I'll Be There For You: The One About Friends by Kelsey Miller
"This definitive retrospective of Friends incorporates interviews, history and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to offer a critical analysis of how a sitcom about six twentysomethings changed television forever
When Friends debuted in 1994, no one expected it to become a mainstay of NBC's Must See TV lineup, let alone a global phenomenon. In the years since, Friends has gone through many phases of cultural relevancy, from prime-time hit to 90s novelty item to certified classic. Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe have entered the pantheon of great television characters, and millions of people around the globe continue to tune in or stream their stories every day.
I'll Be There for You is the definitive retrospective of Friends, exploring all aspects of the show from its unlikely origins to the elusive reasons why we still watch it. Journalist and pop culture expert Kelsey Miller relives the show's most iconic moments, analyzes the ways in which Friends is occasionally problematic and examines the many trends it inspired, from the rise of coffee-shop culture to Friendsgivings to the ultimate 90s haircut, the Rachel.
Weaving incisive commentary, revelatory interviews and behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving high-profile guest stars, I'll Be There for You is the most comprehensive take on Friends, and the ultimate book for fans everywhere."
When Friends debuted in 1994, no one expected it to become a mainstay of NBC's Must See TV lineup, let alone a global phenomenon. In the years since, Friends has gone through many phases of cultural relevancy, from prime-time hit to 90s novelty item to certified classic. Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe have entered the pantheon of great television characters, and millions of people around the globe continue to tune in or stream their stories every day.
I'll Be There for You is the definitive retrospective of Friends, exploring all aspects of the show from its unlikely origins to the elusive reasons why we still watch it. Journalist and pop culture expert Kelsey Miller relives the show's most iconic moments, analyzes the ways in which Friends is occasionally problematic and examines the many trends it inspired, from the rise of coffee-shop culture to Friendsgivings to the ultimate 90s haircut, the Rachel.
Weaving incisive commentary, revelatory interviews and behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving high-profile guest stars, I'll Be There for You is the most comprehensive take on Friends, and the ultimate book for fans everywhere."
Edition: Hardcover, Ebook, Audiobook
Page Count: 304 pages
Published: October 23rd, 2018 by Hanover Square Press
mini review
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I picked this up from my online library in an audiobook format because I had seen it on Goodreads and immediately added it to my TBR. Friends is something I've loved all throughout my teenage years and I still watch re-runs to this day. Whenever I can't sleep, Friends is on. Whenever I don't feel well mentally or physically, Friends is on. It's definitely my comfort show. I recently bought this book and sent it to my friend after finishing it because she's the one who showed me Friends and I can guarantee she'd love this book.
This book was incredibly fun to listen to on audiobook because of my love for Friends. I'm always into the behind the scenes type stuff so this was an easy read for me. I loved learning about the production of the show and what went into the writing. It's interesting because Friends is really such a huge show and even 20 years later, it remains one of the most re-watched shows on air. In fact, I'm pretty sure this book mentions that the viewer count is only growing for Friends re-runs. In the height of Friends fandom, Netflix recently paid $100 million dollars to keep Friends on their streaming service because people re-watch it THAT much. It's crazy, really. But again, I'm one of those re-watchers. No shame here.
This book also goes into details about Friends and how they approached the LGBT+ community at the time. It's something I definitely noticed but it was oddly progressive for it's time. I'd go more into this but I think the book explains it well enough. I also listened to this one on audiobook so hearing the author speak about it all really made it more entertaining for me. I love it when authors read their own audiobooks. You can totally hear the passion of the subject from the author and it makes an even better reading experience!
I gave this book 4.5 stars overall because it's not something I'd re-read, but I definitely loved every minute of it. It made for a great audiobook and I'm glad I've added to all the useless Friends knowledge I have in the back of my head. Brb while I go watch "The One with the Embryos" again.
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