{"id":17974,"date":"2019-09-20T01:28:18","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T01:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=17974"},"modified":"2019-09-21T02:22:45","modified_gmt":"2019-09-21T02:22:45","slug":"4-reasons-why-well-never-see-another-show-like-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/4-reasons-why-well-never-see-another-show-like-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"4 reasons why we&#8217;ll never see another show like &#8216;Friends&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/martie-cook-828163\">Martie Cook<\/a>, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/emerson-college-3140\">Emerson College<\/a><\/em> and <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/manuel-basanese-829172\">Manuel Basanese<\/a>, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/emerson-college-3140\">Emerson College<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>On Sept. 22, 1994, six telegenic 20-somethings frolicked in a fountain in front of credits that announced the arrival of \u201cFriends,\u201d a new NBC sitcom that would forever change television.<\/p>\n<p>As sitcom scribes scrambling to land on writing staffs during the mid-1990s, we witnessed \u2013 with awe and a bit of envy \u2013 how \u201cFriends\u201d instantly became a red-hot comedy commodity. <a href=\"https:\/\/newmusicandmore.tripod.com\/friendsratings.html\">According to Nielsen Ratings<\/a>, it was a top-five most watched program for nine of its 10 seasons.<\/p>\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sLisEEwYZvw?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0\" width=\"440\" height=\"260\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">From the moment Rachel, Monica, Joey, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross beamed into livings rooms, \u2018Friends\u2019 was a hit.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The series was a ratings juggernaut during its network run, but its afterlife in syndication and streaming has been just as remarkable.<\/p>\n<p>Now we\u2019re TV and screenwriting professors in Emerson College\u2019s Comedic Arts Program. And we couldn\u2019t have ever predicted that our current crop of students <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shondaland.com\/live\/a26345588\/friends-jennifer-aniston-netflix-popular-gen-z\/\">would be just as spellbound<\/a> by Ross and Rachel\u2019s romance, Monica\u2019s lovable neuroses and Joey\u2019s passion for sandwiches. Netflix recently paid a whopping <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2018\/12\/netflix-friends-2019-streaming-deal.html\">US$80 million<\/a> for the rights to run the show through 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Networks would love to replicate the series\u2019 success. But the realities of the television landscape today make it unlikely that we\u2019ll ever see another series with as much of a cultural impact as \u201cFriends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here are four reasons why.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Shorter seasons mean less screen time<\/h2>\n<p>The television season was once as certain as death and taxes.<\/p>\n<p>Shows started in September and ran until May. Most had an average order of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2015\/06\/10-episodes-is-the-new-13-was-the-new-22.html\">22 episodes per season<\/a>, with each episode airing once a week. This allowed viewers to make tuning into their favorite show a part of their weekly routine over the course of nine months. From 1994 to 2004, <a href=\"https:\/\/friends.fandom.com\/wiki\/List_of_Friends_\">NBC produced 236 episodes<\/a> of \u201cFriends,\u201d an average of 24 episodes per season.<\/p>\n<p>Today, television seasons <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2015\/06\/10-episodes-is-the-new-13-was-the-new-22.html\">are much shorter<\/a>. While the occasional sitcom still receives that coveted 22-episode order, others get considerably less, and this includes those with a proven track record.<\/p>\n<p>For example, even though \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt2467372\/\">Brooklyn Nine-Nine<\/a>\u201d has won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy, NBC greenlit only <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/brooklyn-nine-nine-season-6-nbc-ratings\/\">13 episodes<\/a> for its upcoming season.<\/p>\n<p>There are a host of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/why-tv-networks-are-ordering-shorter-seasons-2015-6\">reasons for this shift<\/a>, from star actors being less willing to commit to so many episodes to changes in the way syndication works. But shorter seasons mean viewers have less of an opportunity to become deeply invested in the show and its characters.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Fragmented audiences<\/h2>\n<p>Back in 1994, there were only four major broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. A limited number of networks meant only a limited number of programs would air \u2013 making it that much more likely that a popular show would attract a huge swath of Americans.