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Author Topic: Some people say it's like 'Friends' but it's not- How I met your Mother  (Read 10109 times)
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Beanoz4

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« on: 10-16-2011 00:06 »

So who watches this show?
I'm right in the middle of season 1.. Not the best sitcom around but it's still good.
coffeeBot

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« Reply #1 on: 10-16-2011 00:08 »

It's an alright show. Basically, anything with NPH in it is worth watching once in a while.
Bend-err

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« Reply #2 on: 10-16-2011 00:16 »

Quick tip, if it's a rather older show, which has run a few season already and there is no thread already, chances are people are just not interested enough to justify a whole thread and the Television Test Thread is really the best place for it.
JoshTheater

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« Reply #3 on: 10-16-2011 02:04 »
« Last Edit on: 10-16-2011 02:08 »

Hm. I'd say if it's a well-established show that's been running for a while and is still currently going (like this show) and it doesn't have it's own thread by now, you should be allowed to make one for it. I'm not really a fan of this show, but I'm aware that it does have a fanbase.

What I disapprove of more is making threads for new shows that have only had one or two episodes. Unless those one or two episodes are amazing and praised by everyone and it clearly already deserves its own thread. But no more threads for new shows that are meh before they get a chance to develop into something enough people actually think is good. I DECLARE IT SO!
Spacedal11

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« Reply #4 on: 10-16-2011 02:11 »

People say The Big Bang Theory is like Friends, so you know take that with a grain of salt. But I do think HIMYM is this generation's closest thing to a Friends kind of show. I like it, but I'm not a huge fan or anything. Marshall is my favorite, I just adore Jason Siegel.
winna

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« Reply #5 on: 10-16-2011 06:28 »

I disagree with both the opinions about making threads for shows.  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of tv test thread because it prevents larger discussions about a single topic, something which would fit far more nicely for a show with its own thread; I'm not condemning the tv-test thread completely, but it's not my cup of tea, and I have a feeling that it's usage prevents people from actually having a discussion about a show they like with like-minded people, unlike if the show had its own specific thread; furthermore, the usage of that thread clearly makes some people think it's an answer to not having threads about series at all.  It's not like somebody's making a billion threads about different tv shows for no reason that nobody is posting in; hence my disagreement with the other opinion in this thread about not opening threads when a show is in its infancy.  Sometimes the best times to discuss a piece is in the present while the show is still new; it breeds interesting speculative conversations and allows people to connect to a show while it's still establishing its setting and characters.

In no way do I suggest my opinions necessarily reflect PEEL, but I think they can be considered as general internet etiquette on the subject. 
Beanoz4

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« Reply #6 on: 10-22-2011 00:58 »

Just nearing the end of season 1 now :)
8/10 for me!
Smarty

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« Reply #7 on: 10-22-2011 14:06 »

Ah, you're only in Season 1. Hurry and watch all the other seasons so discussion can be had.

But How I Met Your Mother is one of my favorite shows. I got into it two months ago. I just started recording 20 episodes a week and watched them. It then got to the point where I decided I had watched enough of the backstory to watch the new episodes. I just love the saturation of sarcasm. That's my favorite kind of humor. Also, it's a relatively realistic sitcom. I like that.
Beanoz4

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #8 on: 10-22-2011 14:44 »

I've only got the first three seasons on Demand :( I hope they add season 4 as well :)
I usually get bored of a TV show if I watch like 20 episodes a week so at the moment I'm only watching about 5-9 episodes a week.
Sometimes I get so hooked that I watch like 5 in a row   :laff:
Beanoz4

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #9 on: 03-03-2012 18:48 »

*Bump* Just finished episode 100 and I can't stop replaying the suit song :D

And Neil Patrick Harris is just the best guy on earth!
Solid Gold Bender

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« Reply #10 on: 03-03-2012 18:57 »

This is my brother's favorite show. I decided a few months ago I would give it a shot. Well, it's a great show, and I was about 15 episodes in when I got hooked. Then my Mom cancelled Netflix, so I've only seen the first 15 episodes...:(
cyber_turnip

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« Reply #11 on: 03-03-2012 20:29 »

It's nothing like Friends in that Friends was a consistently excellent show.

