Summer is just around the corner. College kids are home and teachers are winding down as the school year is almost over. Parents are preparing for their family vacations and beaches are getting ready to welcome tourists and residents. Just like students, Many TV's shows take a hiatus in the summer, especially those on the broadcast networks. As a matter of fact, their seasons usually run from September through May. While people spend their days and/or evenings relaxing, networks are still advertising what they will be showing once the fall arrives. Despite the countless options one is given between TV itself and streaming services, no matter what, people will always remember and tune into Friends. A show revolving around the lives of six people living in New York dealing with new things each day. Although revivals are occurring now more than ever, Friends will likely not get revived and the future of a movie or special revolving around a reunion is still uncertain. Regardless, it still remains a show that impacted many and continues to each day. Here are five reasons why Television needs more shows like Friends.
1. It would show what life was like before technology.
When it first debuted in 1994, words such as the iPhone, e-reader, iPod, social media, hashtag, and various other technological terms, had no existence. The show like others back then, displayed to audiences what it was actually like to communicate with others. If there were a program today without that stuff, it probably would be a hit considering having no technology would make it different then the others.
2. Millenials would learn how people originally socialized.
Although because of technology, society is connected now more than ever, times weren't always like that. Despite it's larger development in the early and middle 2000's (when Friends was in its final seasons), people still spoke without a device in their hand. Also, attention spans weren't as likely to go missing as they are in 2018.
3. New generations would learn what it was like to meet people in real life rather than just online.
Let's face it, dating has changed. Now more then ever, being committed and trying to commit yourself to someone, is a challenge. Back then, it was slightly easier considering people weren't given options through social media and online dating services. You could easily meet someone, go on a date, and decide what you want to do from there. Yes you can still do the same today however, it's not as easy as it was in the 90's and early-mid 2000's.
4. Individuals would see what life was like before Wifi and LTE.
If Central Perk were around today, chances are it would have Wifi like most cafes do. If it didn't, then customers would just use their 3g and 4g data. Without Wifi and no LTE, Using the internet would be harder, forcing everyone to put away their devices, look at each other, and have conversations like Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey did. Even during it's run, Central Perk was a cafe where laptops were almost never seen.
5. Society could recall answering machines.
Answering machines are slowly becoming a foreign thing as landlines continue to die. Each year, they become a thing of the past. A show like Friends would break the technological stereotypes and educate viewers what society did when nobody picked up a phone. Who wouldn't want to watch a new 2018 sitcom where smartphones aren't seen, social media is foreign, people look at each other when they speak with no devices in their hands, and communication when apart from others is done through a noncellular phone where leaving a message and hearing one's voice when they don't pick up, is normal?
