Friends is often still viewed by many as the greatest sitcom of all-time, and it's really hard to argue with that distinction on any level. From the characters to the jokes to the storylines and beyond, there wasn't, and still isn't, a whole lot to dislike about the show.
However, it does need to be said that the final season wasn't quite the masterpiece we were hoping it would be. Some issues can be put down to the show themselves, but, for the most part, it's just a case of things fizzling out in addition to the trauma associated with having to say goodbye.
Quick Ending To Joey & Rachel
Joey and Rachel always hinted at the idea of getting together, especially in the eighth and ninth season. As a result, when they started seeing each other at the start of Season 10, it felt like this was going to be the big story of the final season with Ross attempting to win Rachel’s affection.
Alas, even if that wasn’t going to be how it went down, we would’ve preferred to see them stick it out beyond the first two episodes of the season. It’s like the writers just did it so that they could make the fans happy.
The French Lessons
Joey attempted to learn French with Phoebe and the whole thing just wasn’t as funny as it sounds like it should’ve been. Joey looked ridiculous, Phoebe didn’t come across well, and it was the sort of slapstick comedy that we just don’t really appreciate or even really admire in this current era of comedy.
Sure, it allowed these two to have another storyline in the final season after years of having such a great friendship, but it didn’t really do them any favors in the long run—but by that point, the writers probably didn’t care about that.
Twins Storyline
We understand that it was fun to see Monica and Chandler have two babies instead of one, but it all felt a little bit thrown together. Then, the reasoning behind it with Erica not realizing for nine months that the doctors were trying to tell her she was having twins just comes across as being a tiny bit insane.
Just having one child seemingly would’ve been perfectly fine, but no, they just had to go for it and throw us a curveball one last time. Maybe we’re reading too much into it, but still.
Charlie’s Heel Turn
Charlie and Ross’ relationship was actually really fun to watch unfold, to the point where some questioned whether or not this was the girl Ross should end up with.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Charlie decided to get back together with her ex-boyfriend right in front of Ross. To this day it’s one of the most baffling decisions we think the writers have made, and it was a mistake to write her out of the show like that. Now, we can’t watch her scenes back without thinking about where it’ll eventually lead.
The Uncertain Future
Nobody knew what the future for the franchise of Friends was going to be and while you could certainly argue it wasn’t a franchise at all, the legacy that the show has left behind begs to differ. In the end, we got Joey which was a really entertaining spin-off show in more ways than one, but that wasn’t even really the point.
The point was that everyone wanted to see more of these characters in some way, shape or form, and we just couldn’t get any confirmation as to whether or not it was going to happen.
Estelle’s Death
Estelle was Joey’s agent and you’d think that a relationship of that magnitude would be treated with a little bit more dignity. Alas, Friends fell into the classic sitcom trap of making light of a fictional death. We understand why and there were certainly a few moments of joy littered throughout the episode in question, but the funeral scene at the end really did sum up how little they seemed to think of Estelle.
We just would’ve preferred to see her character get fleshed out a little bit more because the potential was certainly there.
Shorter Season
With just 17 (or 18 depending on how you view it) episodes in comparison to the 24 or 25 that we saw in the first nine seasons, everyone just felt a little bit underwhelmed by the distinct lack of content in the season compared to how the series had unfolded in the decade prior.
There were probably more than just a few reasons as to why this came to fruition, but we aren’t going to pretend like we were massive fans of it—because we all wanted to hang onto these characters for as long as we possibly could. Within reason, obviously.
The Ageing Process
Everyone gets older because that is quite literally just part of life, but in the end, it was somewhat difficult to see these characters go from being youthful kids to fully grown adults—many of whom had shown a clear difference in regards to the actual aging process.
Again, we know there’s nothing we can do about it, but that doesn’t stop fans from being upset about how much these characters (and the actors portraying them) have changed. It’s one of the main reasons why we don’t want to see a reunion.
Dumbing Down Joey
Joey Tribbiani was always a silly character and we can understand that, but even though he had matured greatly over the course of the first nine seasons, they still felt the need to make a bit of a mockery out of the guy and we just aren’t on board with that.
Perhaps the man himself had some sort of input on the whole thing, but we just didn’t enjoy it. He just came across as an idiot and while he was loveable in the process, he didn’t have the same sort of charm as before.
That It’s The End
It was the end of an era and it was the final unique episode of Friends we would ever see. Over 50 million watched live as they left their keys on the table in the apartment before setting sail and carrying on with their own lives which went in a series of different directions.
There was a whole lot to admire about the end of the show, but the fact that it was the definitive moment that it all came to an end just feels a bit sad even to this day.