U.S. - Friends is a classic TV show loved by everyone who can't decide what else to watch on Netflix and need something to watch between The Office viewings. But it's getting a little long in the tooth, with tired sitcom plotlines and problematic jokes about gender identity issues.
But perhaps the most common criticism of the show is that it's unrealistic how often the friends get together. A grittier, more realistic version of Friends set to launch this winter will correct this. The show will just have six millennials starting their careers texting each other in a group chat. They'll make plans to get together, penciling in a date a month out, and then cancel at the last minute when they realize they're just too tired to leave the house.
"Each episode will revolve around the six friends---Jordan, Rod, Carter, Madison, Penelope, and Roxy---texting each other and making vague plans to get together soon," said Friends showrunner Gibson Holland. "Of course, once in a while, they'll get in a real pickle when the date gets closer and closer and they realize they might actually have to see their friends in person. They'll come up with all kinds of excuses not to leave the house, because honestly, work and kids and relationships are all pretty tiring."
In the climax of each episode, according to Holland, each of the friends will come up with an excuse and narrowly avoid having to see their friends. Fun stuff they'll plan on doing will include going to the movies, grabbing drinks, doing an escape room, and playing laser tag. "But they'll never actually do any of that stuff," Holland said. "They'll just think it would be nice but then decide it's so much effort to get dressed and find a sitter and leave the house."
In one hilarious episode, Carter gets really into Dungeons & Dragons and buys all the core rulebooks so the friends can start a campaign. But after building an entire world and filling it out with dungeons, monsters, and an epic plotline, he just can't find a date that works for everyone, so the books gather dust on his shelf.
"They'll still see each other, like at weddings and funerals and stuff," Holland said. "But it will be awkward because they'll be totally different people by then, so they'll just exchange a few pleasantries and move on."
One recurring plotline will be the old romance between Rod and Roxy. Rod cheated on Roxy but thought they were on a break. But Roxy's pretty much over it because she has a lot of other stuff on her plate to worry about now and just doesn't have the time to freak out about stuff that happened ten years ago.
"We were on a break lol," Rod texts in one episode.
"Lol," Roxy texts back so the group chat won't get all weird.
