Why 20-somethings want to stream a 20-year-old sitcom about a bunch of 20-somethings in a coffee shop.
This article was originally published in the March 21, 2016 issue ofNew YorkMagazine.
Its being republished today forthe 25th anniversary ofFriends.
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Do you, like, watch Netflix?
Then he asked the teenagers if they watch Netflix.
They said, enthusiastically, Yes.
So he asked them what they like to watch on Netflix.
They said, enthusiastically,Friends.
You rememberFriends,right?
Chandler, Monica, Joey, Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, and, fleetingly, that monkey?
We were on a break?
If you were alive and sentient in the 1990s, you already understand this.
But whileFriendsinarguably excavated the Zeitgeist, it was a very different geist, in a very different Zeit.
(Not to mention the absence of any primary characters on the show who arent straight or white.)
Im sitting on the couch.The actual couch.
came the first, quickest answer.
Friends, came the second.
Another woman from the back called out Friends!
before someone finally said Harry Potter.
Later, I asked the guide if that was a typical reaction.
Im not going to lie, he said.
Friendsis definitely the biggest attraction.
Now the authentic Central Perk sits on its own special replica soundstage, waiting for your visit.
(There have also been replica Central Perks in Beijing, Sydney, and Liverpool.)
Oh, yes, he said.
YetFriendspopularity seems to be on the rise.
(The best industry guess put the price at roughly $118 million.)
The social chatter was huge, says Erin Dwyer, a Netflix spokesperson.
It blows my mind, she says.
Not only that people are still watching but that people still connect to it.
Kayla and Krystie Yandoliare sisters who are currently 23 and 26.
Now Krystie is astaff writer,and Kayla an intern, at BuzzFeed.
Both of them write aboutFriends,a lot.
(Spoiler: Probably not that well, unless you remember the name of Rachels childhood dog.
It is LaPooh.)
Your first job wont be your dream job … 72.
Your friends are the family you choose for yourself.)
Its relatable to so many people.
Its almost like they made a viral show.
I watch shows likeGirlsand it feels like the raw reality of life, says Kayla.
Friendsis like the sitcom version of life.
1 choice was notThe Mary Tyler Moore Show(No.
19),The Sopranos(No.
6), or even Seinfeld(No.
5): It wasFriends.
Im 27 years old now, she wrote to me in an email.
This connection has never changed.
For a long time, she would fall asleep to DVDs of the show.
Youre gonna love it.
They explain that theyve adopted the line as a kind of generational motto.
Which the line was intended to be, sort of, except for a different generation.
Like more than a few people I talked to, he describes habitually falling asleep to the show.
If you think about it, back then there was little conflict.
You could smoke on airplanes, you could smoke in restaurants.
Bill Clinton was in the White House.
He was the best president of all time!
Post-9/11, the show became more popular, says Kauffman.
And I think part of the reason is because it was optimistic.
And certainly, with whats going on politically right now, this can feel like a darker time.
Im a real person who needs to pay bills, she says.
The thing the show did the most for me is shape these ideas about friendship.
So much has changed, but that simple idea of friendship thats enough.
And I kept watching.
And eventually I hadthe conversation.
(I was Chandler.)
In 2016, we tweet.
We swipe right.Friends,of course, reflects none of this.
Part of the appeal is wish-fulfillment, says Kauffman of the shows continued appeal to younger viewers.
They crave intimacy, and intimate relationships.
Theyre looking at screens all the time.
The world ofFriendsis recognizable, yet devoid of todays most ardent anxieties.
Where nowadays well catch up really quickly, but everyones always on their phones.
Back then, its more of a person-to-person relationship, instead of through technology.
I asked Elizabeth Entenman, a 27-year-oldFriendsfanatic, if you could make a version ofFriendsabout the 20-somethings of today.
No, she said, because you wouldnt find six people doing nothing in the same room.
Or if they were, theyd all be on their phones, seeing what else is out there.
Theres no escapism to be had there.
Paulina McGowan, who is 21, was born in 1994, the yearFriendsdebuted.
It just seemed really fun.
Eventually, we all grow up and move out of range of our mommas voices.
*This article was originally published in the March 21, 2016 issue of New York Magazine.
