Friends from College is a good show that gets a bad rep for holding up a mirror and showing us a more realistic version of how friendships and relationships that survive beyond the expiry date look like.
College is a weird time in one’s life. You’re growing out of the kid you were and not quite the finished product you want to be. But if there’s one thing that encapsulates the college experience right down to a T, it’s the friendships.
Wouldn’t it be interesting to transport that version of you and that group of friends into the present when you’re 40-something with a job and a life?
That, in a nutshell, was the concept behind Friends from College, a brainchild of Nick Stoller and his wife, Francesca Delbanco, who both studied at Harvard. The six friends are depicted by a talented cast featuring Keegan Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, Fred Savage, Annie Parisse, Nat Faxon, and Jae Suh Park. Who wouldn’t watch a series featuring people with such beloved shows as Key and Peele, How I Met Your Mother, and The Wonder Years under their belt?
The show picks up when a group of Harvard friends in their late thirties, dealing with the complexities of maintaining long-distance friendships, past romances, and the challenges of growing up while still holding onto the past, get reunited in New York.
Despite being canceled after two seasons, Friends from College is worth revisiting as it offers a fresh take on the intricate relationships and personal growth that echo many beloved shows that have enjoyed longer runs.
‘Friends from College’ Is Not Your Typical Sitcom
Ask anyone, and the first complaint you get, accompanied by a shrug or a Fuhgeddaboudit, is that it just didn’t feel like other shows. That’s because many viewers approach Friends from College expecting it to mirror the typical romantic comedy or group-of-friends sitcom characterized by upbeat, unproblematic camaraderie.
Chalk it down to faulty marketing or unclear branding, but the show is clearly not cut from the same cloth as your typical sitcoms like Friends, How I Met Your Mother etc. It paints a more realistic picture of friendship, where groups often fracture and take sides, especially during conflicts or breakups. It appeals to those who prefer darker, more sardonic humor, closer to Seinfeld and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
In fact, there’s a term for shows like this — anti-sitcom. Anti-sitcoms are characterized by avoiding over-the-top absurdity in favor of a biting take on human flaws and the poor decisions that often result. Like Seinfeld, the characters in Friends from College frequently make the worst possible choices, engage in morally questionable behaviors, and rarely seem to learn from their mistakes, providing a stark but intriguing contrast to more traditional comedic fare.
Complex Characters Are An Acquired Taste
The biggest gripe viewers have against the show is that there isn’t one character they genuinely like. The fact is, the characters are relatable precisely because they’re flawed, stumbling from one mistake to another without facing their deeper issues. Not all characters need to be morally agreeable or straightforwardly ‘good’ to be engaging. This has been proven time and again in other shows such as Breaking Bad and The Sopranos.
A show should be a catalyst. Hate and love spring from the same well in the viewer’s mind through characters that ask fundamental questions. To ask for a moral ending would not only strip interesting arcs and shades that bring more color to a story but also lead to unrealistic and overly simplified plots.
Friends from College is almost therapeutic in that sense; watching the characters make deliberately disastrous decisions allows the viewers to see potential pitfalls. Another show that did this brilliantly was Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. It’s this chaotic and awkward dance of errors among a close-knit group that provides both entertainment and a bizarre reflection of the many ways things could potentially go awry.
‘Friends from College’ Gave Us Flawed and Self-Aware Characters
In the first season of Friends from College, Lisa dubs herself “Judge Lisa,” showing a moment of rare self-awareness. She frequently passes judgment on her friends without reflecting on her own actions. For example, she criticizes Marianne’s laid-back lifestyle, likening her to a cat who does nothing but eat and nap. She also unfairly blames Ethan for mishandling a vial of HCG despite it being caused by her own forgetfulness. Moreover, when Nick begins to reveal his true feelings, she mocks him and dismisses him as shallow. Although these are her closest friends, Lisa often interacts with them primarily for her own benefit. And she’s not the only one. Each character in the show is inherently flawed.
Beyond rooting for characters like Ethan or Lisa, the show mirrors life’s inherent unfairness — you don’t always get what you deserve, and sometimes, instead of flowers, life hands you a thorny cactus. Friends from College excels, perhaps too effectively, at making viewers uneasy. It’s simple to resent the characters who cheat, yet harder to see in them the reflections of our own selfish choices. During a tumultuous moment at Max’s apartment, a disheartened Ethan admits, “I’m not a monster. I’m just a flawed piece of shit.” Though he’s speaking about himself, his words could just as easily apply to Lisa or any of us.
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We’re Too Quick to Judge and Move On
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to the show’s protracted long run was viewers’ short attention spans and the plethora of choices available across endless streaming platforms today. Audiences are less patient now, often abandoning shows that don’t immediately resonate rather than waiting for them to find their stride. Only the most compelling content tends to break through in such a saturated market.
A tepid start is nothing new. It takes a while for audiences to warm up to characters and their quirks. Other shows have also experienced rocky starts before becoming cultural phenomena. For example, Seinfeld struggled in its initial seasons as audiences and networks were unsure of its unique brand of humor. However, it eventually became one of the most beloved sitcoms in television history. Girls from HBO also portrayed its main characters as deeply flawed and often narcissistic, which was initially criticized but later praised for its raw, unfiltered look at the challenges of young adulthood.
“Just Another Show About Privileged Elites”
Many found the show off-putting because they couldn’t relate to the characters who dressed outlandishly and navigated through life’s ups and downs in high style. Fashion plays a notable role in the series, with most characters showcasing stylish and appealing wardrobes that fit their sophisticated, urban lives. However, Sam’s wardrobe stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nearly every ensemble she dons, especially those intended to convey wealth or taste, strikes a discordant note. This could very well be an intentional aspect of the show, a satirical poke at the sometimes ludicrous nature of high fashion. Need we remind everyone of some of the weird choices Carrie Bradshaw displayed in the name of fashion?
By the end of the second season, there was genuine development in the storyline and the narrative had begun to show signs of redemption. The characters confronted their self-destructive actions, and the season concluded with meaningful developments that suggested the potential for further growth.
But in our haste to rip off the band-aid and break off stale friendships, we gave up too early, and perhaps we’ll never know how it could’ve turned out.
