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'Friends' & A Sexy British Cousin |
 of BBC America's "Coupling" |
Tired of NBC's 'Friends'?
Why not try 'Coupling'?
of TheColumnists.com
SHORTLY AFTER I watched
the first episode of NBC¹s "Friends," a friend
asked me what I thought about the show¹s chances for success.
Pleased to be asked my opinion as a person considered knowledgeable
about television and the industry, I replied, "It will be
gone by the end of October."
Right.
Wrong!
It¹s 2001 and the show about a group of now thirtysomethings
living in Manhattan is in its eighth season as part of NBC¹s
"Must See"--or perhaps it should be retitled "Must
See Sometimes"--Thursday night lineup. Last season the show
faced its first real ratings competition when CBS dropped its
800-pound gorilla "Survivor" opposite it in the 8 p.m.
Thursday slot. The ratings told the story: "Survivor"
won the 8 p.m. war, but "Friends" survived.
The ratings brought no real panic in the NBC camp, but was it
just a coincidence that the long-running hit¹s season-ending
epsidode featured the wedding of "Friends" friends
Chandler (Mathew Perry) and Monica (Courtney Cox Arquette) and
the surprising pregnancy of Rachel (Jennifer Aniston)?
In the past, the marriage of lead characters on a hit TV show
hasn¹t ended happily ever after. (Anyone remember what happened
to "Rhoda¹¹ when the title character got married?
In fact, does anyone remember much about the show at all?)
When sexual tension is gone, where does the plot--and the hook
to keep viewers coming back week after week--go?
Of course, in the case of "Friends," there still are
the unmarried Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Ross (David Schwimmer), Phoebe
(Lisa Kudrow) and Rachel. But the sexual tension, whatever little
there ever was on "Friends" (Ross and Rachel--the early
years) pales in comparison to the overt sexuality and seemingly
constant talk about sex on BBC America¹s "Coupling."
After watching the first season of "Coupling," I thought
it would be interesting to get a "Friends" fan¹s
take on the show described by BBC-A Chief Operating Officer Paul
Lee as a "very grown-up 'Friends' meets 'Sex and the City.'"
"Coupling" begins its second season of episodes on
BBC-A on Oct. 26. Like "Friends," the Brit import focuses
on a group of thirtysomethings.The friends on "Friends"
hang out a lot in a coffee bar, while the "Coupling"
gang spends a goodly amount of time at the neighborhood pub,
preoccupied with finding someone of the opposite sex for sex.
Or at least talking about sex. A lot.
The "Coupling¹¹ gang of three men and three women
are involved in various forms of friendship, relationships and
non-relationships. Of the group Susan (Sarah Alexander) and Sally
(Kate Isitt) and Steve (Jack Davenport) and Jeff (Richard Coyle)
are friends. Patrick (Ben Miles) and Jane (Gina Bellman) are
members of the group courtesy of their previous romantic involvement
with Susan and Steve.
To find out how two shows stack up against each other, I asked
a thirtysomething friend and longtime "Friends" fan
over to watch some episodes of "Coupling."
The Brit import, she thinks, is "pretty funny. It reminds
me of 'Friends,' but older. The jokes are geared to an older
audience. 'Friends' is (still) geared to the twentysomethings,
even though they are now in their 30s. Both shows focus on a
group and their relationships with each other--and there are
plenty of glib one-liners in 'Coupling.' But, 'Friends' is definitely
funnier."
So what does she see as the biggest difference between the shows?
"On 'Friends,' Chandler and Monica hit the sheets first
while in England for Ross¹ wedding. Then they kept their
relationship pretty much a secret for months. The sex (on the
show) is not thrown in your face like on 'Coupling.' The sex
on 'Friends' is tame in comparison."
My friend¹s comments
seem to agree with those made by Sarah Alexander, who plays Susan
on "Coupling," at the BBC America session at this summer¹s
Television Critics Association press tour: "It¹s ('Coupling')
very modern and we¹re addressing very modern issues and
we¹re being very upfront about sexuality. And women, particularly,
are being quite predatory and very confident, sexually."
OK. But, sex aside, what does Alexander think of the comedy in
"Coupling?"
"With 'Coupling,' the series concentrates on observational
comedy. It¹s not so plot-driven like 'Friends,' or where
there¹s a sort of story throughout the episode. Not much
happens in 'Coupling.' It concentrates on the sort of minutia
of life and relationships, and small details about, you know,
when you take your socks off during sex and all that sort. So
it¹s the smaller details we find funny."
Back to my thirtysomething friend. Will she be watching the new
season of "Friends"? And what about "Coupling"?
Is it a show she will be watching?
"Schedule permitting,
I will probably be watching the new season of 'Friends' every
week. 'Coupling'--I don't think I would watch frequently, just
sometimes. It's an amusing show, but a little too randy for my
tastes. I guess it's a Brit thing. 'Friends' definitely caters
to American sensibilities more; the sexuality is not as blatant."
And what about me? I will be watching "Coupling"
for sure--and "Friends," too. Rachel REALLY is pregnant
and ROSS is the father! So what direction does the show take
now?
Stay tuned.
© 2001 by Donna J.
Plesh.
Editor's Note: NBC's "Friends"
started the new season as TV's No. 1 rated comedy.
 |
Donna J. Plesh is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and is a graduate of the School of Journalism at The Ohio State University. During her newspaper career she has been a feature writer, copy editor, copy desk slot person, sports writer, education writer, city hall reporter, entertainment writer, television critic and television writer. She most recently worked on the TV magazine staff of the Orange County Register. |
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