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For Sale Apr 5, 2026 at 5:28 PM

‘Friends’ Star Lisa Kudrow Says New Sitcoms are ‘Too Afraid’ to Make Jokes That Make People ‘Uncomfortable’: ‘I’m Not Buying It’

Posted by mcfw31

‘Friends’ Star Lisa Kudrow Says New Sitcoms are ‘Too Afraid’ to Make Jokes That Make People ‘Uncomfortable’: ‘I’m Not Buying It’
Variety
‘Friends’ Star Lisa Kudrow Says New Sitcoms are ‘Too Afraid’ to Make Jokes That Make People ‘Uncomfortable’: ‘I’m Not Buying It’
Lisa Kudrow says new sitcoms are 'too afraid' to make jokes that could make audiences 'uncomfortable.'
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SMC_4_Life Apr 5, 2026 +849
And it’s harder to find an audience when sitcoms are 8 episodes every 2-3 years
849
[deleted] Apr 5, 2026 +145
[deleted]
145
Fitliv Apr 5, 2026 +33
I turned it off because of the horrible lighting and laugh track personally. Couldn’t make it past episode 1. 
33
Coolbluegatoradeyumm Apr 5, 2026 +5
I wanted to watch but I know I’d hate it
5
horror_fan74 Apr 5, 2026 +6
It wasn't terrible. Definitely had potential. Netflix is too fast with the axe.
6
namdekan Apr 5, 2026 +6
Yeah it needed more time to let the characters grow, but the short seasons never gave it a shot to develop. I think it also focused too much on relationships. That 70s Show had more than that going on during the show.
6
FrigginMasshole Apr 5, 2026 +36
Aside from Topher, the rest of the cast was also supporting a rapist….
36
Such-Principle-3373 6 days ago +3
Still one of my favorite sitcoms, and Hyde is such a great character, but man. His actions really left a sour note on its legacy, and having Kitty, and Reds actors came out in his defense just what hell man.. I know they're just actors playing characters, but it completely shattered my image of them 
3
CliffDraws Apr 5, 2026 +4
It wasn’t that it was a tired remake of That 80s Show which was a tired remake of That 70s Show just trying to capitalize on nostalgia?
4
MechaEscargot2 Apr 5, 2026 +20
No, it wasn't a remake of the 80s at all. The 80s show also wasn't a remake of the 70s show. This just reads like a really cynical review by someone who hasnt seem any of the shows they're reviewing.
20
Spugheddy Apr 5, 2026 +5
I liked that 80s show, but in hindsight I think i just liked chyler in punk. And I thank them for it.
5
JBtheExplorer Apr 5, 2026 +24
That's what makes me not that interested in The Paper. They released like 10 episodes that I watched over the course of a week last fall. Now I get to wait a year to see probably 10 more. I can't even tell if I like it because it hasn't ran long enough, and I don't know how the actors or writers can get into any rhythm and learn their characters. Usually it takes a few seasons, 20 ep. per season before shows really take off. Now that same amount of episodes takes 6 years and probably won't even last that long.
24
TheSavouryRain Apr 6, 2026 +5
Seems like American sitcom writers need to take inspiration from how the Brits do it, because they do not have many episodes
5
Greedy-Pilot-4538 Apr 5, 2026 +22
Looks like its about backing an established franchise nowadays, Bridgerton, One Piece 
22
Rstuds7 Apr 5, 2026 +7
Friends and other sitcoms then had 24 episodes a season, it was so much easier to get behind
7
jaymole Apr 5, 2026 +3
New everything is scared to do anything
3
VenusAmari Apr 5, 2026 +3
This is the real tea. Stuff like Adults and Ted exist but they don't take off because they aren't given long enough to find their stride.
3
Mistrblank Apr 5, 2026 +72
Do we even have new sitcoms?
72
TheShamShield Apr 5, 2026 +32
The only recent one I can think of is Abbot Elementary. But from what I’ve heard it’s pretty good
32
bambi54 Apr 6, 2026 +4
I like it, I’m waiting for the season to be done to catch up. It’s one of the rarer comedies where it’s actually good the first couple of episodes,
4
ChrundleToboggan Apr 5, 2026 +4
Shrinking is great. Is that a sitcom?
4
Beekeeper_Dan Apr 6, 2026 +3
Don’t think it would meet the criteria, more drama/comedy and not shot on sitcom type sets and camera setups.
