We all need more diversity on TV: it’s past time to move on from the white, skinny world of Friends

The NBC sitcom Friends has a catchy, Grammy-winning, theme song written by The Rembrandts which opens with the line, “so no one told you life was gonna be this way.”

If you’ve seen any of the 236 episodes, you would see only a handful of black actors with reoccuring and speaking roles are present over 10 episodes. You would also only see non-white; Asians, Latinos and black people as background characters in about 20 episodes. 

Altogether that’s around 30 episodes their IMDB Casting site lists, which shows faces that aren’t white. This leaves many non-represented viewers, like me, who‘ve noticed the lack of diversity across all 10 seasons wondering, so life is “gonna” to be what way? This straight? This skinny? This white? This full of first world problems? This devoid of any diversity?  

Even though more than a decade has passed since the show has been on air, Netflix, Hulu and Xfinity caused a revival in the show’s popularity, leaving it one of the most viewed sitcoms ever. Although that may be so, many producers and directors have found minimally showing or completely excluding a whole group of people means losing viewership and therefore money. 

Underrepresented people getting a platform to talk about common experiences, traditions, and customs has proved to be a financial success through views. Three shows; Grownish, Blackish and Fresh Off the Boat have been a success, with ABC reporting over 23 million people turning in on their tvs to each of the pilot episodes.  It’s also important to note; in the last 20 years cable television has seen an immovable decline in viewership as digital recording devices, social media, the internet, and streaming services rise in popularity. 

During the 90’s when almost everyone had a tv to watch shows like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Boy Meets World, Ellen, Frasier and the Nanny, Friends, only received 20 million views as stated by ABC during its first episode. And while 20 million views is outstanding when put into 2019’s context of attention, engagement economy, and technology; by 1994’s viewership standards- it wasn’t. This proves that being diverse is profitable.

 Blackish, Grownish and Fresh Off the Boat have a diverse cast despite focusing on the lives and experiences of a black family and a Chinese-American family. All of the main characters have friend groups full of multiracial, differently abled, and multi-ethnic individuals who have varying sexualities, backgrounds, and opinions. Although differences often arise throughout like Eddie’s friends not understanding his strict parents and traditional Chinese lunches, and Zoe’s friends not understanding the pressure she feels to achieve perfection, they all manage to reach an understanding that it’s okay to be different. 

The resolutions and conflicts in these shows mimic the real world and remind viewers to act with compassion and mindfulness of experiences they aren’t used to. You would probably feel a lot better I told you life was “gonna” be this way instead.