tologist Ross Geller, Monica’s brother; Matt Le-
Blanc, as the hunky but dim-witted struggling actor
Joey Tribbiani; and Matthew Perry, as Chandler
Bing, who has a regular job he hates. All are in their
twenties and live in New York City in close proximity
to one another. Rachel and Monica’s spacious apart-
ment is a gathering place for the six, and Chandler
and Joey share a “bachelor pad” across the hall; Ross
has his own place, as does Phoebe. Their most fre-
quented hangout is the coffeeshop Central Perk.
Finding jobs, except for Chandler and Ross, is a
source of plotlines and frustrations. However, pay-
ing the rent does not seem to be a concern.
Themes and Plotlines In the early episodes, the re-
lationships among the six are as friends only. Ross
does have a longtime crush on Rachel, which fuels
many plotlines. It is not until the fifth season (1998-
1999) that a serious relationship develops between
Monica and Chandler that leads to their marriage.
What the six friends become for one another is fam-
ily. The theme song “I’ll Be There For You,” by the
Rembrandts, echoes the support they provide. Ac-
cording to the executive producers, the show is
about love, sex, careers, and possibilities, but it is
also about these friends recreating a family to sustain
themselves in a city where they are basically alone.
The show’s writers designed plots that ranged
from the simple to the ridiculous to the serious.
Story lines provided continuity and drew a devoted
weekly audience. The on-again, off-again relation-
ship between Ross and Rachel, for instance, includ-352 Friends The Nineties in America
The cast ofFriends(from left): David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc.
(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)