Former Friends actress Lisa Kudrow addresses the criticisms made about the show having had an all-white cast. Last year marked the Friends 25th anniversary. Running 10 seasons with 236 episodes, the show followed the lives of a tight-knit group of mid-20s New Yorkers, as well as their everyday lives and relationships. The show starred Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), David Schwimmer (Ross), Courtney Cox (Monica), Matthew Perry (Chandler), and Matt LeBlanc (Joey). Each of these characters and the actors who portrayed them became household names over the course of the show's run, and Friends became a pop culture staple that remains popular today. Its legacy is enduring.
In recent years, especially with Friends becoming available for rewatch on popular streaming services like Netflix, people have been able to revisit the show. Watching the 90s sitcom through the lens of today's ideals and values, there are many who view Friends as not having been progressive enough. Critics cite the all-white main cast, as well as insensitive jokes made at the time that could be considered transphobic, sexist, or racist. The conversation has sparked responses from people on both sides, which even includes former Friends actors such as Schwimmer. During an interview earlier this year, Schwimmer dismissed the critiques and stated, “The truth is also that show was groundbreaking in its time for the way in which it handled so casually sex, protected sex, gay marriage and relationships." The show also tackled topics such as suicide and workplace harassment, both issues that weren't addressed on any meaningful level by most shows at the time.
While speaking to The Times about the "all-white cast" criticism of Friends, Lisa Kudrow admitted the show should be "looked at as a time capsule." Kudrow admits she has no regrets about playing the role of Phoebe Buffay and appearing on the show, but does believe the show would have more diversity if it were made today. Kudrow then adds she thought the show was very progressing, citing "There was a guy whose wife discovered she was gay and pregnant, and they raised the child together? We had surrogacy too. It was, at the time, progressive." Kudrow finishes by sharing why she thinks the show is popular even today. Kudrow emphasizes that the show is about people connecting and that it's appealing to young people today because they have an unconscious nostalgia for personal connection.
Kudrow, like Schwimmer, seems to agree the cast could have been way more diverse. However, both have expressed there were aspects to the show that were very progressive for the time. Although Schwimmer dismissed some of the previously mentioned criticisms about the show not being progressive enough, the actor did share that he wants to see an all-Black or all-Asian reboot of Friends.
There is always talk about a reboot or revival of Friends being a possibility. If that were to happen, it would make sense the cast should absolutely be more diverse, especially a show taking place in New York City. Diversity in New York obviously existed at that time too; it just didn't seem to be a priority for networks at the time, and that kind of conversation was still not quite in the spotlight yet. It is important to remember the context of the time in which the show first aired, but it's not wrong to point out the problematic elements, especially when modern TV shows forget diversity. For instance, while a show like How I Met Your Mother also followed young people living life in New York in a more modern setting, that show somehow still had an all-white cast. Scrutinizing the diversity issues in Friends brings up important discussions and ideas, but it shouldn't stop there. Those ideas should be used to make sure current and future shows are more progressive and representative.
Source: The Times