It’s Okay That “Friends” Was Not Diverse

Written by: Laverne Caprice

It’s been 24 years since Friends aired on television, but with the help of re-runs and streaming services it’s consistently remained a hot topic with a cult following. Since then, it has also been revealed that TV execs suggested that the cast be “more diverse,” but that this idea was rejected by the creators.

WARNING. The views I have about this show may upset some of you, but I personally never got the Friends thing. I can’t even begin to count the number of conversations and situations where I had to pick my favorite “Friend” and explain how I definitely wasn’t a Monica but not quite a Joey. Now I’m not saying the show was awful, but I absolutely would go through an entire episode without laughing once.

I’ve always been vocal about the token Black friend in television and films but I must admit, I never yearned for a Black character to join their group. Marta Kauffman, the “inventor” of Friends (I will explain the quotation marks later), recently issued an apology for not having a more diverse cast. “I wish I knew then what I know today,” she states, but honestly I think you can let yourself off the hook a little Marta because I’m not sure sticking a Black person in there would have been authentic.

Including comedic Black characters would most likely just emphasize how unfunny some of the gags were. They’d probably get less opportunities to be moderately talented, whilst still somehow being able to afford rent in a large, lower Manhattan apartment.

One thing that shouldn’t be let off the hook is the fact that Friends was not an original idea. I repeat: it was NOT an original idea! “Maybe there should be an all-black ‘Friends’ or an all-Asian ‘Friends’” — a direct quote from David Schwimmer who played Ross on the show. It appears that he seemingly forgot about the entire existence of Living Single. Just imagine the exact same concept of six best friends living in a New York apartment; this includes the goofy one, the eccentric one, the superficial one, and the career focused one but they’re actually funny…

I’ll also mention that both shows were produced by Warner Brothers and Living Single came out an entire year prior to Friends. Schwimmer later backtracked his statement and apologised, however even over twenty years later, it’s become so apparent that the erasure of Living Single was not coincidental. The clear rip-off of the show’s concept portrays perfectly how we are always told we have to work 10x harder and smarter but sometimes our ideas are quite literally replicated and deemed more popular.

I know it’s easy to think “it’s just a show” but in truth, it’s a lot deeper than that. The usual recipe tends to go like this:

1. There is an awesome creation by a Black person or a group of Black people

2. It gets taken without permission by a non-Black person or group

3. This person or group benefits or profits off of this creation

4. The original creator is never fully appreciated or celebrated

This has happened time and time again, whether it be through our music, art or, I don’t know, literal land! From Elvis Presley to Iggy Azalea it’s unsurprising but does take some audacity.

Queen Latifiah, one of the stars from the better version of Friends, finally confirmed the long standing rumours of show execs taking “inspiration” in 2016:

It was interesting because when Living Single came out, shortly thereafter— they asked him [Warren Littlefield, president of NBC] if he could have any show on television, any of the new shows, which one would it be? And he said Living Single, and then next thing you know here comes Friends.

I must admit, Queen is a lot more gracious about the whole situation then I ever would be, and I know she’s had more than 20 years to come to terms with the blatant rip off alongside a successful career and numerous accolades, but with it all trending recently I’m annoyed all over again.

In essence, it’s quite literally fine that there were no Black main characters in Friends because it just would not have worked. Don’t mind me though, I’ll just be over here watching the funnier Black sitcoms, that may not have gotten the same awards and hype, but will always be just as deserving.

---