Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

There’s a simple reason why Friends still works—absurdity of adulthood is timeless

In recent years, saying goodbye to the show has become an unfortunate ritual. Now, with the death of James Burrows, another important figure behind the show's legacy is gone.

Acclaimed television director James Burrows leaves behind an unmatched legacy. With his death, the world has lost one of the architects of the modern-day sitcom. Burrows’ career was exceptional. He directed more than 1,000 television episodes including those of Cheers,  Frasier, Will & Grace, The Big Bang Theory and perhaps the most memorable one across generations: Friends.

He directed about 15 episodes of the show, including the pilot that introduced us to the six friends. As they were figuring out and often failing at adulthood, we fell in love with them. It is fitting that as tributes pour in for Burrows, many are revisiting what made Friends endure long after the last episode aired in 2004.

The answer is not nostalgia alone. Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Friends was never really about coffee shops, catchy one-liners or even the love stories. At its core, it was an homage to adulthood: Messy, uncertain, and........

© ThePrint