Two recent think-pieces on the sitcom:
It’s one thing to be young, single, and carefree in the city and drawn to a show that purports to be a reflection of your life, or, at least, some fantasy of how you’d like your life to be. It’s quite another to be drawn to a show that’s a reflection, or a fantasy, of what life used to be like for a bunch of carefree 20-somethings 20 years ago. Because if the allure of the show is, on a basic level, all about wish-fulfillment, well, what exactly is the wish that’s currently being fulfilled?
PS: I’m enjoying watching Young People Today discover punk and The X-Files on Tumblr.)
Anyhow, second article: “How a TV Sitcom Triggered the Downfall of Western Civilization”