How I Met Your Mother is mostly mediocre whilst being likable for some reason - all with the occasional spark of absolute genius thrown in, be it one of Barney's plots to bed a girl, a musical number or a particularly clever observation.

As far as mediocre, 3-walled, American sitcoms go, it's one of the best.
winna

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« Reply #12 on: 03-04-2012 00:33 »
« Last Edit on: 03-04-2012 00:34 »

Friends was consistently excellent?  Ross was one of the most pathetic characters to have ever been devised; if I ever met an individual like that, I'd probably be doing them a favor by simultaneously drowning them in a public toilet and shooting them in the liver repeatedly just to relinquish them of the painful sadness that their life exemplified.  Jennifer Aniston's character was a caricature (if that's possible) of the epitome of stupid fucking bitches who complain about not knowing what they want and cockteasing everyone in Brooklyn.  Chandler was that annoying dick who probably thinks about feeling you up in your sleep, and I wouldn't put it past him to use an ethanol soaked cloth on random strangers so he could violently rape them in the hallway at various social gatherings.  Joey should've been institutionalized for being a completely retarded imbecile.  He posed the most risk of bodily injury and the lowering of another human being's IQ just by being within a 500 ft radius out of any character I've ever had the displeasure to witness, and that's including the fact that I once watched 9 seasons of Home Improvement in a row while being tortured in a Vietnamese death camp.  The only redeeming quality of the drivel that is Friends was possibly Lisa Kudrow's character who would be an excellent friend to have (funny how all the other so called friends often took her for granted and stole all her food when they came to visit), and a fantastically entertaining individual in general.  I think David Arquette's new trophy wife made a few cameos on the show because she couldn't get background roles in Party of Five, but this is a minute detail and hardly worth granting notice to.
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« Reply #13 on: 03-04-2012 00:54 »

It's nothing like Friends in that Friends was a consistently excellent show.

How I Met Your Mother is mostly mediocre whilst being likable for some reason - all with the occasional spark of absolute genius thrown in, be it one of Barney's plots to bed a girl, a musical number or a particularly clever observation.

As far as mediocre, 3-walled, American sitcoms go, it's one of the best.

I am quite amazed you decided Futurama was a good show.  Your judgement of television, films, etc. is usually way off base.  I guess sometimes you gotta strike lucky.
transgender nerd under canada

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« Reply #14 on: 03-04-2012 01:03 »
« Last Edit on: 03-04-2012 18:51 by totalnerduk »

It's nothing like Friends in that Friends was a consistently excellent show.

Are you talking about the same Friends that ran for ten seasons, re-used the same plots for up to six episodes each, generated new viewers on the strength of big-name guest stars, earned most of its actual revenue from reruns of the first three seasons (when it was still pretty funny), took itself way too seriously from the fifth season onwards, haemmorhaged fans after season six, and generally outlived its own popularity to the point where the wages that the cast demanded were too much for the producers to justify paying, so it was eventually wrapped up (only for an ill-fated spin-off to be produced and die its own painful death) rather quickly?

Is it that show you're talking about? That was in no way consistently excellent. If anything, it is one of the best examples of a "three-walled American sitcom" that you could point to if you wanted to try and define the genre to somebody without wasting too many words on doing so.
winna

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« Reply #15 on: 03-04-2012 01:05 »

No, we're discussing the other Friends show.  The one where Jerry dated Bruce Willis for three seasons.
Svip

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« Reply #16 on: 03-04-2012 01:22 »

No, we're discussing the other Friends show.  The one where Jerry dated Bruce Willis for three seasons.

Wasn't that The West Wing?
Spacedal11

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« Reply #17 on: 03-04-2012 02:17 »

I like How I Met Your Mother and Friends. And yes I can agree that Friends stuck to a very uncreative format, I love that I can tune in to any episode and enjoy it. But I like the characters, I like the humor, and I like the setting. HIMYM I can tune in and be pretty happy with what I'm watching but it's weaker than Friends.

Oh I see, we're all bashing these shows. My mistake.
Tofu_Lion

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« Reply #18 on: 03-04-2012 08:13 »

I liked Friends for years, then I guess I realized it's a bunch of douchewits sabotaging their own love lives, and then crying about it. I still think Chandler is a great character though.

