We all appreciate a good comedy, especially a relatable one, depicting life’s issues in a light-hearted manner. At the end of a long day, all you want to do is sit on your sofa and have a good hearty laugh. Thank goodness for properly executed comedies. New Girl and Friends can generally be classified in the same comedy genre, with their stories slightly different. Both show themes of friendship and love, and we witness friends try to figure out life together.
New Girl
New Girl aired first in 2011 and ran for seven seasons on FOX. The focus is on a group of five friends who predominantly attempt to make the best out of their lives. Especially in figuring out how to be an adult, to be responsible, while at the same time having fun while at it. What makes this a good comedy is that the humor comes out from situations and is not forced. We all know how bad forced jokes can get. Dry!
Friends
On the other hand, Friends is one of the most loved 90’s comedies that is being watched and re-watched up to date. It started airing in 1994 and shows us the lives of six friends also going through the highs and lows of life together. They express every bit of sadness, grief, joy, love, and friendship that doesn’t lack a pinch of spice and drama. From the outlook, both shows are relatable, and they express what each of us goes through in our daily lives. However, in figuring out which one is better, there are various aspects to analyze. The analysis does not say that the other was a complete waste of time, but one supersedes the other.
The Facts
Most of the time, when a show is released years after another and follows the same storyline, viewers and critics consider the ‘copycat’ worse. However, in this case, it’s different. A considerable percentage of the millennial populace believes New Girl is better than Friends. I am sure oldies are cringing in their seats since their favorite comedy of all time happens to be the latter, Friends. So what makes millennials and everyone else supporting this deduction come to this conclusion? I have to state, though, that the Friends theme song sounds way better.
1. First Kiss
Let’s start with a bit of a scenario that packs a punch in this whole argument. The first kiss between Nick and Jess is by far better than what happened between Ross and Rachel. I know this looks like I’m fetching, but the portrayal of romance should be fiery, and Ross and Rachel didn’t give that impression. Nick and Jess, though, did that kissing scene justice.
2. Healthy Relationship
Still, on Nick and Jess, their whole relationship was healthy. Even when they had their issues and separated for a while, they did nothing to harm or hurt each other. They chose to grow individually, and they became a better romantic pair when they got back to being a couple. Need I mention how Ross and Rachel held so much bitterness when they had issues and did not hesitate to make each other feel worse? I think not.
3. Friends Dating
In Friends, the writers tried to bring out the dramatic aspects by making friends date each other. A good example is when Rachel dated Joey, which happened in the 10th season and is the weirdest twist ever. The relationship says a lot about Joey as Ross’ friend and also Rachel as Ross’ ex-girlfriend. New Girl doesn’t use cheap dramatical directions to keep the audience glued.
4. Body Shaming
In this age of body positivity, we judge Friends greatly when it used Monica’s previous plus size as a source of ridicule. It even gets worse since the ones doing it the most are her friends. New Girl’s Schmidt’s size isn’t the focus of ridicule, especially from his friends. In reality, both shows should have chosen another way to push the body positivity agenda since it’s a very delicate issue.
5. Flashback
New Girl uses flashbacks that are accurate to show when all the friends met. An example is how Jess and Cece met the guys when Jess moved into the apartment during the show’s pilot. In Friends, however, it’s all blurry, and it seems like nobody remembers how and when they met. That was a failed approach on their side.
6. Cheating Partners
The story or incident behind Jess moving into the loft makes a lot of sense since she moved away from her cheating partner. While looking for another house, she came across an ad on Craigslist, which is how she ended up moving in. The opposite is the case as Rachel’s moving in with Monica seems bland. She had run out of her wedding when she met Monica in Central Park. They knew each other from their high school days, but evidently, they weren’t close since Monica hadn’t been invited to the wedding. When Monica offers her the chance to be her roommate, it’s weirdly placed.
7. Diversity
The diversity issue in Friends is alarming since we do not focus on actors from other races. When you watch New Girl, there’s more representation. However, they could have done a better job too. As such, this may be one of the reasons why people prefer New Girl. Cultural diversity.
8. Characterization
There is better characterization and presentation of friendship, especially the bromance between Nick and Schmidt. They are shown celebrating their ten years as friends, and they even go into the bar business together. All Joey and Chandler did in Friends were making fun and being awful to each other.
The End
We are bound to love these two shows because they are hilarious. New Girl has chosen to outshine Friends in this new age with better storytelling aspects and true racial inclusivity. It may be considered the ‘New Friends’ by some critics, but honestly, I think it stands out on its own.the lives of six friends
