The Friends effect in Britain became apparent soon after the UK premiere, in the spring of 1995. Reruns have aired almost around-the-clock since the series finale, and as of 2015, the rerun ratings were going up. To this day, it remains appallingly popular in the UK. There is, of course, one enormous counterpoint, and that is touchy-feely Friends. As Gervais has put it, “America rewards up-front, on-your-sleeve niceness … We avoid sincerity until it’s absolutely necessary.” It’s unclear when this schism took place - at some point between the Reformation and the birth of Ricky Gervais - but it remains one of the greatest cultural divides between our wry forbearers and us goody-goodies here in the New World. Our humor, on the other hand, is deemed as sweet and uncomplicated as a Hershey bar. It’s too dark and sophisticated for our sensitive palates, or something. It is a truth universally acknowledged that Americans don’t get British humor.
The following is an excerpt from her forthcoming book, I’ll Be There for You: The One About Friends, out October 23. Kelsey Miller is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York. L-R: Matt Le Blanc as Joey Tribbiani, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, and Courteney Cox as Monica Geller in “The One With the Embryos.”
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