The Gentrification of City-Based Sitcoms

You might remember this TV show about how a group of homies got along with each other and with urban life in New York City. The characters were all in their 20s and 30s, and some of the guys in this group shared an apartment together. Some of the ladies in the group shared an apartment, too, in the same building as the guys. There was occasional romantic tension between some of the male and female buddies, and some of them even morphed into real romantic couples. There seemed to be no real point to this show other than to say, This is how our squad gets down in the big city.

Some of you will immediately recognize this TV show as “Friends,” the NBC sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004. It’s considered one of the most popular shows in TV history, alongside “Seinfeld.” Both are credited with spawning a “TV revolution” for their cute and candid portrayals of contemporary urban society.