AUTHOR: Kelsey Miller GENRE: Non-Fiction PAGES: 304 pages RELEASED: 23 October 2018 SYNOPSIS: When Friends debuted in 1994, no one anticipated the sensation it would become. Through its decade-long run, the show maintained an uncanny connection to its audience, who saw it both as a reflection of their own lives and an aspirational escape from reality. I’ll Be There for You is a deep dive into Friends history and lore, exploring all aspects of the show, from its unlikely origins to the societal conditions that amplified its success. Journalist and pop culture expert Kelsey Miller relives the show’s most powerful moments, sheds light on its sometimes dated and problematic elements and examines the worldwide trends that Friends catalyzed, from contemporary coffee culture to the wildly popular ’90s haircut The Rachel. I’ll Be There for You is not only for fans of the series, but for anyone who’s ever wondered what it is about this show—and television comedy—that resonates so powerfully. It’s the television phenomenon that is still drawing an audience almost 20 years after the finale, proving that Friends really will be there fro you, always.
Kelsey takes a deep-dive into the Friends phenomenon, trying to find out how the show became such an iconic piece of television during it’s broadcast, and why it still remains such an important part of pop culture today. And it’s all wrapped up in 90s nostalgia of a simpler time in television and world history. Starting with how co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane came to be working together and the failures (and success) on the road to Friends, Kelsey examines the highs and lows of each season, both on and off screen, right through to the shows resurgence in the 2010s after a decade of being off the air. As a die-hard Friends fan, this was such an enjoyable read. Kelsey delivered a really great overview and history of the show that combined views from both the heyday of Friends and today. While the book doesn’t go into the inner workings of how the show was produced, or share any new behind-the-scenes information (at least that massive Friends aren’t already going to know), it’s still an interesting view at the show through the lens of television and pop culture history. Throughout the book, Kelsey also examines some of the shortcomings of Friends, particularly in terms of diversity. As with the rest of the book, Kelsey looks at these shortcomings - the lack of gay characters (and the treatment of them), the treatment of trans characters, and the lack of regular racially diverse characters - from the perspective of the the era itself and the hindsight we have today, and how, even with it’s shortcomings, Friends was still making minor moves in the right direction that some of the other shows being broadcast at the time were not. It’s a balanced take on the arguments that have been popping up in recent years, which is refreshing. It’s obvious that Kelsey is a fan of the show, something that is telling from her writing style, not just that she talks about being a fan in the foreword. Not only that, but her writing style, as a journalist, is really enjoyable to read. The only thing that would have made this book better was if Kelsey had actually interviewed the creators and cast, rather than just relying on previous interviews they’ve done over the years and pulling quotes from them. If you’re a Friends fan, this definitely a great book to have in your collection. And if you are someone interested in television history and pop culture history, you will certainly enjoy coming on this journey and reliving a simpler time when six friends just spent their days drinking coffee at a cozy coffee shop in New York City… |
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