3
GronkTheGump Apr 5, 2026 +5
They’re still cranking them out, Stumble and St Denis on peacock is surprisingly really funny. But they’re woefully marketed so no one knows about em
5
Mistrblank Apr 6, 2026 +7
That's probably it. Someone mentioned Abbot Elementary, which I have heard is good, but I knew about it only because I live close to Philly and the actors have been on local radio promoting and because of the IASIP crossover.
7
Im_tracer_bullet Apr 6, 2026 +2
Is that the problem, or is the issue that people just aren't watching traditional television? Personally, I simply won't watch ads, and I'm not paying for something like Peacock or Paramount+. Netflix, HBO, and Disney / Hulu have taken a huge bite out of the networks, and they're failing to compete in terms of being streaming platforms
2
Left_Apparently Apr 5, 2026 +745
People forget about Always Sunny.
745
teratron27 Apr 5, 2026 +100
Not exactly a New Sitcom, it first aired a year after Friends ended
100
RevolutionaryGain823 Apr 5, 2026 +59
Yeah people often use Sunny as an example that “cancel culture”/censorship/whatever you want to call it doesn’t exist but a) it debuted almost 20 years ago so is grandfathered in and b) has had a bunch of old episodes pulled from streaming services (https://screenrant.com/its-always-sunny-blackface-episodes-missing-hulu-netflix/)
59
Zealousideal-Ad4362 Apr 5, 2026 +10
It isnt grandfathered in at all its that the content is done with care to the subjects they are covering. You know what they are intending
10
Strange_Specialist4 Apr 5, 2026 +6
How about Ted then? 
6
reecharound40 Apr 5, 2026 +6
But she is not talking about Ted style sitcoms. Her whole quote is referring to studio sit coms
6
zombawombacomba Apr 5, 2026 +3
People are confused with the difference between NBC and FX.
3
SoftwareAny4990 Apr 5, 2026 +2
I haven't watched it. Whats the reference to?
2
Oldcummerr Apr 5, 2026 +6
A prequel series to the movie. I think in one of the first view episode the dad talks about jacking off a dog in Vietnam
6
Standard-Win-6600 Apr 5, 2026 +3
The dad voices Steve in American Dad
3
Oldcummerr Apr 5, 2026 +3
Ahh f*** I never realized. American Dad is something I often throw on for background noise when I’m doing other shit, or if I can’t be bothered looking for something else
3
Strange_Specialist4 Apr 5, 2026 +6
Recent sitcom that jokes about abortion, religion, teen drug use, drunk driving, etc, all kinds of controversial topics
6
lookitsjustin Apr 5, 2026 +298
Dropping the N-bomb in the first episode was an insane choice lol
298
HeadAssBoi17 Apr 5, 2026 +114
Dropping the N-bomb again in season 12... Also nuts.
114
exophrine Apr 5, 2026 +60
Also nuts: Mac going all out to play Danny Glover in *Lethal Weapon 5*
60
HeadAssBoi17 Apr 5, 2026 +32
"The whole idea is getting the right color shoe polish." "No! Oh, Frank, if you're starting with shoe polish, you're starting off on the wrong foot, buddy. No way. Shoe polish? Come on. And he's on your side."
32
JasonVorhehees Apr 5, 2026 +19
And now that episode is only available on physical media
19
SoftwareAny4990 Apr 5, 2026 +17
Yeah. I dont want to form an argument for or against it, but people dont want to admit that even Sunny made concessions. Honestly, its perfectly okay lol.
17
dancingbriefcase Apr 5, 2026 +6
I forgot which but there's an episode that isn't even on the physical media. I went out and bought all the DVDs and one episode isn't even on the DVD. That's absolutely ridiculous. If they want to take it off streaming, okay, but it should have been on the DVD.
6
Whipped-Creamer Apr 5, 2026 +2
If it’s one of the recent ones, i bought it on Youtube i think. I hunted for the DVDs on ebay and got all but that one, which was -only- available for purchase on YouTube at the time. It was season 14 i think.
2
BR-D_ Apr 5, 2026 +6
Cowards
6
sgtpepperslaststand Apr 5, 2026 +17
Btw it wasn’t them Who took it down they complained about it on their podcast
17
rosemachinist Apr 5, 2026 +6
I love those guys cause they pushed tv to its limits.