<\/p>\n<p>In 1994 and 1995, <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2017\/tv\/news\/hrts-must-see-tv-1201980583\/\">an average of 75 million people<\/a> tuned into NBC on Thursday nights. NBC rolled out the slogan \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2014\/09\/1994-friends-seinfeld-er-warren-littlefield-transcript.html\">Must See TV<\/a>\u201d to market its Thursday night blockbuster comedy lineup, which, in addition to \u201cFriends,\u201d included heavyweight series such as \u201cMad About You\u201d and \u201cSeinfeld.\u201d To miss out on a hit show meant being out of the loop the next day when everyone was talking about what happened.<\/p>\n<p>But over the past decade, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/fresh-off-the-boat-and-the-rise-of-niche-tv-37451\">cable and streaming have completely upended this model<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Over the first six months of 2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/live-feed\/peak-tv-320-scripted-shows-have-aired-first-2019-1221792\">more than 320 scripted shows<\/a> aired on television networks, cable and streaming platforms.<\/p>\n<p>The massive viewing menu has fragmented audiences. No longer beholden to network schedules, viewers can watch what they want, where they want and when they want.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbs.com\/shows\/big_bang_theory\/\">The Big Bang Theory<\/a>\u201d illustrates this shift.<\/p>\n<p>Like \u201cFriends,\u201d \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d was a hugely popular sitcom on network TV about a group of friends. It ran for 12 years, from 2007 to 2019. Approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2019\/05\/big-bang-theory-series-finale-ratings-jump-1202617069\/\">18 million people watched<\/a> the series finale, which also aired on a Thursday night.<\/p>\n<p>But the \u201cFriends\u201d series finale blew it out of the water: On May 6, 2004, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2004\/05\/08\/arts\/friends-finale-s-audience-is-the-fourth-biggest-ever.html\">more than 52 million people<\/a> tuned in to say goodbye.<\/p>\n<p>In today\u2019s marketplace, getting a show to that level of \u201cMust See TV\u201d status is an almost impossible feat for even the most seasoned producer.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Single-cam snobbery<\/h2>\n<p>Sitcoms are categorized as \u201csingle-cam\u201d or \u201cmulti-cam,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/gideonsway.wordpress.com\/2018\/08\/29\/how-do-single-cam-tv-shows-differ-from-multi-cam-ones\/\">which refers to the style of filming<\/a>. Multi-cam shows such as \u201cFriends\u201d and \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d are typically shot on a sound stage in front of a live studio audience. They\u2019re often enhanced by a laugh track, and the final product resembles a filmed play.<\/p>\n<p>Single-cam shows such as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1723816\/?ref_=nv_sr_7?ref_=nv_sr_7\">Girls<\/a>\u201d and \u201cBrooklyn Nine-Nine\u201d are produced more like films. They\u2019re not limited to a small number of sets and locations.<\/p>\n<p>While live studio audiences can infuse multi-cams with energy and immediacy, single-cam shows tend to have more storytelling flexibility, and they can possess a level of visual intimacy that\u2019s difficult to attain in multi-cams.<\/p>\n<p>In 1995, when \u201cFriends\u201d received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmys.com\/awards\/nominees-winners\/1995\">its first Emmy nomination<\/a> for Best Comedy Series, three of the four other nominees \u2013 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0098904\/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Seinfeld<\/a>,\u201d \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0103484\/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Mad About You<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0106004\/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Frasier<\/a>,\u201d which took the prize \u2013 were multi-cam sitcoms on NBC.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, the list of Best Comedy Series contenders is bigger, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmys.com\/awards\/nominees-winners\/2019\/outstanding-comedy-series\">with seven nominees<\/a>. But each is a single-cam show; there\u2019s not a multi-cam or laugh track in the bunch.<\/p>\n<h2>4. The rise of the \u2018dramedy\u2019 and the anti-hero<\/h2>\n<p>In a way, \u201cFriends\u201d creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, along with their original producing partner, Kevin Bright, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.glamour.com\/story\/exclusive-the-creators-of-frie\">revolutionized<\/a> the sitcom genre.<\/p>\n<p>The new show they were pitching \u2013 originally titled \u201cInsomnia Cafe\u201d \u2013 was still a multi-cam, but it was a very different kind of multi-cam.