The issue of Friends’ lack of diversity has reared its head again of late. Fans are still celebrating 17 years since the end of the iconic series on NBC. Sitcoms that are infinitely quotable, but it’s hard even for its most loyal followers to overlook what is likely its harshest criticism. Over the years, both creators and cast members have responded in various ways. David Schwimmer’s defense of the seriesLisa Kudrow, however, has added her perspective.
Lisa Kudrow was the sassy Phoebe Buffay. Friends’ 10 seasons, alongside her five also-white co-stars. The actress addressed the issue of New York City-set sitcoms lacking characters from other races, nationalities, or stories from more diverse perspectives. The Daily BeastMarta Kauffman, David Crane and David Crane were not allowed to tell POC stories. Kudrow also points out her biggest problem with the discussion. In Kudrow’s words:
It feels like it was created by two people who went on to Brandeis and wrote about their lives. And for shows especially, when it’s going to be a comedy that’s character-driven, you write what you know. They don’t have the right to write stories about the experiences of people of color. At that point, I felt that the biggest problem I was seeing was: ‘Where’s the apprenticeship?’
It’s a good point to make that the FriendsThe creators simply wrote what they were familiar with from their personal experiences. There would not have been any way for them authentically to write POC stories. In this way, the problem isn’t really about the writing, but the lack of diversity within the writers room. Not having anyone on staff who could contribute in that way is a big part of what co-creator Marta Kauffman said she’s going to change in future projects.
June Kauffman stated that she was “accepting guilt” for the series’ shortcomings, and admitted that it took her a long time to understand how she’d “internalized systematic racism.” Along with pledging $4 million to Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, to create an endowed chair in the school’s African and African-American studies department, Kauffman said she would actively pursue more diversity in her productions going forward. She made this promise:
I will make every effort to ensure that in all productions I do, I have a conscious policy of hiring people of color. I will also actively seek out young writers of color. I want to know that I will be different from now on.
While the lack of people of color was a huge issue, for many, the depiction of New York City itself — which is a melting pot of representation — also rubbed fans the wrong way. The Good Doctor’s Daniel Dae Kim was a bit confused about this. FriendsIn June, he spoke out about his family’s love for the show and said that his children would be asking. “How come in their New York, everyone is white?” FriendsAlthough it isn’t the only TV series with such biased casts and stories this show has enjoyed a lot of popularity over the years, it is easy to constantly examine its actions.
Popularity of Friends isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, either, so it’s important to look at such a successful and beloved series and recognize how shows can and should do better in the future. All 10 seasons FriendsIncludes Friends’ emotional reunion specialYou can stream them with an HBO Max subscription.