Never sat through a full episode of HIMYM, but the bits I've seen weren't anything to write home about. I'd give it more of a shot, but the commercials for it are so damn annoying to me.
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« Reply #19 on: 03-04-2012 08:42 »

I'd give it more of a shot, but the commercials for it are so damn annoying to me.

I too judge films by their trailers alone.
Tofu_Lion

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« Reply #20 on: 03-04-2012 09:16 »

I said I also tried to watch it a couple times, but couldn't make it through a whole episode. The show got a fair chance with me.
Svip

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« Reply #21 on: 03-04-2012 09:21 »

Why are you people trying to make me reconsider if I like Futurama with your bad taste?
Tofu_Lion

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« Reply #22 on: 03-04-2012 09:27 »

We aim to strip you of all things that pleasure you.
Svip

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« Reply #23 on: 03-04-2012 09:29 »

Well, at least my suspicion was accurate!
birdman

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« Reply #24 on: 03-05-2012 02:11 »

I have watched HIMYM from the beginning. I think it's a good show kinda has a Cheers feel to it to me. Really like Jason Seagel (Marshall) for the non fans of the show. Think he is great loved the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  Not Friends though never really got that show just a bunch of whiners I always thoughts.
Beanoz4

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« Reply #25 on: 03-05-2012 08:59 »
« Last Edit on: 03-05-2012 09:01 »

I still like Friends and watch it now and again but in comparison to HIMYM it's not as good. All the charictars on Friends are really annoying and fake compared to the charictars on HIMYM.  Friends had some really wacky episodes after Season 2 and continued to get wackier, HIMYM sometimes have more wackier episodes because of the narrative with the dad telling the stories to the kids and making sections up.

Chandler is the best character on Friends by far.
Gorky

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« Reply #26 on: 03-05-2012 16:15 »

Amusing Friends rant.

I agree with pretty much everything you said. The only difference is that I think season five (its first half, in particular) is really good; it's probably my second- or third-favorite of the series, behind season four and (possibly) season two. All the sneaking-around stuff with Monica and Chandler really amuses me (also, it's cute), and I think my favorite episode of the series is "The One With All the Kissing." So, yeah. Season five is definitely the beginning of the end, but it's still not half-bad.

Chandler is the best character on Friends by far.

Agreed. And I'd also say that his relationship with Monica is what saved seasons five through ten from being a total waste, because the writers tried their hardest to make it something besides a rehash of Ross and Rachel. They explored how dating and engagement and marriage work (if not in the real world, then at least in sitcom-land); they allowed the characters to grow up a little. And, for the most part, everything about their coupling is so sweet and relatable. I didn't always feel this way, but I think Chandler and Monica are my two favorite characters, period (though Monica has her moments of being an unbelievably shrill wench).

In any event, though I own the first six seasons of Friends on DVD, and used to really love it, I do think it's already become dated. Maybe this is the result of having read a lot of criticisms of the show on various forums and on TVTropes and whatnot, but it's true that it is simplistic and nonsensical (and not always in a funny way). Also, that it sends weird messages about romantic entanglements and how, like, it's awesome when your boyfriend is unsupportive after you get a new job and goes crazy-jealous when he thinks you're attracted to a coworker, and then he cheats on you with a girl with a belly button ring. (Seriously, Ross is a crazy, whiny douchebag. Again, I did not used to feel that way, but now I can barely stand the guy.)

So, yeah. I don't hate the show by any means, but it's not so brilliant or hilarious that it deserved to go on for ten seasons. Some aspects of the show (particularly in the later seasons) are so ludicrous that they actually insult my intelligence--and, you know, I'm not so bright to begin with, so that really says something.

As far as How I Met Your Mother goes:

It's an alright show. Basically, anything with NPH in it is worth watching once in a while.

I agree with this. I've seen a few episodes, and they're amusing enough. One of my best friends is, like, in love with this show, which makes me want to give it the benefit of the doubt; however, if I wanted to watch a traditional-ish, laugh-track-y sitcom, I think I'd rather go with The Big Bang Theory (which my friend also loves, actually).
Svip

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« Reply #27 on: 03-05-2012 18:10 »

The problem with the The Big Bang Theory is that it is mostly dumbed down of what seems to be an otherwise complex matter, i.e. pretending to be something it's not.  It was okay in the earlier seasons, but now it seems mostly dumb.