<\/p>\n<p>The team envisioned a multi-cam that was denser, packed with more storylines and scenes to accommodate a six-lead ensemble. While an episode of an older, more traditional multi-cam like CBS\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0066626\/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1\">All in the Family<\/a>\u201d might make do with six to 10 scenes, two storylines and fewer sets, \u201cFriends\u201d would have at least three storylines and up to twice as many scenes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t want it to feel like anything else on TV,\u201d Crane and Kauffman wrote in their original pitch document. \u201cWe want a fast, quick cutting style. The whole show should have a fast, over-caffeinated feel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFriends\u201d took the genre in a new stylistic direction, and subsequent multi-cams like \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0460649\/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1\">How I Met Your Mother<\/a>\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/www.criticalcommons.org\/Members\/jbutler\/clips\/blending-multiple-camera-and-single-camera\/view\">continued the trend<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But sitcoms were already undergoing an even more dramatic evolution. Whereas most traditional multi-cam sitcoms were expected mainly to deliver big laughs, an emerging spate of single-cam shows started infusing comedy with darker themes and edgier storylines.<\/p>\n<p>Known as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2019\/may\/11\/why-we-fell-in-love-with-dramedies\">dramedies<\/a>,\u201d they became even more popular with the proliferation of streaming platforms. Viewers who have embraced the stark realism of shows like HBO\u2019s \u201cGirls\u201d and Amazon Studio\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt3502262\/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Transparent<\/a>\u201d often find traditional multi-cams hokey.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s been the rise of the sitcom anti-hero, a new kind of lead character who could be flawed and not always likable \u2013 think Larry David in \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0264235\/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Curb Your Enthusiasm<\/a>\u201d or Julia Louis Dreyfus\u2019 Selina Meyer in \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1759761\/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Veep<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Will modern, more jaded viewers who have crossed over to dramedies ever be willing to embrace the glossy, rom-com fluff of a show like \u201cFriends\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>The current TV ecosystem might not be amenable to cultivating another \u201cFriends,\u201d but that shouldn\u2019t detract from its impact on the genre.<\/p>\n<p>It changed the game, raising the bar for all sitcoms to come.<\/p>\n<p>[ <em>You\u2019re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation\u2019s authors and editors.<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us\/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&amp;utm_medium=inline-link&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter-text&amp;utm_content=youresmart\">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter<\/a>. ]<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/123411\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/martie-cook-828163\">Martie Cook<\/a>, Professor of Film and Television Writing\/Creator &amp; Director of BFA in Comedic Arts\/Founding Director, Center for Comedic Arts, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/emerson-college-3140\">Emerson College<\/a><\/em> and <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/manuel-basanese-829172\">Manuel Basanese<\/a>, Assistant Professor Visual Media Arts, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/emerson-college-3140\">Emerson College<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/4-reasons-why-well-never-see-another-show-like-friends-123411\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Martie Cook, Emerson College and Manuel Basanese, Emerson College On Sept. 22, 1994, six telegenic 20-somethings frolicked in a fountain in front of credits that announced the arrival of \u201cFriends,\u201d a new NBC sitcom that would forever change television. As sitcom scribes scrambling to land on writing staffs during the mid-1990s, we witnessed \u2013 with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":17969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[293],"tags":[5032,6911,652,6511,536,4947,6955],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17974"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17974"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17980,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17974\/revisions\/17980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}