Review: I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends

I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends by Kelsey Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve not been a fan of Friends, but my wife is, and I’ve grown accustomed to hearing episodes drone by at night like an audio nightlight. Friends tends to get turned to after the local news, and it’s often on until we go to sleep, sometimes for minutes and sometimes for hours. I was a half generation past the Friends cadre (I was more of the Thirtysomething aspirational set), and wasn’t a city dweller, so it didn’t pique the interest. But in the years of living with Friends on in the background, I’ve become accustomed to the characters. I find the characters well written, at times, and well acted, at times. And I appreciated how the show was put together. This book tells of Friends in all aspects, including the genesis of the show, the building of the cast, the highlights over the years, and the negotiations that made entertainment news. I suspect this book contains more detail than a fan would have picked up reading People or entertainment news while the show was running, but not a lot more detail. There is some of what I would consider analysis of the characters, and I found that part quite interesting. For instance, I learned more about the Rachel character than I expected, and since reading this I’ve watched the reruns with a more observant eye for her spoiled rich kid personality. I really hadn’t noticed it before (it didn’t stand out in comparison to many local characters). Also interesting was the analysis of “fat” Monica. I was also surprised that the authors didn’t drill down into every episode for some content, but I’m glad they didn’t. Just the highlights are here. For those looking for a trip down memory lane, or looking to what went into a successful comedy, this is a nice telling.

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