From growing up in the late 90’s/2000’s, I have always seen random episodes of "Friends." Whether it be on a binge watch from my mom’s VHS tapes to catching reruns after school, I can say that I basically grew up with that show, and is my all-time favorite by far. When I was told to watch "How I Met Your Mother," I thought that it would be near identical to how "Friends" was; I was right. Although finishing the spin-off left me with a void in my heart that I could never fill. Both shows (through many seasons of hardship) eventually end up with a happy ending, but make you feel incomplete, as if there is just so much more to watch. If you feel empty after completing a television series, just know you are not alone, and there might even be a doppleganger of your favorite show too.
1. Both casts are living their 20’s and 30’s in New York.
What do you get when you combine an architect, kindergarten teacher, law school student, a chef, and a coffee shop waitress? Apparently two super nice and large New York apartments! From paying student loans to thousands of wasted dollars from a wedding that you ran out on, living in one of these amazing apartments seems a little ambitious for the first time living on your own.
2. Having a cool hangout.
No awesome group of friends is complete without a signature hangout spot. Another huge detail you need is having the usual bartender/waitress/barista serve you, every time you come-which is a lot. These people must really be loaded if you can afford to eat and drink at these places every single day. Often times, the gangs’ will meet together during typical work hours…if you’re not at work how can you afford to keep buying things?
3. The two main male characters met in college.
With the show being a few years apart, the college years have an even larger gap. Marshall and Ted from HIMYM graduated in 2000, while Ross and Chandler from "Friends" graduated sometime in the '80s. Nonetheless, these four are what started the most epic friend groups of all time. I’m starting to learn that your college roommate is someone who (if you’re lucky) will be your best friend for life, and will see you through your “'80s” to your “present.”
4. They each have a dominant personality in the group.
As most friendships do, if maybe not as obvious, these two groups of young adults have very obvious roles:
The Career Woman. For starters, these women in the show are introduced to the existing friend group in the pilot episode. They are awful cooks, undoubtedly attractive and they eventually fall into their dream job. In the first season, these two women almost tease Adorable Nerdy Guy (who is in love with her) and in season 2, they end up getting together. They break up multiple times, and even date other members of the friend group.
The Adorable Nerdy Guy. Both of these characters seem to be the main characters of the show-both are dark-haired hopeless romantics just wanting to find love. Throughout the entire series, they periodically date Career Woman, thinking she is “the One”. Before becoming professors, these men have geeky office jobs which they eventually realize are unfulfilling compared to their current professions. Both are complete nerds and very intelligent-they will correct you any chance that they have.
The Stud. These are complete ladies men and know how to get them, mostly using lies to sleep with them- they even get involved with one of their friends’ mothers! Both have iconic lines that whenever they are said, most people know exactly who they are talking about, and they use those to their single advantage. They even both have a "thing," meaning they have something that makes them truly unique from others. For Joey, it would be his love for food (and women of course), and for Barney it would be his love of suits (and women of These playboys eventually grow out of their habits and want to settle down. Doing so, they end up falling for Career Woman, but put their feelings aside due to Nerdy Guy’s constant feelings for her. Although both are against marriage, they officiate the wedding between Funny Guy and the Mom.
The Funny Guy. The name says it all, these men will always be the one to crack a smile on your face, even when it is a serious moment on the show. Both of these characters are just trying to do the best that they can do and not hate the society that they live in. These men also go through a period where they hate their job and that leads to unemployment, in which they turn into stay-at-home husbands. They even both make a deal with the Mom that if they are both single by the time they turn 40, they will get married.
The Mom. No friend group is complete without the protecting and nurturing mother character. These women absolutely love to be in control and know everything about everything. They marry Funny Guy, and eventually face fertility issues. Weather it is for a career or just straight passion, both are phenomenal cooks and like to showcase that whenever possible.
Now, it gets weird. The producers of HIMYM even brought in actors to play similar roles that were in friends.
Christine Rose plays a mother in both "Friends" and HIMYM.
Christina Pickles is Ross and Monica's mom on "Friends" and is Lily's grandmother on HIMYM.
This poor girl gets dumped a total of three times on her birthday on both shows!
So if you were one to doubt that these shows are nearly identical, I hope these observations helped you to see otherwise. If you decided to read all of this without even watching both of the shows, go watch them and point out the similarities!
