Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere, I couldn't find anything. I'm sure most have already read the news, but 'FRIENDS' star Matthew Perry (aka Chandler Bing) sadly passed away at his Los Angeles home on Saturday aged just 54 Matthew Perry, ‘Friends’ star, dead at 54 | CNN His problems with addiction were well documented, although he seemed to have got himself into a good place again recently. Maybe his body just gave up on him. I'm sure we'll find out in the coming days and weeks. Like many I was at school when FRIENDS first aired. I was probably a bit too young to appreciate it fully at the time, but it became a staple in my life the older I got. Whether you're a fan of the show or not, it was (and still is) one of the most successful and influential comedies ever. I'm really glad we got to see the Reunion before he passed, even if it did feature James Corden. I haven't watched the show for a while (there are only so many re-runs you can endure, even if you love it) but I'll probably start binging from the beginning again soon for a bit of nostalgia. Mad to think it's almost 30 years since it began. Rest in peace Bing-a-ling.
Hit me hard this one not gonna lie I've battled with depression most of my adult life and Friends was always a comfort show for me when I felt down I went through a period where I had to have it on in the background to get me to sleep weirdly enough. I'm quite sarcastic and the way he portrayed Chandler influenced my personality a lot growing up it's a testament to the man that whilst he was going through his personal battles he still had enough strength to bring that character to life and entertain others. RIP Legend
I enjoyed Friends, sure it has some cringeworthy moments but for the most part it was entertaining enough. Some very classic moments too that are often replayed and/or referenced. Chandler's character was a favourite of many due to his comic timing and his wit. My wife likes the show a lot more and could probably recite most episodes word for word. RIP "Miss Chanandler Bong".
I watched it after it finished. Think I started watching it a couple of years after it finished. I'm a Fresh Prince of Bel Air kid as watched that growing up. Friends was very good. It's really odd watching episodes knowing he's passed away. What has annoyed me about this is that there are pictures of the cast together and Matty has been grey scaled as if he wasn't in that picture. Very shallow. Glad he was part of the Reunion as well as James Michael Tyler (Gunther). Unfortunate for James Avery (Uncle Phil) who couldn't be present for the Fresh Prince Reunion. RIP to all we've lost.
Chandler and Phoebe's characters always had the best lines in Friends and they were delivered to deadpan perfection by Matthew Perry ,his timing was extraordinary. I used to love Chandlers behind the hand silent screams when he found himself in a situation he found awkward and his facial mannerisms when the viewer knew he was laughing hysterically inwardly with only a hint of a smirk . Perry made that character his own with his unique delivery and without him and the brilliant Phoebe, Friends would have been yet another run of the mill Yank sitcom that sank without trace. RIP Matt
Matthew Perry and his portrayal of Chandler were one of the main reasons Friends was so enjoyable and successful, the other main reason for me was Ross, so underrated. I mean what’s more to say than “PIVOT” Gotta say I disagree with @Redpelt regarding Phoebe, her character was funny ish but not on the level of funny as the characters of Ross and Chandler for me.
I was about to say the same. Always felt like Phoebe was a bit of an outsider, which I guess she was, and while she had her moments a lot of her lines just seemed a bit too try-hard. The other five felt like more of a natural unit IMO. Saying that, Lisa Kudrow comes across as the most down to earth and genuine of the lot in real life, so I do like her.
I thought Rachel was the one all men loved! Yeah I would agree but at the same time it wouldn’t have been the same without her. I just think some of her storylines (the twin thing) and the singing were a tad annoying. She did have some great moments though. To be fair the 3 men were funnier than the women imo, and I think Monica was probably the funniest of the women. To be fair they all seem pretty down to earth.
Since each episode seemed to have at least 2 and sometimes 3 subplots I thought all the characters got a fair share of the one-liners. I couldn't imagine Friends without any of the 6, the opposites of Chandler and Joey worked perfectly, the brother/sister relationship of Ross/Monica always rang true, even the far fetched back stories of Rachel and Phoebe worked. Brilliantly consistent writing was complemented by excellent acting from all the cast and even by the peripheral characters like Gunther, Janice and a few others. Matthew Perry seemed a bit sad sometimes that Friends would always be how people remembered him most, but I think he should have been proud of such a fine programme that became a world-wide hit for over 10 years and is still being broadcast every day even now.
