Most overrated series ever?

[rtrombone]

Does anyone else think this about "Friends?" How often did you laugh out loud while watching?

"Seinfeld" reruns are losing their charm, too. It's amazing how a guy whose stand-up is so bad was able to develop a fairly decent show.

My nomination for most underrated: "NewsRadio." Anyone with me?

[Clarkmeister]

Friends was successful because it addressed a demographic that had largely been ignored. It was a decent show, not great.

Seinfeld is IMO in the Big Three, along with Cosby and Simpsons. All due respect to MASH, Cheers and All in the Family, I just like the first three I listed a bit more.

[daryn]

seinfeld overrated? no. it is the best sitcom ever and will remain as such until the end of time.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

Call me a little teenage girl, but Friends is/was my all time favorite sitcom.

[andyfox]

Probably a generational thing. I never liked Friends much, I think I'm too old. And MASH, All in the Family, and Taxi do it for me more than Seinfeld, the Simpsons, and Cosby, all though I liked all three of those too.

I don't think people realize the impact All in the Family had at the time. To hear someone say such outrageous things, to belch, flush the toilet--sounds ridiculous, but those things were never on TV before.

Raymond's my current favorite, Taxi my all-timer.

[andyfox]

Probably a generational thing. I never liked Friends much, I think I'm too old. And MASH, All in the Family, and Taxi do it for me more than Seinfeld, the Simpsons, and Cosby, although I liked all three of those too.

I don't think people realize the impact All in the Family had at the time. To hear someone say such outrageous things, to belch, flush the toilet--sounds ridiculous, but those things were never on TV before.

Raymond's my current favorite, Taxi my all-timer.

[thirddan]

me too...me and most of my friends have copies of all the episodes downloaded from the net...its great stuff to have on in the background while working...the old ones are much better than the last two years...

[sam h]

NewsRadio is probably among my top two or three sitcoms of all time, though really only the Phil Hartman years.

[Vehn]

Phil was all years except the last.

Frankly I don't think ANY tv sitcoms stand the test of time.

[jdl22]

I think Friends was a good show the early years. It was basically a Seinfeld copy but was quite funny. Then the show changed its focus. If you just followed the ads they shifted from "See what funny [censored] happens when blah blah blah" to "See what happens when so and so [censored] so and so." They shifted the show from being a comedy to a soap opera. This caused the show to go from 3 or 4 times laughing out load per show to hopefully having it happen once or twice. There of course has been the odd show in the last few seasons that were funny but for the most part that's not the case.

I wouldn't really have a problem with the Soap Opera element except that I don't like most of the characters. I certainly wouldn't have most these people as my friends. The only likable characters imo are Joey and Phoebe who are meant to be total idiots. Rachel is crazy and overemotional but I guess not too bad. Monica is a super annoying anal controlling bitch. I couldn't stand to be around her for more than 5 minutes. Maybe some find it endearing, perhaps my problem is knowing two too many people like her. Ross is super whiny and annoying and Chandler is a weak bitch.

On Seinfeld it was a good thing that you don't like any of the characters. Part of the show wasn't watching hoping good things happen to them, it was find out how the [censored] George gets screwed when he is trying to screw somebody else. That was the beauty of the show - you didn't like the characters and it was fun to see bad (and hilarious) things happen to them.

If Friends had stayed close to as funny as it was early I would say it isn't overrated but it got terrible and I think the very reason it was popular was the same reason it got shitty.