At least How I Met Your Mother is exactly what it pretends to be.  In fact, sometimes the jokes are smarter than the show is (or at least pretends).

Now that I have seen each episode at least 3 times, I have to say it is the best sitcom currently out there.  And if it wasn't for my constant rewatching of The West Wing and Whose Line Is It Anyway? (both versions; and their spin-offs), I'd probably be watching a lot more How I Met Your Mother.

When it comes to The Big Bang Theory I just watch every new episode and that's it.
Gorky

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« Reply #28 on: 03-05-2012 18:39 »

Now that I have seen each episode at least 3 times, I have to say it is the best sitcom currently out there.

Eh, if you say so, duck. It just so happens that I'm on spring break this week and I pretty much have nothing constructive to do, so perhaps I'll spend some time on Netflix watching How I Met Your Mother. Finally, I have a sense of purpose!
Gopher

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« Reply #29 on: 03-05-2012 18:42 »
« Last Edit on: 03-05-2012 18:43 »

svip: agreed on big bang, started great, every season it drifts further from it's original premise and becomes more of a clone of Friends. Half the characters don't even come across as particularly maladjusted anymore in the most recent ep I saw.

The writers would probably try to claim the characters were growing as individuals, but it's a damned sitcom, so they'd be full of it if they did.
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« Reply #30 on: 03-05-2012 19:04 »

Now that I have seen each episode at least 3 times, I have to say it is the best sitcom currently out there.

Eh, if you say so, duck. It just so happens that I'm on spring break this week and I pretty much have nothing constructive to do, so perhaps I'll spend some time on Netflix watching How I Met Your Mother. Finally, I have a sense of purpose!

But like Futurama, I'd recommend you watch it from the beginning.
Gorky

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« Reply #31 on: 03-05-2012 19:28 »

But like Futurama, I'd recommend you watch it from the beginning.

Oh, I wouldn't think of doing otherwise. Whenever it is possible for me to do so, I always like to watch new-to-me shows from start to finish. That is, if I am making the conscious choice to try to get into a new series, and I have the means to watch it from beginning to end, that is what I will do. (If I kind of just happen upon a series--this was the case for me with Scrubs, for example--I watch the episodes all willy-nilly and try to catch up properly later.) But yeah, generally-speaking I don't see how you can appreciate (or even necessarily follow) a show that has tons of story arcs and recurring plot points and whatnot without starting from the beginning.

Anyway: I have just conquered the pilot of How I Met Your Mother, and am now halfway through the second episode. And you're right: it's not a bad show. I'm not laughing out loud or anything (though it's not like I do that even when I watch something I truly love, like Futurama; I am for some reason stingy with my laughter), but I'm having a good enough time watching these quirky New Yorkers negotiate their interpersonal relationships. This shan't be an unpleasant way to spend some of my time this week (and now I'll have something to talk about with my HIMYM-loving friend, so that's a plus).
JoshTheater

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« Reply #32 on: 03-05-2012 20:10 »
« Last Edit on: 03-05-2012 21:00 »

How I Met Your Mother is an incredibly mediocre sitcom with excellent actors who are forced to make cheap jokes, all with an unbearable laugh track that's almost impossible to ignore. Friends was pretty much the same (except with actors that weren't as naturally talented and with even worse jokes and ridiculously cliched situations) except with the advantage of having been filmed in front of a live audience.

I'd say the biggest problem with both of them (and with most network sitcoms in general) is that the characters and storylines are unbelievably predictable. They're like the polar opposite of soap operas...whereas soap operas have dramatic twists but lack any sense of humor or fleshed out personalities of the characters to make you care about what's happening to them, network sitcoms tend to have good characters with interesting personalities and a quirky sense of humor, but no sense of dramatism or unpredictability to let those personalities develop in a way that's at all interesting. Yes, sometimes they can be "emotional," in that maybe they can provide a sappy moment that makes you go "aww, that's cute" or "aww, that's slightly sad," but never in a way that makes you actually feel anything for more than a few seconds. For the most part, they stay boxed-in to certain types of situations and are afraid of ever leaving that comfort zone. You essentially just watch the characters stumble around a room occasionally walking into each other...but their arguments and problems never culminate into any big events that have the potential to change the landscape of the show or introduce complex running storylines. I understand for the most part this is a budget issue, but on the other hand, they don't even really try to get somewhere close to that...the writers seem more than happy to keep their stories within the confines of the show's boring formula. Shows like Arrested Development and Weeds manage to break free of any sort of pre-conceived notions you might have going into an episode, exploring storylines that last entire seasons or more, while still keeping a more than consistent record of laugh-out-loud jokes and situations. Even Seinfeld (the greatest traditional network sitcom to ever air) made a habit of playing with its own formulas, often mocking them and even flipping around character roles to stay fresh.