6
Intelligent-Click911 Apr 5, 2026 +71
I think I remember on the Sunny podcast they said that wasn’t the original first episode and the network chose that one because it was more relatable lol
71
TheRandom6000 Apr 5, 2026 +13
That was in 2005.
13
Separate_Hall_8335 Apr 5, 2026 +26
Just saw the episode when they all turn black and Frank goes on singing “ I really want to say the N word” hahaha so dead ☠️
26
SoftwareAny4990 Apr 5, 2026 +13
Im not sure they would do that again.
13
throwaway7826358 Apr 5, 2026 +20
They wouldn't. They say donkey brain instead of the r word now too.
20
imdirtydan1997 Apr 5, 2026 +2
No donkey brain was used because Frank was sent to the looney bin and the kids in his neighborhood accused him of going there for having donkey brains.
2
SuperDizz Apr 5, 2026 +2
What are ruuuuuuules?
2
Weary_Management_566 Apr 5, 2026 +2
They're hanging from the rafters
2
rosemachinist Apr 5, 2026 +2
Man Charlie day saying N——- blew my mind
2
Arthurlmnz Apr 5, 2026 +2
I love the episode where they beat the shit out of some kids
2
ManateeNipples Apr 5, 2026 +63
That's old af though lol she said new
63
HeadAssBoi17 Apr 5, 2026 +19
They're still going hard 17 seasons in.
19
SorcererSupremPizza Apr 5, 2026 +12
They should see a doctor for that
12
handsome_gregory Apr 5, 2026 +22
No part of that show even remotely resembles what it looked like in 2006 lol. It didn't even resemble the earlier seasons by 2016.
22
Notimetowrite76 Apr 5, 2026 +11
Of all the shows my 73 year old mom could find to watch during her breast cancer treatment, she found Always Sunny and watched it all the way through. She’s still watching it. *Cancer treatment was a success.
11
killey2011 Apr 5, 2026 +8
Sunny is old enough to drink now. I think m it’s safe to not call this new anymore
8
ThePoobahsJester Apr 5, 2026 +5
Yes, the longest running live action sitcom ever, my favorite new series…
5
TheCloakMinusRobert Apr 5, 2026 +4
It’s been on for 20 years, it’s not exactly a *new* sitcom now is it
4
hobbestot Apr 5, 2026 +5
Always sunny is more than 20 years old. Not new.
5
Tychlona Apr 5, 2026 +23
I think the problem is Sunny is actually funny, while not punching down. Lots of comedians tell offensive/punch down jokes for the shock factor, without really being funny.
23
HeadAssBoi17 Apr 5, 2026 +19
It's like they literally can't punch down because they are the lowest of lowlifes themselves.
19
silvahammer Apr 5, 2026 +12
Which is why it works, it is punching down humor that's more punching sideways.
12
zombawombacomba Apr 5, 2026 +10
Not punching down? The entire show is about punching down. The characters are just created to not be good people though. It’s similar to Trailer Park Boys. They’re all trashy pieces of shit.
10
PawPawsLilStinker Apr 5, 2026 +6
There is a newer episode where Dee tries to go undercover at a fish processing plant owned by Chinese people and the joke the entire time is how f****** terrible she is at her job, and it's really really funny. The premise can sound like punching down, but it's not when you actually watch it.
6
dat_oracle Apr 5, 2026 +3
one of rare shows that keep me laughing. they also have Devito the national treasure
3
derpaderp2020 Apr 5, 2026 +3
I mean I know it had a long run but ASIP was 21 years ago, she's talking about stuff that's been coming out the last few years.
3
zombawombacomba Apr 5, 2026 +3
I think she’s talking about sitcoms on channels like NBC not a channel specifically known for shows that push boundaries of regular cable television.
3
el-bulero Apr 5, 2026 +3
She said new. Always Sunny was grandfathered in.
