Friends- The Complete Series 4K UHD Review
The one where the beloved 90’s sitcom gets the 4K treatment.
Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, “Friends” ran 10 seasons and 236 episodes. The series, as you probably know, focused on Chandler, Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, Joey and Monica. In addition to plots about Central Perk, Thanksgiving, Phoebe’s “Smelly Cat” song, Ross’s monkey Marcel, a shark fetish, a birth videotape, surrogacy, an armadillo costume, a London trip and so on, “Friends” explored the dynamics between the six characters. Some of the friends become more than friends when Monica and Chandler get married and become parents and Ross and Rachel have a complicated relationship for years. Seeing how the dynamics and relationships between the characters evolved was a big part of the viewer’s investment into the series. You felt as if you were going on a life journey with them.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since “Friends” premiered and 20 years since it’s been off the air and yet the show’s popularity has never slowed. Love it or hate it, the sitcom remains a pop culture milestone. It’s a comfort food show to many whether that be due to nostalgia or the fact that people can’t get enough of the now iconic characters. In many ways, it’s the last of its kind. Yes, there have been popular sitcoms since such as “The Office” and “The Big Bang Theory,” but “Friends” was a ratings juggernaut of the likes that you simply do not see anymore as network TV fades away and viewers have far too many options of shows to watch. Even with all of those options, “Friends” remains high on the viewing charts as fans rewatch the series time and time again or younger viewers discover the show for the first time. One might say there’s a timelessness to it despite certain elements obviously feeling dated.
Debate ranges on about which seasons are the best, but for me, the series was at its best in the first 4 seasons. Not only was the show more quirky then with episodes like “The One With The Football” and “The One With The Prom Video,” but it still felt fresh. As with any series, it loses creative steam the longer it goes on. That’s not to say season 10, for example, doesn’t have its charms. It certainly does (especially with the fitting finale “The Last One”), but the on and off again relationship between Ross and Rachel grew tiresome after so many years. Again, these type of character storylines are a problem many sitcoms have suffered from for decades.
Some movies and shows are made by their casts and that is certainly true of “Friends.” The series not only birthed stars with the late great Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow, but it’s their talents, chemistry, and humor that made the show rise above what could have very well been an ordinary sitcom. Of course, the massive guest stars by the likes of Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Ben Stiller, Bruce Willis, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Winona Ryder, and Tom Selleck only added to the fun.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.78:1 2160p WIth HDR. How do the episodes look? The Blu-ray transfers were not without their flaws and the same can be said for the 4K restorations. The good news- the majority of the seasons generally look top notch here. The colors are a bit too bright with skin tones looking somewhat off, but the episodes themselves tend to look sharper compared to the Blu-ray. The later seasons (namely seasons 8-10) are a bit problematic. There’s been a lot of chatter about a possible AI upscale or DNR for these seasons, but it’s unclear. There’s a definite overly glossy look to the images in these seasons that doesn’t sit well. Some folks may not mind that or even like it, but it does need to be stated.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How do the episodes sound? After the Blu-ray only offered up a mere Dolby Digital 5.1 track, the 4K thankfully contains a MUCH improved 5.1 DTS-HD MA track for the episodes. From the opening bars of The Rembrandts “I’ll Be There For You,” it’s clear this 5.1 track offers up more depth. The dialogue (and the laugh track) also sound significantly better as well.
Extras: The commentaries are on the 4K while the rest of the extras are on 2 Blu-ray bonus discs. “Friends: The Reunion” is strangely not included here:
* The big addition to this 4K set is the brand new “Friends: Through The Peephole” which is a 15 minute extra that gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the props and costumes in the WB archives.
* “How Well Do You Know Your Friends?”- A trivia game.
* Season 2 trailer
* “Friends Of Friends”- An extra feature from all 10 seasons that look at the cameos.
* The uncut version of “Smelly Cat.”
* “What’s Up With Your Friends?” montages for season 2, 3
* “Friends Around The World” covers the international fans and language translations.
* 5 “Gunther Spills The Beans About The Next Season” segments (about seasons 6-10 to be exact).
* “The One That Goes Behind The Scenes”- An extensive 42 minute behind-the-scenes documentary.
* “On Location In London”- The title says it all.
* “True Friends Documentaries”- 3 docs titled “Friends From The Start” (about the show’s inception), “When Friends Become Family” (an all-encompassing extra about the show’s success, characters and more) and “The Legacy Of Friends” (about season 10).
* Gag reels for season 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
* Super-sized broadcast episodes of season 7 episodes “The One Where Rosita Dies,” “The One Where They All Turn Thirty,” “The One With Joey’s New Brain,” and “The One With The Truth About London.”
* “Behind The Style: The Look Of Friends”- A featurette about the costumes, makeup and hair styles.
* “The Flaming Lips’ “Phoebe Battles The Pink Robots” music video
* Matt LeBlanc’s “Joey Joey” music video
* “Friends Final Thoughts”- A 26 minute extra with the cast and crew talking about favorite moments.
* “The One Where Rachel Tells Ross” producer’s cut and the original script for it.
* “The One With The Never-Before-Seen Gags”- More gag reels clocking in at 7 minutes.
* Music video for The Rembrandts “I’ll Be There For You.”
* “Friends On The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.”
* “Friends Visit The Ellen DeGeneres Show”
* Commentary on The Pilot (Kevin S. Bright, David Crane and Marta Kauffman), “The One Where No One’s Ready” (Bright, Crane Kauffman), “The One With The Football (Bright, Crane, Kauffman and John Shaffner), “The One The Morning After” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With Chandler In A Box” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With The Embryos” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With Ross’s Wedding Parts 1 and 2” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One Hundredth (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With All The Thanksgivings” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One Where Ross Gets High” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One That Could Have Been Parts 1 and 2” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With The Proposal Parts 1 and 2” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With The Holiday Armadillo” (Bright, Crane, Kauffman and Debra McGuire), “The One With Monica And Chandler’s Wedding Parts 1 and 2” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One Where Rachel Tells Ross” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With The Videotape” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One Where Rachel Has A Baby Parts 1 and 2” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With The Male Nanny” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One In Barbados” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One With The Late Thanksgiving” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman), “The One Where The Stripper Cries” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman) and “The Last One” (Bright, Crane and Kauffman).
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