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Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this series' subject matter is often mature. Episodes have dealt with divorce, single parenthood, infertility, and more. Topics are treated sensitively but with the irreverence befitting a sitcom. Premarital sex is depicted as the norm for dating relationships.

Families can discuss whether or not the characters make good decisions. Do their lives seem realistic? How do their friendships compare to teens' relationships with their own friends?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Betsy Wallace

After ten seasons and more than 60 Emmy nominations, FRIENDS remains one of the most popular shows on television, thanks to DVD releases and syndication.

Over the years, as the series battled competition on Thursday night (mainly from Survivor), episodes became more dramatic and less situational, wisely capitalizing on viewers' decade-long relationship with the characters. The core sextet consists of neat-freak chef Monica (Courteney Cox); her thrice-divorced brother, Ross (David Schwimmer); sarcastic quipster Chandler (Matthew Perry); batty singer/massage therapist Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow); aspiring actor Joey (Matt LeBlanc); and former suburban princess Rachel (Jennifer Aniston).

With episodes airing in syndication several times a day, Friends is likely to find its way into most families' homes. Since the show's debut in 1994, the six main characters have grown from their twenties to thirties, taking on careers and a bit more responsibility. But in most ways, the friends remain slaves to their idiosyncrasies and compulsions rather than display more maturity. Too many jokes that lampoon personality traits such as Joey's libido or Chandler's wimpiness (he's sometimes made fun of for seeming gay) are one of the series' weaknesses.

Meanwhile, juicy plot developments (friend hook-ups, unexpected pregnancies, and more) are obviously thrown in to boost ratings and sometimes seem borrowed from soap operas. Still, the writing is often intelligent, and the acting is skillful. Long-time fans are often rewarded with jokes that reference past episodes and personality quirks; familiarity makes this show all the funnier.

With Friends, there are trade-offs for families to consider. The comedy may be inappropriate for kids, and yet the storytelling can be more original and thought-provoking than in sitcoms geared specifically to youths. Characters' contradictions and mistakes make them questionable role models but also account for why so many viewers relate to them. The friends frequently talk through their problems openly and honestly with one another, which could be viewed as a model for communication within families.

Fans might also enjoy spin-off Joey and How I Met Your Mother.

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Content
		CS	adults	kids
Sexual Content Sexual innuendo and jokes. Discussion of adult relationships. Nothing explicit on screen, though characters are sometimes shown in bed together.
Violence A humorous pratfall or slug here and there.
Language Occasional expletives or name-calling on the level of "damn" and "bitch."
Message
	Social Behavior Very little diversity; all of the main characters are white. Friends accept each other's flaws. Pervasive sarcasm and ribbing. Clever verbal and physical comedy.
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Characters have acted irresponsibly while intoxicated. Infrequent smoking.

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