Did Friends stay on too long?

[caj]

Friends was a fun show and I guess every season had a few episodes that were entertaining. But did it stay on for too long?

Personally, I thought the first season was hit and miss but was a nice way to get to know the characters. Seasons 2-5 were incredible. Seasons 6 & 7 were mediocre, season 8 got back to being great, and I could've done without the last two seasons.

My all-time favorite episodes were in season 4, especially Chandler In A Box and The One With The Embryos (where they play the question and answer game for the apartment).

[MyriVerse]

I disliked that Ross & Rachel were ever a thing after their breakup, and Emma should not exist, but otherwise, no. Even the worst seasons (1 & 9, imo) were good.

[BeastieRunner]

Most shows go on too long unless you're a fan.

I skipped out on Friends after season 5 and didn't think I missed much when the finale hit.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

I disliked that Ross & Rachel were ever a thing after their breakup, and Emma should not exist, but otherwise, no. Even the worst seasons (1 & 9, imo) were good.

Pretty much this. Ross and Rachel should have ended after the first break up. It was NEVER as hot as it was early on and they never recaptured the magic. Ross specifically had better relationships that could have went somewhere if they didn’t keep going back to the Rachel well. Rachel’s arc from then on should have been growing into an independent person. But they kinda pissed it away. The last half of the show was carried by Chandler and Monica

[Sacred Knight]

I think it lasted just long enough. I mean, the only real offensive thing they ever did after its prime was the Joey/Rachel nonsense. But while a horrific idea betraying the two characters, at least in the end it didn't go anywhere. But barring that while it was obviously declining, I think it ended about on time.

[jetengine]

After the first break up the resulting mess made Rachael look like an utter psychopath.

[Agent Z]

After the first break up the resulting mess made Rachael look like an utter psychopath.

Both her and Ross looked terrible. They were always at their worst when the relationship came up.

[XPac]

The last couple seasons were a bit of a decline (like pretty much any show would being on that long)... but even in the end it was still better and funnier than almost anything else on TV. So in theory it could have justified going on as long as it did or even longer. It never degraded to the point where it hurt the legacy of the show IMO.

It's not like say West Wing, which was absolutely brilliant for the first couple seasons and completely forgettable the last 2 or so. Friends was always pretty good even if it wasn't always great.

[jetengine]

Both her and Ross looked terrible. They were always at their worst when the relationship came up.

Rachael effectively ruins Ross's life multiple times out of spite. Jealousy would be understandable but when she resolutely states she has no interest in him BUT STILL DOES IT ANYWAY you have to question her mental stability.

Tbf though ALL the main cast were assholes save maybe Chandler and Monica

[Osiris-Rex]

Most shows go on too long unless you're a fan.
.

True. Even being a fan, other shows that went on too long include Two and a Half Men, Smallville, The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, Once Upon a Time.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Shows usually get cancelled too early or go on too long.

I do know that there's absolutely no reason for a reunion or revival show. At the end of the FRIENDS TV show practically everything was done with those characters and there's no reason to see what else could happen with them. Everything was resolved. If Friends ended in Season 4 or Season 5 it would have been too early. I am not entirely sure if FRIENDS went on too long, I do know that when it ended I was glad and I've never had a desire to revisit the series since.

So on the whole it ended at the right time.

[David Walton]

Monica and Chandler are one of, if not my absolute favorite, sitcom couple. They absolutely carried the show for its second half. But all the characters were still enjoyable IMO, if in an over-the-top sitcom kind of way.

The way they handled those final seasons was really smart, shifting the primary relationship focus like they did. I didn't find the Ross/Rachel relationship infuriating because it was offset by Chandler and Monica's real character progression. All the characters benefited from the shifting dynamic.

[Sacred Knight]

True. Even being a fan, other shows that went on too long include Two and a Half Men, Smallville, The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, Once Upon a Time.

Disagree with Big Bang Theory, hell I think it could have still gone on longer had Parsons not had the desire to move on. They never lost any cast members, the dynamics of the characters and their status quo evolved but organically and not too drastically, without requiring any Cousin Oliver-like over-the-top changes. And moreover they still remained funny. Hell in some cases funnier. Penny for example became a lot more funny after becoming a quirky wife and moving away from hot girl next door.

[MoneySpider]

I hated that whole storyline when Rachel and Joey tried to be a couple.

[Jim Kelly]

FRIENDS was a perfectly mediocre show. It was never very great and never very bad. It was just always in a holding pattern. But it filled that hole in the Thursday night schedule. The one thing that really bugged me was the way it was scripted to have all these set-ups to a joke punchline (usually from Chandler), as if it didn't really matter about the characters in the scene. In real life, if someone kept making dumb jokes out of everything instead of being real, you'd dump them as a friend.