Wednesday, April 20, 2011

F.R.I.E.N.D.S and HIMYM

Okay so I'm in a happy mood these days, don't ask me why but I just am *applause*. So I decided this post should be about the two shows that help me when I'm not in a good mood, and just add to it when I am. I watch a lot of tv shows (30 Rock, Modern Family, Fringe, House, Big Bang Theory, Castle..damn, I really don't have a life), but there is something special about How I Met Your Mother. The only time I felt this connected to a show was when Friends was still on.

If anyone asks me which is my favourite tv show of all time, without thinking I'll reply 'Friends'. There was something about that show that was amazing. It had great actors, hilarious jokes and lovely music (they had With or Without You in one of the episodes). But what made this show truly great was how it touched us and made us emote for each of the characters. Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Rachel and Joey were our friends. We cried when Ross and Rachel broke up, then got back together, than broke up, than got back together again, cried when Chandler proposed to Monica, and laughed every time one of these guys opened their mouths. And you know you were a mess when you saw the final episode. Nothing could replace this show.



But in 2005, when people all over the world (including me) were still crying over that last episode of Friends, and how there would be no more Friends, a little show came out. A show about a guy telling his kids the story about how he met their mother by narrating his time with friends in his 20s and 30s. Now the actors were great (especially Neil Patrick Harris). The music wasn't as popular, but the nice indie tunes gelled well. The jokes were funny but not as hysterical (again, with the exception of Neil Patrick Harris) as the ones on Friends. Its narrative structure was exceptional (its the Memento of television shows). But it had the one thing that Friends had that made this one pretty frickin great as well. Heart.





I like shows which make me laugh. But I love those shows which make me laugh and cry at the same time. For me, that's the mark of a great show. And every character, in both these shows, is capable of doing that. People compare the two shows. But both these shows have their own place, and thats why the blog heading isn't 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S v. HIMYM'. You never compare art.

As a tag along I've made a list of the top 10 episodes from each show in random order.

Friends: The One With(TOW) The Prom Video, The Last One, TOW Everybody finds out, TOW The Embryo, TOW No one's Ready, TOW Giant Poking Device, TOW Ross' Wedding, TOW The Proposal, TOW Monica and Chandler's Wedding, TOW The Videotape.

HIMYM: Game Night, Come On, Where Were We, Slap Bet, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Miracles, Happily Ever After, The Playbook, Last Words.
(season 6 has been really great by the way).

Oh and before I forget....'we were on a break!' :)

9 comments:

  1. I love these shows. My all time favourite would be friends, followed by HIMYM I guess :P

    p.s. I need season 6 of HIMYM :(

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  3. Friends is my all time fav as well but just could NOT bring myself to watch HIMYM... its just so eerily similar that it seems like a fake!

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  4. @TurbulentMind: try streaming it from sidereel.com :)

    @avshirley: when Friends first came out, critics and viewers called it a less funnier version of Seinfeld. But everyone learnt soon enough that it was quite different. So just give HIMYM a shot. You might like it :)

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  5. Friends is epic. HIMYM..I started watching it after I was caught in all the hype...not hooked to it as much as I was to friends but still enjoy the show :D
    I also need to watch all the episodes of any of the seasons ( of HIMYM ) at a go. I've been watching randomly mostly .

    And you're right.You never compare art :)

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  6. Two of my favourite shows :)
    Whenever I'm upset, I watch Friends of HIMYM :D And I'm back to normal :)
    Nice post!
    The best song: "I'll be there for you" :) My all time favourite!

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  7. True Story ;)

    PS: 'Hey Beautiful' is the theme song for HIMYM. It's not too bad either.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UfIBauOr6w

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  8. Hmm HIMYM is great. I think the characters of robin and barney are amazing (ted is very lame, i am sorry) and NHP acts brilliantly considering hes gay. He plays the part of a womanizer very convincingly

    BUT

    it fails to even cast a shadow on friends. It cant be compared.
    FRIENDS is a classic. Doubt if HIMYM wud ever me.
    But its enjoyable nonetheless.

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  9. Ah, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Epic doesn't even begin to define them. And fanatic doesn't even begin to cover it.
    TOW No one's ready is an all time favorite of mine:D Especially when Joey wears ALL of Chandler's clothes and they all try to prevent Monica from leaving an extremely stupid message on Richard's phone... Good times, I tell you.

    HIMYM is a favorite too, my heart broke when I found out that Barney (of all people) is gay:P

    Nice post!:)

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