I'm a simple person: as a fan for over 20 years, I see a book about Friends, I read the book about Friends.

Ultimately, it didn't do much for me in terms of anything new, because it was all information from previously published books, articles, episode commentary, etc. I also did not need all the episode summaries...because I've seen the episodes. I did very much enjoy the tidbits sprinkled throughout regarding other sitcoms; after all, the subtitle does reference others. I learned new facts about other shows that I love (that unfortunately don't have books written about them...yet) so that was fun. I'm also a nerd for connections between actors, writers, showrunners and the like and how they've contributed to the genre over time in various ways.

If you're a newer fan of Friends or haven't read any other books about the show, this is a fine place to start.

No one told them life was going to be this way.
It's now been thirty years since Friends first took up residence on the comfy coffee shop sofa of US sitcom history. Twenty years on from when it ended, it still continues to thrive and is often watched today by Generation Z-ers (I.e. anyone currently between the ages of twelve and twenty-seven). Some of these viewers are perhaps nostalgic for a golden age they are too young to remember, a now magical era before social media existed. Although its not mentioned in this book, the recent apocalyptic film, Leave The World Behind ends with one teenaged character endlessly indulging herself in old episodes of the comedy as she sits in a nuclear bunker..
In truth, the main reason for Friends' enduring appeal is simply that it remains so watchable. The cast is attractive: Joey is thick ("if homo-sapiens were HOMO sapiens... is that why they're extinct?"), Chandler is funny ("“I can handle this. “Handle” is my middle name. Actually, “handle” is the middle of my first name.”), Phoebe is kooky ("Snowman, snowman, with eyes so bewitchin', How was I to know Mom was dead in the kitchen?"), Monica is bossy, Rachel is er...haircutty and Ross is pedantic and destructively jealous. Everyone wins.
It's true, as this book points out, that some bits have aged less well than others: e.g. Monica in a fat suit ("The camera adds ten pounds! "So how many cameras were actually on you?"), Chandler's Dad being played by Kathleen Turner, the tormenting of Ross over his lesbian wife and the general lack of ethnic diversity amongst the cast are some of the things that have been criticised since. But, in truth, Friends is not actually any worse for these things than most US sitcoms of the time, it's just Friends is watched so much still that its noticed more.
One strength of this book is that it doesn't just discuss Friends itself but the other sitcoms of the time. On it's arrival in 1994, Friends shared airspace with the new Cheers spin-off, Frasier, Seinfeld, Roseanne, Ellen and some lesser known to British audiences such as Mad About You. By the time it ended, Frasier was finishing too and the American version of The Office was about to start as Scrubs and Curb Your Enthusiasm also now stalked the Earth. Meanwhile, many other series such as Veronica's Closet, Caroline in the City and the wonderfully zany Third Rock From The Sun came and went in the meantime.
This is a good book anyway for anyone interested in this kind of thing. Fare thee well then, old Friends! As the song (almost) goes: "They'll be there for you." And, in truth, they probably are, right now. If you can just find the right TV channel.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc!

As a huge Friends fan, this was a fun read for me! There are very few TV shows that I enjoy rewatching but this is one of them! Not only have I rewatched the entire series multiple times when it went to streaming, but also rewatched favorite episodes many many times on best of DVDS, and of course on reruns. This made it very easy and enjoyable to understand references throughout the book without having to rewatch anything. It was very interesting to learn why the NBC network made different decisions as well as the writers. It was also interesting to learn about how these decisions played out within the time period of 1994-2004, as well as within the landscape of other TV shows at the time. At times, the book went into a bit too much detail about other shows and networks, sometimes interesting and sometimes not. This resulted in 4 star rating instead of 5.

‘It’s so distinctly a part of modern culture that just the sight of an orange sofa, of purple walls and a yellow picture frame, of reclining chairs and a stuffed penguin toy, bring up memories of this television giant.’

Friends is my number one show to watch! If I’m sad, depressed, unwell, or going through something scary, I will ALWAYS return to friends.

Loved this and it is the perfect read for any Friends fan.

‘A whole new golden age of television awaits, but there will never be another friends.’

Friends and the Golden Age of the Sitcom by Joanna Hagan is essential reading for every fan of this staple of 'must watch' TV. Few, if any, other shows have had such an enduring impact on pop culture since the inception of the television sitcom.

In these pages, the author takes a deep dive into the history of the beloved sitcom Friends from its very beginning through ten unprecedented years at the top of the ratings. Comparing and contrasting the phenomenal success of the show with its network contemporaries and rivals such as Seinfeld and Frasier during the golden age of television is a fascinating study. I was surprised to learn of some of the lesser known behind the scenes details of these shows that are so familiar.

This book is simply a must read for anyone who is even casually interested in an enduring age of television that has, inarguably, woven its way into the very fabric of our lives.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for an ARC.

Thank you, Pen & Sword, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished Friends And The Golden Age Of The Sitcom, by Joanna Hagan.

This was a very good look at Friends and it’s ten-season run on TV. The book covered so much good material and will be enjoyed by any Friends fan. To a lesser extent, the book also discussed other shows during that era, which also made good reading.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

Mr. Book originally finished reading this on August 2, 2024.