3
Ziatch Apr 5, 2026 +2
“But I’m not drawn to new sitcoms that are multi-camera in front of an audience because I’m not buying it. I don’t know if that’s just because I’ve seen too many single-camera sitcoms—I think we need to get back to being able to tell jokes. I feel like we’ve been too afraid to make jokes that might make people uncomfortable.” Isn’t this about multicam sitcoms? Does anyone watch those anymore lol
2
abellapa Apr 5, 2026 +2
Its not a New sitcom
2
Thefdt Apr 5, 2026 +2
Yeah but even that you have people trying to cancel old episodes and pull bits, it’s bullshit. If you’re offended don’t watch, it’s like we’ve lost the nuance of ‘this joke isn’t poking fun at others, it’s poking fun at how awful these people are’
2
asdf0909 Apr 5, 2026 +2
Gotta do one that’s not grandfathered in. The “everyone’s offended” thing that graduated from pearl-clutching Christian groups to youth and the left, was around 2015-ish. A show from then til now would be a better example.
2
Wellcomefarewell Apr 6, 2026 +2
they also had to remove certain episodes due to them potentially offending people, prob not the best example
2
Worth-Frosting-2917 Apr 5, 2026 +2
It's not a new show lol. Its first season was the same year as the first season of The Office, for God's sake lol. It is completely grandfathered in.
2
mcfw31 Apr 5, 2026 +118
> When asked if the sitcom genre is evolving or dying, Kurdrow said, “I wish they were evolving. ‘30 Rock’ and ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Friends’ were really funny and really well written. But I’m not drawn to new sitcoms that are multi-camera in front of an audience because I’m not buying it. I don’t know if that’s just because I’ve seen too many single-camera sitcoms—I think we need to get back to being able to tell jokes. I feel like we’ve been too afraid to make jokes that might make people uncomfortable.” > She added, “But the really good ones, they’re not tame jokes. They’re jokes that are kind of, ‘I can’t believe you just said that.’ Comedy is about surprise. You need things you didn’t see coming.”
118
AffectionateSwan5129 Apr 5, 2026 +193
Friends is literally the most vanilla comedy ever.. there’s zero risk to anything, no controversy at all.. it’s literally just 6 people drinking coffee and talking about work and relationships
193
Shaggy__94 Apr 5, 2026 +92
I dunno, Friends did had some moments that were considered to be a bit eyebrow raising at the time it aired. The show creators said something a while back about how they were worried about writing a scene where Monica slept with a guy on the first date during the pilot because they thought her character might be perceived as too loose by audiences. Times change, and I think we tend to look back on shows and judge them by our own standards rather than remember what society used to be like back then instead.
92
reecharound40 Apr 5, 2026 +78
I think people are forgetting when Friends was originally on TV
78
CasoneToscana Apr 5, 2026 +95
Exactly. Ross’ wife leaves him for a woman, and then he comes to terms with it, supports her love and sexuality, and openly helps raise a child with her and her lesbian affair partner. That was wild as f*** in the 90’s.
95
AffectionateSwan5129 Apr 5, 2026 +30
This is fair, and from what I’ve seen the first televised lesbian marriage was on friends
30
DavidKirk2000 Apr 5, 2026 +51
Listnook also just despises Friends for some reason. It’s not my favourite show or anything, but it’s nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be on this site.
51
AffectionateSwan5129 Apr 5, 2026 +9
I agree - I didn’t mean to say it was bad, it is definitely an era defining show that went global. It’s crazy popular in UK as well versus other American shows at the time. For example, Seinfeld never really launched well at all in UK / Europe.. but friends was a different story.
9
Stu_Griffin Apr 5, 2026 +5
Yes. In the monoculture Must See TV era a prime time show about singles who all obviously enjoyed sex for pleasure was edgy even if it wasn’t explicit. In 1996 there was an episode of Murder She Wrote called “Murder Among Friends” about a show called “Buds” where it turns out one of the actors killed someone because what else would you expect with all the sex happening.
5
emotions1026 Apr 5, 2026 +10
The show had a lesbian wedding in 1995 and Chandler’s father was a trans woman.
10
Lightyear1931 Apr 5, 2026 +45
Yeah, her tossing Friends into that conversation is crazy. And then saying Phoebe wasn’t a ditz. She’s retconned herself as edgy when that show just chased bucks.
45
Khair24 Apr 5, 2026 +5
To be fair for her argument, there was a bunch one online conversations a few years ago about Friends and the fat jokes and what not.
5
Sharp-Jackfruit825 6 days ago +2
I don't know about the 2nd statement but friends was a bit edgy you can't look at the show from the perspective of today look at it from early 90s and it was one of a handful of shows having lgbtq people and dealing with those kinda of subjects in a time when they were a punchline or just ignored.
2
CrowsInTheNose Apr 5, 2026 +10
I can't think of anything friends did that would make anyone uncomfortable.
