they are saying that weight plays a role and the show portrays them negatively, meaning that fat people are supposed to be the butt of the joke). This one was a miss for me. I could see it being taught in a college class or something similar.