Did Friends stay on too long?

[MyriVerse]

Phoebe was very smart. Her owning Ross on Evolution was a classic.

That's not owning him on Evolution. That's proving how ignorant she was and how futile it was for Ross to attempt teaching her.

I actually think Phoebe became smarter each season, and with the intelligence came evil. By S10, she was just a thoroughly despicable person.

[caj]

This reminds me of Kelly Bundy on "Married with Children." In the early seasons she was smart than suddenly became a dumb blonde. Although I remember one episode in which "dumb Kelly" figured out how to put together a tool bench or something that Al Bundy didn't know how to put up. In other episodes, "dumb Kelly" doesn't even know how to pronounce "FBI".

Exactly. Or like on Golden Girls when Rose tries to call 9-1-1 but instead calls 4-1-1. When she realizes her mistake, she asks the person on the phone what the number is for 9-1-1. I love Betty White, but I get angry when she tries to say that Rose wasn't dumb, just naïve. No, Rose was dumb.

[Papa Moai]

Joey's stupidity did get flanderized over time, but Phoebe always had weird beliefs and an unique way of looking at world. I don't think she got any dumber but I do feel she developed something of a mean streak towards the end.