10
alicelestial Apr 5, 2026 +26
maybe the lesbian couple? the breastfeeding? those would have been more taboo topics during the airing of friends
26
zendrumz Apr 5, 2026 +5
Smelly Cat made me uncomfortable.
5
maceilean Apr 5, 2026 +7
The way Chandler treated his father, even at time of air, made me uncomfortable.
7
Lovefist1221 Apr 5, 2026 +17
Chandler's father had an affair with their pool boy, breaking up the family. She then showed up to Chandler's school events dressed as different Hollywood starlets. Especially during the time, I could absolutely see Chandler having a lot of embarrassment and trauma.
17
cmrndzpm Apr 5, 2026 +4
Exactly, and then it resolves with the relationship starting to heal with Chandler inviting his dad to the wedding.
4
ineednapkins Apr 5, 2026 +6
Am i misremembering or was friends pretty tame and Mickey Mouse style humor? I don’t think it was making anybody uncomfortable lmao like shows like the big bang theory are just the more recent friends equivalent
6
Travelin_Soulja Apr 5, 2026 +19
Most of the jokes were pretty vanilla, but it was the first US primetime show to have a lesbian wedding, and one of the first sitcoms to feature a recurring trans character, Chandler's dad. The latter was handled pretty poorly in hindsight, but both demonstrate they weren't afraid to touch culturally sensitive issues that very much made people uncomfortable at the time. There's also the one where Monica finds out the new guy she's dating is a high school kid. That one's still kinda uncomfortable even today.
19
Tangocan Apr 5, 2026 +8
Friends never made anyone uncomfortable when it aired. It was never edgy.
8
No-Judge-621 Apr 5, 2026 +30
bring back shows like eastbound and down
30
joe199799 Apr 5, 2026 +6
Tight d*** playa
6
HighCaliberBullet Apr 5, 2026 +9
“That’s racism, man! I love to racism, bro”
9
Upset-Builder Apr 5, 2026 +65
She clearly hasn’t seen Righteous Gemstones
65
asminaut Apr 5, 2026 +41
or What We Do In The Shadows.
41
The-Dudemeister Apr 5, 2026 +14
That’s not a multi cam sitcom.
14
10000Didgeridoos 6 days ago +3
It’s also on HBO and this quote is clearly referring to network sitcoms
3
Turbulent-Tip-1162 Apr 5, 2026 +2
Ehh that’s kind of an easy one
2
MediaLongjumping9910 Apr 5, 2026 +48
The Office has had multiple scenes removed from TV because it was too offensive.
48
percypersimmon Apr 5, 2026 +40
The Office is 20 years old.
40
MilhouseisCool Apr 5, 2026 +16
So did 30 Rock. And the Simpsons.
16
Travelin_Soulja Apr 5, 2026 +11
Yeah, but none of these address her point because they're all shows that started 20+ years ago, and she's talking about new shows.
11
rosemachinist Apr 5, 2026 +6
Don’t even get started on IASIP. Those are the best episodes.
6
CopperSteve Apr 5, 2026 +2
RIP Martina Martinez
2
Whiterhinosanchez Apr 5, 2026 +5
Even Comedy Central edits/bleeps words on reruns now.
5
random_boss Apr 5, 2026 +5
“New shows are inoffensive” “Nuh uh this old show was offensive” ??????
5
The_Dark_Vampire Apr 5, 2026 +246
Friends was as tame as you could get. Why is she trying to pretend Friends of all shows was edgy and offensive
246
8JHF8 Apr 5, 2026 +174
Believe it or not, there are people who weren't born at the time who now consider parts of the shows she mentioned as offensive. Edit: including Friends Edit 2: The show was not super tame at the time if you were around. It was a big deal that Ross's wife left him for a woman and then had a lesbian wedding with Newt Gingrich's daughter as the officiant. That was in 1996 on prime time TV. Looked it up. That was January of 1996. DOMA was passed in September that same year.
174
lynchcontraideal Apr 5, 2026 +26
Most of the 'Friends' sub in particular lol
26
Double_Priority_2702 Apr 5, 2026 +7
exactly this - google how many "shows that are now "problematic " type c*** articles and the like
7
islandinthecold Apr 5, 2026 +108
It was for the time. It openly talked about queerness, women’s independence, and sex. You have to place it in the context of the time it aired.
