Is there anything more popular than the TV show Friends? Well, by the ratings it was the most watched series of only its 2001 to 2002 season. It had the fifth most watched finale of any TV show (the ever depressing M*A*S*H is number one). So, sure, there are more popular things in the world of pop culture. But it is very popular still, making tons of money for its current owners and stars (there wasn’t a bidding war to stream M*A*S*H). And it’s a show I’ve watched completely, more than once.
As all things must, Friends has aged and will continue to, but the themes of Friends are universal and light. Like Shakespeare, I think it could still be relatable and entertaining in 500 years. And Friends has shaped our culture and language: “How you doing?” “We were on a break!” “He’s her lobster.”
Okay, you might not know those or you might say that lots of media does that. But it is the whole package – adults in their twenties, on their own, experiencing life, love, and relationships, six people who fit different archetypes and we can each identify with at different times – that makes Friends a classic.
Or could do. Time will tell. But I’m writing about the far future and I get to choose! I need some familiar references for the reader of today and why not glom off one of the most familiar? What I’d really like to choose, if I could pull it off, are references to the TV show Community. Another I’ve watched more than once. It’s so much richer and funnier than Friends. But could it be the favorite of my protagonist in the far future? What would that say about him or her? (Let’s go with ‘her’.) What would it say about the world she lives in?
It might say she’s peculiar. Community is a bit niche now, certainly not as broad an appeal as Friends. And the pop culture references will age Community much faster than Friends. Whole episodes hinge on the viewer’s understanding of things like Nick Cage’s acting career and knowledge of other televison shows and tropes. The themes are often more complex and in their delivery don’t feel as universal as Friends. Due to its relative obscurity, Community hasn’t had the same influence on the wider culture. It’s Chaucer to Friend’s Shakespeare – less accessible, the language more obscure, the characters more of their own time and place, less archetypal. Anyone from the future deep-diving Community would probably need to have a deeper knowledge of our times and culture. Referencing Community would say a lot of things about my protagonist, and probably not the right things for the story.
I could always make up a reason to avoid saying these things about her. She could find all of the episodes on a file after an apocalypse. She could have been researching something specific from the era and run across Community. That works if the lessons or characters from Community are used as touchstones throughout the story.
But I’m thinking more general, just need a few references that will be near-universal. “Did my heart love till now?” “You were gonna drink the fat!” Have to go with Friends. (Unless I find a way to pull off both…)
Of course, I wanted to talk about these two because I like them and have watched them far too often. Are there better TV classics to examine in the same vein? Maybe Lucy vs. Cheers? Let me know what you think!
Arthur P. Dutton 