Friends

Friends is still the nation’s favourite show

It may have been 14 years since there was a new episode of Friends (how has that happened?!), but we are still. Officially. Obsessed. And it’s not just us. The show remains the most watched programme on subscription streaming services in the UK. That’s partly down to folks like us, revisiting old faves, but the show has also found new generations of fans. In fact, a survey of British children aged nine to 16 found that Friends was their favourite show, even though most of them were born after the last series was aired!

But why is it still so popular?

The haircuts, phones and frankly some of the jokes (Chandler’s relationship with his trans dad hasn’t aged well) can seem pretty old-fashioned, but somehow, we still can’t get enough of the gang, and here’s why…

1)     It’s genuinely LOL funny

All the characters get us chuckling, from Phoebe’s wonderfully weird take on the world (“something is wrong with the left phalange”) to Joey’s dumb but loveable man gags (“here come the meat sweats” and of course the legendary “how you doin?”). But the king of the one-liner and he of the most LOLs is of course, Chandler Bing (“I’m not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?”).

2)     You really care about the characters

Despite their flaws, they’re all very human and very likeable. The writers did a great job building backstory through flashbacks and interactions with family, so they feel like old friends, and with the ‘will they, won’t they?’ romantic involvement between several of the characters it’s difficult not to be seriously invested as a viewer.

3)     The cameos are great

Brad. Freaking. Pitt. Need we say more? Oh ok, so there’s also the ones with Reese Witherspoon, Robin Williams, Winona Ryder, Bruce Willis, Susan Sarandon…we could go on.

4)     It creates a feeling

We think this is actually the biggest secret to the show’s success. It portrays a world in which everybody’s having fun, friendships are strong, and nobody seems to worry about money too much. This is how life should be and it leaves us feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

We’re celebrating the ongoing success of our favourite sitcom by stocking some of the finest Friends merch on the market. Check out our ‘You’re My Lobster’ Mugs, Notebooks and Water Bottles, Central Perk Capuccino Mugs, Makeup Bags and Slippers and our ‘How you Doin?’ Mugs that’ll have you channelling your inner Joey.