Friends has not aged well and even the people who swear by the show’s cult popularity have to agree that the series was quite problematic and set some unsettling precedence for sitcom culture. But there are some details that are quite dated, be it in character design, narrative tropes, or even in the set detailing.
Let’s take Central Perk, for instance, the cafe at the heart of the show is terribly ill-designed and clumsily planned, something that would never be finalized by set designers today. The career arcs of some of the characters and some fashion choices also wouldn't be part of the show if Friends was made today. Just look at the many issues in season one for example...
Rachel's’ Wedding Dress
The one thing that absolutely wouldn’t have looked the same if Friends was made in 2020 is that disaster of a wedding dress that Rachel wore in the pilot. The look was a bizarre choice for a ‘90s wedding because it looked like something a character in a B-grade ‘80s sitcom would wear as a joke.
Costume designer Debra McGuire revealed during an interview that Rachel’s wedding dress came from the Warner bros stockroom and she originally chose it to show off Jennifer Aniston’s shoulders. “Let me just tell you something: Jennifer’s body is a work of art, so anything you can do to show it off is always a really good idea. She has the most beautiful shoulders — the most beautiful everything, really,” she said. In 2020, an upper-class millennial would probably wear something sleeker and more Instagrammable.
Suicide Jokes
Friends has been deemed as problematic for many reasons, be it the homophobia or the casual sexism. But the one thing almost no one talks about is how it trivializes suicide, trauma, and mental health. In the pilot episode itself, Phoebe’s mum’s suicide is treated as a punchline for a joke.
There are ways to explore the subject of suicide in the realm of comedy and many sitcoms have handled it sensitively. But in season 1, Friends pokes fun at Phoebe's difficult childhood and actually uses it to explain her quirkiness. Something like that would never be approved today.
That Whole ATM Vestibule Thing With Chandler
When Chandler gets stuck in an ATM Vestibule with model Jill Goodacre during a power blackout, he can’t hide his excitement and calls up his friends to tell them about it. But since there’s no texting, he has to mumble because Jill is right in front of him.
If Friends was made now, or even in the mid-2000s, Chandler would have texted or 'WhatsApp-d' the gang to let them know that he was stuck in an ATM with a supermodel. They would have suggested some not-so-awkward-ice-breakers, which would have been better than Chandler’s ‘gum is perfection.’
Chandler’s Bowling Shirts
Friends brought about some major fashion movements but in season 1, the cast was struggling hard to find their style niche. Chandler, for instance, felt pretty strongly about bowling shirts as he would be seen wearing them constantly.
But Chandler was in his mid 20s when the show began so in 2020, he would be a millennial. Today's 20-year-olds would only wear a bowling shirt ironically. However, Chandler ditches the bowling shirt post-season 3.
Rachel’s Employment At Central Perk
An independent cafe at the heart of Manhattan would never hire a totally inexperienced waitress, especially since they have limited staff. Rachel is not just a novice but she doesn’t even have basic experience in handling a coffee machine or making toast, which even regular people are equipped with.
Today, when sitcoms have to be passed through several writer’s rooms, this would have never been greenlit, simply because it’s quite unbelievable. Rachel was kept on as part of the staff even after she made some glaring errors and was clearly a really, really bad waitress.
Phoebe’s Performances At Central Perk
Central Perk let Phoebe play at their joint because she sang for free, but no cafe or diner would let a really bad singer drive customers away. Central Perk did bring in a paid singer eventually but Phoebe was a regular at their gigs which is very confusing. Central Perk was a live music cafe, where they had some provisions for open mic performances.
And there are several artists across New York who are willing to perform for exposure, so why would they let Phoebe take the limelight all the time? This plot device would have to be backed up with an explanation if Friends was made today.
Paul’s Lie Would Be Caught
Thanks to social media, Friends would be a very different show if it were made in 2020. Joey would probably have spent the majority on Tinder and Chandler would probably have a verified Twitter account, thanks to his hilarious wit.
But most importantly, the love lives of the main lead would be a lot less messy. In the pilot episode, for instance, Paul tells Monica he hasn’t been with anyone since his divorce, which turned out to be a lie. Today, Monica could check his Instagram or Facebook to check if he had hung out with other women, even before she went out on a date with him.
That Apartment
Pop culture has given us some major unrealistic real estate standards, starting from Carrie Bradshaw’s plush Manhattan apartment in Sex and the City to the spacious home in The Big Bang Theory. But Monica and Rachel’s apartment would be the first thing to be re-designed if Friends gets a reboot.
There’s no way a 20-something would have been able to sublet a West Village apartment like that, even if it’s rent-controlled. The apartment would probably be half the size if the show was made today.
The Seating Arrangement At Central Perk
Though Central Perk fine-tuned its set-up over the years, in the first season the cafe was a disaster. It was like it was almost designed to drive people away. Not only was there a lot of space misused, but the planning was also really cluttered and haywire.
There were lots of mini tables around the main one, which had magazines and old newspapers sprawled over them. It had Persian rugs which did not fit the uptown vibe of the cafe at all, and of course, the big orange couch which was positioned at the center for the convenience of the visual story-telling. Any real-life cafe could fit in several tables in that space. Today, these finer details would be a lot better planned
Chandler’s Ghosting Ordeal
Ghosting is such a common part of the dating culture that most people have made their peace with it. Despite its flaws, it’s an efficient and non-confrontational way of ending things. But in the mid-nineties, when Friends premiered its first season, most people would make do with phone calls.
Chandler becomes obsessed with a woman who wouldn’t return his calls after a date. Though it turns out that there was a mix-up and she originally did mean to call him back, not many people would spend days fretting over this.