108
CandidIndication Apr 5, 2026 +82
The actress who played Carol, Ross’s lesbian ex wife, said that her family *still* doesn’t talk to her simply because she played a lesbian on TV. She’s straight and they couldn’t even handle her acting as a lesbian.
82
Dull_Astronomer_3778 Apr 5, 2026 +21
Didn’t they have an episode where one of the women slept with an underage guy?
21
Dorkinfo Apr 5, 2026 +29
Yeah, Monica slept with a guy still in high school. He’d lied about his age. She also slept with a guy on the first date, they did tests to see if the audience would think she was slutty and dislike her for it.
29
Charlie_Warlie Apr 5, 2026 +3
Monica worse than Dennis Reynolds confirmed. The man knows every legal limit in the country so he's never in trouble.
3
SmokinSkinWagon Apr 5, 2026 +9
Unknowingly, but yes
9
xanacop Apr 5, 2026 +2
Let's be honest, if a man did this, unknowingly is never used as a good excuse.
2
Resolution-Double Apr 5, 2026 +14
That's literally been happening since the 70s lol many many many sitcoms actually handled those issues with gravity, whereas friends was literally allergic to treating things with any sense of gravity Don't get your info from YouTube video essays lol
14
DumptimeComments Apr 5, 2026 +10
Bingo. All In the Family was way edgier and predates it by decades.
10
drinkliquidclocks- Apr 5, 2026 +5
Married with children was airing the same time as friends and that was definitely edgier too
5
Stu_Griffin Apr 5, 2026 +3
Married with Children aired on Fox. The step-child network most people’s cable couldn’t pick up when the show started (and there was a cancellation campaign against it because of an episode where the Bundys go to lingerie store). Friends was part of NBC’s Must See TV lineup. That made all the difference. There was popular media where singles slept around before Friends but it was kept to cable, R-rated movies, and so on. Friends was on NBC’s Must See TV Lineup.
3
islandinthecold Apr 5, 2026 +4
I watched it every week when it aired. And I’ve never watched a YouTube video essay. Thanks for making me feel old! :(
4
CrowsInTheNose Apr 5, 2026 +4
Ellen was by for more on the topics you mentioned.
4
tylerjehenna Apr 5, 2026 +7
It debuted around the same time as South Park. It was tame
7
islandinthecold Apr 5, 2026 +8
There was obviously more “un-tame” stuff. Friends was, however, as mainstream as you could possibly get and on broadcast TV. South Park was “underground” at the time on a cable channel.
8
tylerjehenna Apr 5, 2026 +4
Even then, Seinfeld was significantly more crass and "low-brow" than friends on mainstream broadcast TV. The reason Friends was as big of a hit as it was was it was the only show that was tame and didnt really rock the boat in an era where every show was doing that
4
The_Dark_Vampire Apr 5, 2026 +2
I don't know about America but in the UK it was aired (ok repeats) at like 9am on weekdays along side the kids shows on Channel 4.
2
islandinthecold Apr 5, 2026 +4
She literally mentions Seinfeld in the article.
4
venivitavici Apr 5, 2026 +7
Were you around when friends on was? It was tame for the time.
7
islandinthecold Apr 5, 2026 +21
Yes I was. What are you comparing it against? Obviously, we had more un-tame stuff going on, but this was literally part of “must see TV” and was a national phenomenon reaching millions upon millions. It was as mainstream as you could get
21
Tibbaryllis2 Apr 5, 2026 +2
It was tame compared to its more risky contemporaries and more risky compared to its more tame contemporaries. In other words, it tried to ride the edge just enough to be provocative without completely turning off conservative viewers.
2
BortcornsFourJezus Apr 5, 2026 +9
I was there. It was a little edgy for Thursday night
9
Mysterious-Wasabi103 Apr 5, 2026 +4
Ya it was super tame lol
4
The_Dark_Vampire Apr 5, 2026 +3
I was around at the time one big reason I never liked it was I found it far to tame
3
grindhousedecore Apr 5, 2026 +30
Golden girls are way more edgy than Friends.😜
30
Polibiux Apr 5, 2026 +13
And Golden Girls cast pushed the boundary of sitcoms far harder than the cast of friends ever has. Same for the British and American versions of the office.