I wouldn't tolerate a Rachel in real life she was a bit too 'everybody needs to love me' which is typical of many American women. I like them kooky and off the wall and a bit of a challenge. I mean,dont get me wrong ,they were all fit ,but Phoebe was just simply stunning.
Yeah completely agree. Friends was my teenage years, first aired in the UK a year or so later than the original broadcasts in the US so it coincided perfectly with me starting high school. Season 1 was on Channel 4 when I was in year 7 and so the show progressed through high school and into my young adulthood. So it was my coming of age show in a way and perfectly represented the era. As a show it's aged pretty well and is still a great watch now. Obviously the odd thing that sounds a bit dodgy with changing attitudes and the well documented lack of diversity but in general it was quite a progressive show for the time with things like the lesbian wedding so I think it stands up pretty well. The themes are so timeless and it didn't get bogged down with the politics of the time so there aren't too many jarringly dated episodes either apart from the odd time they use computers and things like that. As for Matthew Perry it's such a sad story. This kind of early death was probably inevitable for him and doesn't come as a huge surprise after the huge amount of damage he's done to his body and the propensity for former addicts to relapse and then overdose. But it's still incredibly sad and genuinely feels like a little bit of my youth has died with him. Chandler was my favourite character and reminded me of myself in many ways so losing him felt a little more personal. As you say with the reunion, turned out they did it at just the right time with Gunther dying soon afterwards and now Chandler going too. If there's one small positive from all this, at least it kills any possibility of an ill advised late middle aged revival of the show which would be horrendous.
Well said, and I agree with your final point. Seeing them revisit the set and reminisce about what they'd achieved together was really nice, but a reboot of the show after all those years would've been painful. If I'm totally honest I find some of the later episodes hard to watch as they all just seem a bit too old and a lot of the jokes feel a little forced, but I think they just about got away with it. Think the middle years were the best. It was really cheesy at the start but when they all grew into their characters it was brilliant.
Yeah the best for me was season 3 to 5. It was absolute gold all the way through that with barely a bad episode and some of the most iconic storylines. Along with the best season ending cliffhanger at the end of season 4 when Ross says Rachel instead of Emily at the altar. Obviously not a cliffhanger anymore when watching back on Netflix or DVD but at the time knowing you had a year till you'd find out how it would be resolved was agonising. I also quite liked the slight cheesiness of the first two seasons and the dated hair cuts and clothes in season 1 in particular. But possibly more to do with nostalgia for the time than the quality of some of the episodes. And there were a couple of stupid ideas like giving Ross a monkey . They actually took the piss out of that in one of the later seasons. They hadn't quite settled into their groove yet and it showed. The youthful enthusiasm in the first couple of seasons is enjoyable though and also fitted well with the age I was at the time of broadcast in years 7 and 8. Season 9 was the worst. They were running out of ideas and it showed. Like you say the cast were starting to get too old for the setup and they started going for desperate, barrel scraping ideas like getting Joey and Rachel together which really shit on Joey's previously established characteristics of extreme loyalty to his friends and those close to him. I think they managed to turn it around successfully in season 10 and stuck the landing pretty well with the finale to save themselves. But parts of season 9 were a bit grim and tough to watch.
Yeah, while cheesy I do still like the early episodes as they're SO 90s, and I like the old shots of New York between scenes (including the old World Trade Center). It definitely peaked in the middle and, as you said, some of the episodes in that period remain timeless. I almost posted word for word what you said about the Joey/Rachel storyline. It just wasn't believable, and that series reeked of desperation all round. Even Chandler lost his mojo and became more slapstick than subtle wit. They definitely pulled it back a bit at the end though, and nailed the final scene, so fair play.
Awaiting Toxicology reports. His ex from 2006 has said it's likely he was on Drugs because of the Instagram post he put up. Mentioning Mattman, she stated he only ever used that when high.
