Ava Mac ’21, Feature Editor
For four years now, the iconic 90s series about a group of friends trying to make it in the big city has been one of the shining gems on the Netflix crown. It was announced back in December 2018 that Netflix paid quite a pretty penny of about $100 million to keep this jewel in their collection.
While many argue that a show of such raw relatability and cultural impact is worth that much, it is a question whether or not this was a worthy deal to even make in the first place.
For starters, the show itself is not without fault. With its 10 seasons, 236 episodes, and 83 hours of content, there tends to be a sense of repetitiveness with its storylines and consistent six main characters. Speaking of these six main characters, they happen to be exclusively white, despite living in New York City, a place with such well-known diversity
It could be argued that it was a show of its time, a time when diverse people were less represented. This only means it is time for other shows like One Day at a Time, that have expansive casts and represent so many unheard voices like the Latinx and LGBT+ communities to be available on the streaming service to better suit our generation. But unfortunately, this show has been dropped out of the budget as a result of the extreme repurchase of Friends, a senseless move on Netflix’s part in its branded attempt to be more inclusive and relatable to modern audiences.
But aside from preventing the diversification of its shows, the repurchase made by Netflix also prevents the chance for something simply new. Sophomore Brenna Tarlton added that the money used to purchase Friends “could have been used for so many new shows,” shows that could take on new storylines, new topics, and go beyond Monica’s couch and that little coffee shop “Central Perk.”
While being a timeless classic, Friends represents the world of a time past and instead of looking back, we should be looking forward to new media and more innovative ideas to be available on the platform. This means putting your Friends binge on a Ross and Rachel kind of break to make room for new content.
Photo courtesy of The Tempest
Lyon Life 