And about laugh tracks...if your jokes are good enough, you don't need a laugh track, and you shouldn't have one. Laugh tracks only exist to trick your brain into thinking mediocre jokes are funnier than they actually are. If your show is legitimately funny and clever in its writing, a laugh track only serves to hamper that fact, and you'd be better off with either no laugh track (Arrested Development, The Office, Community, The Simpsons, Futurama, Louie, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Parks And Recreation, Modern Family, Weeds, should I go on?) or by filming in front of a live audience (Seinfeld). Considering the enormous list of amazingly hilarious shows that have all existed without laugh tracks, there is literally zero excuse to have one unless to hide that your show just simply isn't that funny on its own.
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« Reply #33 on: 03-05-2012 21:56 »

I don't watch How I Met Your Mother to see interesting twists, how the fuck can that be its biggest problem?  I watch it because I like the format.  The past tense narrative is brilliant and leads to some incredibly funny moments.  But it is also the reason why it cannot be filmed in front of a live studio audience.  A lot of the jokes depend on quick cuts.  Most of the episodes are brilliantly directed.

In short, Josh, you are watching this show for wrong reasons and when you do, you are bound to dislike it, because you are expecting it to be something it's not.  Or more importantly; not something it should be.  And you fail to see its good sides.
JoshTheater

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« Reply #34 on: 03-06-2012 02:39 »
« Last Edit on: 03-06-2012 02:41 »

I guess I've just been spoiled by shows with greater range and depth, and anything lesser just seems like an exercise in pointlessness to me.

If you can wring enjoyment out of a show like this, go for it. I reviewed the show based on my personal opinion just as I would review a movie I didn't enjoy watching. If you don't agree, the great thing is you can disregard it and still maintain your own opinion!

Sometimes the world just works out perfectly that way.
cyber_turnip

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« Reply #35 on: 03-07-2012 03:04 »

Ross was one of the most pathetic characters to have ever been devised
Agreed, he was also hilarious.
Quote
Chandler was that annoying dick who probably thinks about feeling you up in your sleep, and I wouldn't put it past him to use an ethanol soaked cloth on random strangers so he could violently rape them in the hallway at various social gatherings.
Chandler is one of the best fictional characters of all time.
As for the other characters - fair enough, I agree. It doesn't stop me from liking the show.

It's nothing like Friends in that Friends was a consistently excellent show.

Are you talking about the same Friends that ran for ten seasons, re-used the same plots for up to six episodes each, generated new viewers on the strength of big-name guest stars, earned most of its actual revenue from reruns of the first three seasons (when it was still pretty funny), took itself way too seriously from the fifth season onwards, haemmorhaged fans after season six, and generally outlived its own popularity to the point where the wages that the cast demanded were too much for the producers to justify paying, so it was eventually wrapped up (only for an ill-fated spin-off to be produced and die its own painful death) rather quickly?

Is it that show you're talking about? That was in no way consistently excellent. If anything, it is one of the best examples of a "three-walled American sitcom" that you could point to if you wanted to try and define the genre to somebody without wasting too many words on doing so.
When I said "consistently excellent", I meant that it could have an entire episode that was good as opposed to little chunks of an episode which is as good as one can expect from How I Met Your Mother.
And yes, Friends absolutely is one of the best examples of a "three-walled, American sitcom". I never said otherwise. But it's also one of the few examples of that genre that's genuinely funny.
transgender nerd under canada

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« Reply #36 on: 03-07-2012 19:58 »

It's nothing like Friends in that Friends was a consistently excellent show.

