You won’t find anyone on this platform who liked the show, so I’ll answer. The appeal was that it gave people a group of friends to watch and grow with. There are a lot of lonely people in the world, and Friends filled a void for them, covering every topic that young adults face over the lifetime of the show. If you go watch any of the documentaries about friends, you will see that there are millions of people across the world who felt that Friends was a big part of their lives, and that the characters were their friends. Plus, it was fun and funny, in its own era. Many of the jokes fall flat now, and some are considered completely taboo or horribly insensitive now, but times have changed. Making fun of straight guys by calling them “gay” was completely normal back then. Ribbing people and joking about their weaknesses was too.

Anyways, it was the first comedy show ever to present young adults in a semi-authentic manner, and give viewers a chance to watch them grow, and grow alongside them. Writing was pretty solid for the show too, and the guest appearances were fun. Everyone here hates Friends, but most people back then loved it. I didn’t watch TV at all back then, I was too busy outside, living my life, but I watched all of it several years later and enjoyed it, despite the many issues.