The heart of the most successful sitcoms beats to the rhythm of a group of buddies helping each other navigate life. From Lucy and Ethel’s madcap adventures on “I Love Lucy” to the off-the-wall antics of the characters on “Seinfeld,” it’s all about camaraderie.
In 1994, the first show to put the premise in the title was “Friends,” which became an iconic success. A short 11 years later “How I Met Your Mother” (HIMYM) continued the theme of young adults dealing with the challenges of love, relationships, careers and all the associated trappings and trimmings. Although the two shows have conspicuous similarities, they each have unique scenarios and characters that reflect modern living.
Venue
The “Friends” cast hung out in Central Park, a trendy neighborhood coffee shop, and the HIMYM crew regularly meets at a local bar. Yeah, it’s a little cliché, but brutally realistic. People wouldn’t buy these characters hanging out at the library. Adding the caffeine and liquor elements gives the characters a good excuse for occasionally radical behavior.
Home Fronts
Although illogical and nearly impossible, all the characters on “Friends” lived in the same building, which is a laughable scenario, especially in New York City. On HIMYM, everyone lives in the same neighborhood, another unlikely situation in a major city. And although many of the characters have relatively high-paying jobs, all their homes are decorated in shabby-chic styles that make it look like no one has ever been able to afford a new sofa or rug for years.
Age
The characters on both shows are roughly the same age, which may appear a bit convenient, but it’s true. If you look at your peer group; it’s unlikely it includes a lot of generational overlapping unless your mom or dad lives with you or you mistakenly had children while still in high school.
Jobs/Careers
One of the most realistic aspects of both shows is the job/career conflicts. One of the unrealistic, but funniest, features is how little time anyone actually spends at work. Ross was the only one of the “Friends” with a steady, boring job as an anthropologist, and Ted has a similar, button-down career as an architect. Rachel of “Friends” and Robin on HIMYM are both misfits, seeking fame at any cost, be it as a fashionista or an anchor on an obscure midnight TV news program. The rest of the characters on both shows do their jobs, often begrudgingly, albeit they appear to be either part-time or jobs with flexible schedules and bosses who don’t mind beer or coffee breath.
Catch Phrases
There has to be a catch phrase that is so pervasive it is virtually symbolic with the show. With “Friends” it was Joey’s vapid, “How you doin’?,” Rachel’s naïve gasps of, “Noooo!,” and Monica’s enthusiastic, “I know!” No one can say the ubiquitous comment, “Awesome!” without thinking of Barney on HIMYM, whose other famously repeated comment, “Wait for it,” brings the action in a room to a halt as everyone anticipates his next superficial observatory comment.
Idiosyncrasies
Perfect mirroring of real people is most prevalent in the quirks so cleverly written into characters on both shows. Monica’s OCD cleaning habits, Joey’s penchant for sandwiches, and Phoebe’s belief that aromatherapy could cure the ills of the world all made “Friends” highly relatable. On HIMYM, the relentless ribbing of Robin’s Canadian heritage and her teen pop singer gig, Barney’s obsession with fiery magic tricks, Lily’s erotic dreams about women, and Marshall’s fascination with Sasquatch all mirror the stranger parts of most real people’s friends’ personalities.
Caricatures
Nothing makes for lasting hilarity like turning characters into human caricatures. While these often only become apparent in real life after imbibing in mind-altering substances such as alcohol and herbs, they are constant in the characters on “Friends” and HIMYM. Joey and Barney are quintessential womanizers, who keep getting lucky, despite their local reputations for one-night-stands. Ross is the poster boy for nerdy academic types and Marshall is frustrated by the corporate greed of his supposedly eco-friendly law firm. Phoebe always seemed a little stoned, which made her write and sing songs with themes such as smelly cats, and Rachel epitomized the friend who can never just cook a pot roast for dinner but felt compelled to showcase her supposed culinary talents with dishes like (meat) trifle.
No matter which show you like best, the appeal lies in seeing a bit of yourself, your family, and your friends in the exaggerated characters and loving them despite their shortcomings. Critics of these shows who cite their un-believability must not have the same siblings, parents, and friends most of us are surrounded by whose eccentricities enrich our lives and endear them to us, even when their neuroses wake us in the middle of the night with a phone call pleading for mental, monetary, or physical support.
Tyler is a TV addict and enjoys writing about it at CableTV.com