13
macruffins Apr 5, 2026 +2
I’ve laughed way harder at a single episode of golden girls than I’ve laughed at every episode of friends I’ve seen combined
2
ThiccQban Apr 5, 2026 +7
The most offensive thing Friends ever did was steal the show premise from Living Single 🤷🏽‍♀️
7
flonkhonkers Apr 5, 2026 +4
Especially since Friends came after the Norman Lear sitcom era. Friends was so bland in comparison.
4
DumptimeComments Apr 5, 2026 +5
I cited All in the Family above to this same effect. Pretty much all of Lear’s stuff ran circles around Friends. For chrissakes, it even centered around a coffee shop, the least edgy of locales. It’s literally the Starbucks of TV shows. Pumpkin spice bullshit.
5
badugihowser Apr 5, 2026 -1
That was my thought - because Friends was sooo cutting edge.
-1
teratron27 Apr 5, 2026 +12
It was pretty boundary-pushing when it first aired for how open and frank it was about the main cast dating and sleeping with multiple partners
12
The_Dark_Vampire Apr 5, 2026 +5
TBF other shows did that obvious example Golden Girls Blanche would screw anything that could move
5
Savings_Stock_4240 Apr 5, 2026 +5
Seinfeld had already been on the air for years. Cheers centered around Sam and Carla banging incessantly. All four of the Golden Girls were constantly plowing various men
5
kidkuro Apr 5, 2026 +2
Living Single predates Friends by three years, and almost every episode one of the main female characters (besides maybe Synclair) were dating a new man...or multiple men at once lol Shit, probably the "edgiest" thing Living Single did was simply having the main character Khadijah a "heavy set" (I prefer voluptuous and fantastic) Black female lead character who had a variety of attractive and successful men throwing themselves at her. And that was on FOX back in the early 90s.
2
flonkhonkers Apr 5, 2026 +2
It pushed no boundaries. No boundaries were pushed.
2
SpecificWorldly4826 Apr 5, 2026 +25
I love when celebrities tell us they just don’t watch TV anymore.
25
LomentMomentum Apr 5, 2026 +3
It’s harder to find new sitcoms worth watching, or to find new sitcoms period.
3
throwawayjoeyboots Apr 5, 2026 +7
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here. I’m old enough to remember the show in its heyday. Friends was never “edgy”. Literally part of its appeal is that it’s safe easy going comedy that appeals to anyone and can be shown in reruns any time of day. Just because it was “must see tv” didn’t mean it was cutting edge. It was just a really popular show.
7
Acceptable-Ad1930 Apr 5, 2026 +3
Yeah, and people here are trying to argue it was edgy for including LGBTQ+ people, like sure? But no one has an issue showing that nowadays, shows just stopped with racist, sexist, ableist jokes (and not all of them cuz shows like IASIP and Abbot Elementary still have raunchy comedy) So idk what Lisa Kudrow is talking about.
3
lkdubdub Apr 5, 2026 +15
"In my day... "You can't say anything anymore..." Etc etc Next 
15
bascule Apr 5, 2026 +11
[Jerry Seinfeld said the same thing](https://www.today.com/popculture/news/jerry-seinfeld-comedy-pc-culture-rcna150140). Like Friends, I would also consider Seinfeld (and pretty much any sitcom on network TV) incredibly normie compared to sitcoms that followed it, like say… Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Or IASIP. Or if you count cartoons, South Park. Or Fleabag. Or Kevin Can F*** Himself, which deconstructs the whole sitcom genre. Cable and the Internet are what unlocked the potential for truly subversive sitcoms, so what are these people who made normie network TV sitcoms smoking?
11
Carsoninthehouse Apr 5, 2026 +22
None of you read the article. She is very specifically talking about multi cam sitcoms filmed in front of an audience. All of the shows you mentioned are single cam shows.
22
El_Beakerr Apr 5, 2026 +4
Kramer goes to the Laugh Factory is the best episode ever.
4
Not_Sure__Camacho Apr 5, 2026 +5
Kind of a copout.  People weren't uncomfortable back then, they were just less sensitive back then.  The generation that watched Friends were shocked by All In The Family.  And The Honeymooners, the guy threatened to punch his wife to the moon, were Friends audiences fine with that?  
5
KtinaDoc 6 days ago +2
We weren't shocked by All in the Family and no one that watched the Honeymooners though Ralph was literally going to punch Alice. Alice was the tough one and always gave it right back to Ralph. We didn't lose control of our senses because of fictional characters on a sitcom.
