wearetheborg

Chandler was 80% of the show for me (10% Monica, and the others the remaining 10%). Without Chandler, the show would not have gotten into my psyche, and would have been just another forgettable show. Perry's portrayal made the show "real" to me, especially his work in the first 6 seasons. So his death hits hard. Similarly, Kurtwood Smith's loss is going to hit me hard, but Perry was much younger so perhaps not as much.

I saw an article today where one of the guest stars mentioned Chandler was supposed to cheat on Monica, but Perry insisted the writers change it at the last minute as the audience would never forgive Chandler for that - very true.

I've been binging Friends the last few days. Still very enjoyable, but after an episode, there is sadness.

Gunther is dead. Christina Applegate who guest starred has health issues. We are all getting old, and our bodies are breaking down. Perry's death is a stark reminder.

Perry's voice in the interviews he gave last year appear lispy/slurred. Was that the result of surgery?

windom

As I mentioned, I never watched Friends but wasn't there a monkey on the show? What's up with that? Is the monkey still alive?

PhantomStranger

Grammer is paying out through the nose to his ex-wives, which is why he keeps working.

AaronHernandez

I would be shocked if KG was getting close to what Friends cast are in 2023,Friends is running on a loop on TBS and Nick @ Nite,and is still Syndicated In most markets. Frasier is airring on Cozi TV and less lurrative cable channels

Gunde

Ah, not exactly. Yes we all get old, but that's not what caused Perry's death.

wearetheborg

I have a huge crush on young Matthew

Meathead

Yes, Marcel the Monkey. Was Ross's monkey in the 2nd half of the 1st season. Ross let him go at the end of the season to the San Diego Zoo.

The real monkey was named Katie and, at least as of 2019, was still around.

https://www.nickiswift.com/175776/wh...-from-friends/

movieguru

It says he's making $13 million a year from residuals from Frasier. Doesn't mention if he makes any from Cheers. Not quite as high as the $20 million the Friends cast is making, but easily enough to live off of even if he only made one third of what he actually gets.

John Galt

I rewatched 90210 during 2020 and it was tough to watch knowing how old these "teenagers" were now; one had died and another has terminal cancer and it seemed like only yesterday I was a young teenager myself watching the show as it aired.


I was never a huge Friends fan. I'd catch it when I had a Thursday night free, but I never made sure to be parked in front of the TV every night it was airing. I watched the whole series once it got released on DVD and found it enjoyable (and finally understood some of the jokes girls make about the series) but had no intention of doing a rewatch. Then I started dating my wife and she watches at least one episode every night as she goes to sleep, so I've probably seen the whole series another 2-3x now. It's obviously dated in certain areas but is a pretty accurate depiction of that time period, but still holds up well. There's a lot of humor that wouldn't pass today, which I find enjoyable, and also reminds me of how life was during that time. I'm not surprised that it has such a strong following with people who lived through this era, but it is a little surprising how popular it is with people who weren't even alive when it was airing.

TomOpus

devilshalo

Many foreigners use the show to learn English.

wearetheborg

The jokes are funny, and not particular to that time period.
There are a few things that are dated, like phones and tapes, but apart from that, the show is still enjoyable today.
I don't rewatch it because of nostalgia, but because I find it funny.

Inhumans99

devilshalo, I was one of those odd ducks who watched a lot of tv back in the day but was not one of those folks who watched the super popular shows like Seinfeld and Friends while they were airing (I am 52, so could have watched when they first aired). I never did jump into Seinfeld, but shows like Friends, Parks and Rec, and Community became easy to catch up on long-running series on Netflix a few years back.

It also helps that they are half hour shows because every time I try to catch up on a show I have always wanted to give a try and start things up the 1 hour (okay, 45-47 minute run-time) length makes it crazy easy for me to just drift away from catching up. Truthfully, my desire to catch up on many missed seasons of Grey's Anatomy is not hindered just because Grey's Anatomy has been on for a million seasons (19 seasons have aired, eek!!!), but that it is quite the investment to watch full 22 season episodes of an hour long show.

They say that a lot of TV viewers watch on their phone/tablet in these modern times, and a show like Friends is shockingly easy to watch on a phone/tablet, because the viewer is only investing, at most, 22-23 minutes of their time per episode.

DJariya

https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/mat...ne-1235772053/

Decker

Drowning is a pretty fucking strong contributing factor!

Goldberg74

I’m almost done reading his autobiography Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing and this was just something waiting to happen. Such a sad and tragic event in the life of a man suffering from addiction who could help everyone else but himself.

philo

I wonder if the family will sue over this. The NYT autopsy article mentions he was receiving ketamine treatment from a doctor but his last appointment was a week and a half prior so he must have taken it at home. This ketamine treatment isn't FDA approved. A doctor giving an addict an addictive substance? No surprise he got hooked.