Are you talking about the same Friends that ran for ten seasons, re-used the same plots for up to six episodes each, generated new viewers on the strength of big-name guest stars, earned most of its actual revenue from reruns of the first three seasons (when it was still pretty funny), took itself way too seriously from the fifth season onwards, haemmorhaged fans after season six, and generally outlived its own popularity to the point where the wages that the cast demanded were too much for the producers to justify paying, so it was eventually wrapped up (only for an ill-fated spin-off to be produced and die its own painful death) rather quickly?

Is it that show you're talking about? That was in no way consistently excellent. If anything, it is one of the best examples of a "three-walled American sitcom" that you could point to if you wanted to try and define the genre to somebody without wasting too many words on doing so.
When I said "consistently excellent", I meant that it could have an entire episode that was good as opposed to little chunks of an episode which is as good as one can expect from How I Met Your Mother.
And yes, Friends absolutely is one of the best examples of a "three-walled, American sitcom". I never said otherwise. But it's also one of the few examples of that genre that's genuinely funny.

First of all, "consistently excellent" would mean that it was something which displayed excellence on a consistent basis. Meaning, that every episode was excellent with only a few low points (if any) in each episode marring the sheen. This is not the case.

Neither is it the case that an episode of Friends is necessarily gold from beginning to end. Yes, there were good episodes, but even those had their failings. Personally I would not describe Friends as consistently excellent, because it lacked consistency. Characterisation, jokes, the ccasional bit of surreal or slapstick comedy, and the drama that seemed to become more of a driving force than the comedy in the later seasons were all spotty. None of them were consistent or  even excellent. At points, they were very good. But Friends is one of those shows that found success with a wide audience simply because it fired so much at the audience that there's something for everyone every few minutes of every episode. You can't spend an entire episode thinking it's brilliant, unless you're incredibly easily pleased. In which case, I'd expect you to think that HIMYM is also an excellent piece of broadcasting.

I'm not saying it was a bad show. I'm not saying that parts of it weren't great (There are a good double-handful of episodes I particularly enjoyed), but the show's only claim to consistency is that it stuck to the slow downward trend in terms of quality of output that began partway through the third season. I think that you can't apply "consistently excellent" to more than a double handful of episodes from the entire run and actually have excellence mean anything, and you can't apply "consistently" anything to the show over its entire run.

What you meant, what your statement really comes down to is that you enjoyed the show. You and a few million other people, incidentally. There are some scarily obsessed fans out there. Never decide to research Friends fandom when preparing a PEEL post about it unless you're not easily bothered by weirdness.

I have no issue with people saying that it was a good show and they they really enjoy it still. I don't think that people should get away with calling anything "consistently excellent" though. There's precious fucking little that deserves that particular description.
cyber_turnip

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« Reply #37 on: 03-08-2012 15:21 »

I think that Friends is one of few traditional three-walled sitcoms that really works, so I have a great deal of respect for it essentially transcending the genre. It's probably the only American example I can think of that doesn't rub me up the wrong way (there's quite a few on this side of the pond though, I suppose... Father Ted, Blackadder, One Foot in the Grave, etc).

How I Met Your Mother surprises me every now and then with just how well observed some of its jokes are, but it spends far more time making me roll my eyes. Boring relationship drama aside, Friends did that far less often and gave me constant Chandler-based amusement.

You're right though, "consistent" was a bad word to use.
wu_konguk

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« Reply #38 on: 03-08-2012 21:44 »

Well personally I always prefered Frasier to Friends but that just comes down to presonal taste

@turnip

Another interesting choice of words, how do you feel that Friends transceded the genre? what made it surpass all that had preceeded it?  I am quite curious to know as I felt the show was pretty formulaic, sure it could be funny but I can not really think of anything that would make it stand out from Cheers, Seinfeld or Frasier (and least we forget the British greats).  For me Friends was a funny enough show that outstayed it's welcome, certainly not helped by the endless repeats.

As for the topoc at hand.  I enjoy How I met your Mother, not always laugh out loud funny but enjoyable non the less.
cyber_turnip

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« Reply #39 on: 03-08-2012 22:24 »

I would also clump Frasier and Cheers in with the shows that work. I'm not so sure about Seinfeld although I suppose I need to see more of it before passing a firm judgement.
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