2
Drogo10 Apr 5, 2026 +2
Nothing reveals how clueless/stupid an actor or comedian is than when they say something like this. There is plenty of edgy stuff out there and coming from someone who was in one of the most boring, safe sitcoms in the history of television is really something else.
2
suck-it-elon Apr 5, 2026 +3
Did...Friends? What is with that 90's NBC lineup and "cancer culture" nonsense? Friends and Seinfeld were as straight as they come and now they lecture us on comedy? lol
3
InsomniaDudeToo Apr 5, 2026 +4
Always Sunny, heck throw South Park in there considering who they just spent an entire season lampooning…
4
Comrade-Conquistador Apr 5, 2026 +4
There's a way to do that without punching down. Friends pretty consistently punched down and that's why I never bought it, Lisa.
4
BlondeBorednBaked Apr 5, 2026 +5
I don’t think she’s talking about punching down. She has a new season of The Comeback and the jokes are uncomfortable/cringe without punching down. There’s jokes about AI writing tv shows, performative activism, pretending to be apolitical, women aging in Hollywood, social media, influencers, podcasts, technology, etc. There’s literally a gag with Jane Fonda wearing a RESIST shirt. Kudrow’s character asks her to say something for her socials(?) and Jane Fonda says “vote.” Kudrow’s character gets flustered because she’s vapid and wants to play both sides of the fence for her career. It’s the opposite of what you are implying.
5
WillingLake623 Apr 5, 2026 +2
This. Friends was funny if you were a middle class straight white person. All other demographics were a prop at best and a punchline at worst lol
2
The4thJuliek Apr 5, 2026 +7
> Friends was funny if you were a middle-class straight white person. I know it's cool to shit on Friends right now, but this makes no sense considering how popular Friends was/is all over the world.
7
stay_strapped_ Apr 6, 2026 +2
Yeah it was great lmao
2
Appropriate_West_30 Apr 5, 2026 +2
For every Abbott Elementary, there are dozens of Poppa’s House, Mid-Century Modern, and DMV. Those shows aren’t bad, they just weren’t breakout concepts that networks felt they had to keep pushing. Because the ratio of good sitcom to bad is quite extreme compared to police procedural and medical drama, networks are not looking for groundbreaking comedies - the office, Seinfeld, 30 rock - they fill their fall lineups with safe shows built around established names - Joel McCale, Keenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan. While the major networks play it safe and mostly just repackage the same c*** over and over again, streamers are pushing the envelope - Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Hacks.
2
whatsasyria Apr 5, 2026 +2
Says the star from a show that barely had any uncomfortable jokes
2
Iconclast1 Apr 5, 2026 +2
Always Sunny The Good Place Spoilers Show about people trying to escape hell, working with a demon to break into heaven would of been pretty controversial back in the day.  Not to mention of have someone from Florida
2
Seamus32 Apr 5, 2026 +2
She was on friends.
2
Barbarella_39 Apr 5, 2026 +2
Schitts creek? Ted Lasso? All modern funny sitcoms…
2
SpiritualFront769 Apr 5, 2026 +2
I'm trying to think what was edgy or new about Freinds. Sex out of wedlock was widely done by then. First divorced friends living together? - The Odd Couple. First single woman trying to make it on her own? - Mary Tyler Moore. First interracial kiss? - Star Trek (even if it was forced by mind control). First gay couple? Barney Miller. First main cast interracial marriage? - The Jeffersons. First birth out of wedlock for a main character? Murphy Brown. I thought Roseanne was way more edgy, mainly because it had tones of reality. Barr's behavior since then has helped it become memory-holed. Even at the time, her supposedly comic rendition of the National Anthem drew a lot of criticism.
2
New-Pollution536 Apr 5, 2026 +2
I love when these stars from older sitcoms that played it relatively safe make comments like this while it’s always sunny does the most ridiculous things you’ve ever seen every week and everyone loves it lol
2
Mental-Currency-4494 Apr 5, 2026
Oh yeah, networks used to run h******* edgy shows like... Friends? Seriously? I think Seinfeld said the same thing about his show.
0
CrasVox Apr 5, 2026 +1
So new sitcoms are too much like Friends?
1
AudienceOk3406 Apr 5, 2026 +3
Absolutely 💯 agree with her. Everything is average or not funny
3
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