Friends: The Complete Series 4K Review (Warner Bros.)

Friends is a 1994 comedy television series written/produced/created by David Crane (The Class, Episodes, Joey, Dream On, and The Powers That Be) and Martha Kauffman (Grace and Frankie, Family Album, Dream On, Veronica’s Closet, and Joey). It was directed by Gary Halvorson (Two and a Half Men), Kevin Bright (Joey), Michael Lembeck (The Santa Claus franchise), James Burrows (Cheers), Gail Mancuso (Modern Family), Peter Bonerz (Police Academy 6: City Under Siege), David Schwimmer (Run Fatboy Run), Ben Weiss (Man with a Plan), Shelley Jensen (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Mary Kay Place (Dream On), and 18 others. In 2004, they made the “Joey” spin-off. Ross Geller (played by: David Schwimmer from Six Days Seven Nights, Big Nothing, Band of Brothers, and Apt Pupil), Rachel Green (played by: Jennifer Aniston from Leprechaun, We’re the Millers, Bruce Almighty, and Horrible Bosses franchise), Monica Geller (played by: Courteney Cox from Scream franchise, Cougar Town, Ace Ventura, and Masters of the Universe), Joey Tribbiani (played by: Matt LeBlanc from Joey, Man with a Plan, Lost in Space, and Ed), Chandler Bing (played by: Matthew Perry from The Whole Nine Yards, Fools Rush In, Three to Tango, and The West Wing), and Phoebe Buffay (played by: Lisa Kudrow from Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, Clockwatchers, Mad About You, and The Comeback) are just six twenty-somethings living in New York City when this group started. They are all connected in some way which includes being neighbors, best friends, siblings, lovers, and roommates over the years. These close friends bond through various relationships, tragedies, hilarious scenarios, different jobs, drama, life lessons, and their love for each other for 10 years!!!! Friends was a classic 90’s sitcom. I watched it when it was originally on and a few revisits at this point. This familiar group feels like your own friends because you end up experiencing everything with them. Each character was very unique and they all stood out from each other. It was hilarious and it felt so real, you always connected with all their similar situations. David Schwimmer as Ross Geller was fantastic as the nerdy brother of Monica. His relationship with Rachel was iconic when it comes to television. He just wants to be in love and married but it almost never works out for him. Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green blew up with this role and she’s definitely the most famous one from this TV show. She was great as the stuck up rich girl that never worked before or needed money. Her character had the biggest arc and she really matured over the years. Her development was very impressive and you really respect her after it’s done. Courteney Cox as Monica Geller was low-key the funniest person on Friends. She was hilarious and she got into some of the worst possible spots but she always made it entertaining. She used to be a chubbier girl and she wasn’t popular like Rachel. She’s really aged well and made something for herself as a chef. Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani stole the show all the time with his performances. He was a struggling actor and a skilled womanizer. He had the best game when it came to the group. He wasn’t the smartest from these friends but he had the biggest heart from them all. Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing was always the smart ass with a joke ready but I think he might have been the most serious one for so many scenarios. He used comedy as a mask or disguise. It might be the most underrated performance from all the leads here in Friends. Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay was always so weird and quirky in this. She is kinda the odd one out at times but she always made an impact with her presence. The baby storyline with her brother was her at her absolute best. She killed it during that and I always enjoyed all her awkward interactions with Mike. She played her twin that was a regular on Mad About You also. The chemistry is what made Friends so strong and popular for it’s 10 years on television. It’s damn near unmatched with it comes to an ensemble cast. I personally thought it’s greatest relationship wasn’t Ross and Rachel, it was the Bings. All of the things that went through towards the end and it was just so natural between those two. It kinda blows your mind that no one really thought about it until it actually happened. Friends had the greatest guest roles and cameos in the history of TV. They basically got anyone that they ever wanted during it’s run. The supporting cast included Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Gary Oldman, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Paul Rudd, Sean Penn, Reese Witherspoon, Tom Selleck, Jon Favreau, Alec Baldwin, Isabella Rossellini, Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, George Clooney, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Helen Hunt, Ben Stiller, Hugh Laurie, Noah Wyle, Freddie Prinze Jr., Charlie Sheen, Ellen Pompeo, Dakota Fanning, John Stamos, Rebecca Romijn, James Hong, Brooke Shields, Danny DeVito, Greg Kinnear, Jeff Goldblum, Selma Blair, Jason Alexander, Denise Richards, Sherilyn Fenn, David Arquette, Christina Applegate, Dina Meyer, Dermot Mulroney, Kathleen Turner, Christine Taylor, Anna Faris, Michael Rapaport, Morgan Fairchild, Elle Macpherson, Hank Azaria, Giovanni Ribisi, James Michael Tyler, Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles, Maggie Wheeler, and so many other familiar faces. Friends could go from something silly to something really serious at any given moment. It really covered every aspect of everyday life. You got invested into all of their scenarios and you always rooted for this group. Friends is loaded with iconic scenes and it always cheered me up if I was feeling down. It’s permanently burned into pop culture no matter what at this point. There’s so many certain songs or little things that remind me of it all the time these days. I will say Friends had way too many pointless clip shows for it’s 10 seasons. Regardless, it’s forever fun and always packed with entertainment. Friends has one of the highest quality replay values for television. As far as 90’s sitcoms go, it’s a must watch. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and list the special features from Warner Bros! These 2160p (1.78:1) transfers with Dolby Vision and HDR10 kinda have a different look for them on all 236 episodes for Friends. This brand new 4K restoration has some altered color timing on it. It’s a little controversial but I still think Friends looks great now that it’s been upgraded to 4K for home video. Everything is sharper and elevated. It feels like seeing it for the very first time. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks on these UHDs. The audio is fantastic, every moment and classic music is amped up here for it’s 30th anniversary. It’s one of the better sounding television shows. The dialogue is crisp, the comedy is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Mandarin, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles on this 25 disc set. It has 29 “Audio Commentaries” during it’s 10 seasons with producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane. Some of the most popular episodes are covered here. Lots of information and stories are shared from the creative team behind Friends. It has the brand new exclusive little over 15 minute “Friends: Through the Peephole”. This shows off a variety of classic props and items from the television series. It’s a nice memory piece, it takes you back to it’s legendary episodes. It has the brand new exclusive little over 6 minute “How Well Do You Know Your Friends?”. It’s a fun trivia feature. It has some of Friend’s biggest fans answering various questions from the show. You would think that they would be all pretty easy if you are familiar with it but there’s actually some really good ones thrown in the mix. After that, it’s loaded with archive bonus material carried over from the previous home video releases. It has Seasons 1-4 specials 39 minute “Friends of Friends”. It has the “Season 2 Trailer”. It has the “Smelly Cat” music video. it has Seasons 1-4 specials 25 minute “What’s Up with Your Friends?” It has the 8 minute “Friends Around the World”. It has the 42 minute “The One that Goes Behind the Scenes”. It has the 2 minute “Friends on Location in London”. It has the 2 minute “Gunther Spills the Beans About Season 6′. It has the “True Friends” Documentaries which includes the almost 28 minute “Friends From the Start”. It has interviews with Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, David Crane, James Burrows, Warren Littlefield, Leslie Moonves, Todd Stevens, John Shaffner, Debra McGuire, Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles, Melora Hardin and James Michael Tyler. It has the 29 minute “When Friends Become Family”. It has interviews with Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, David Crane, James Burrows, Warren Littlefield, Todd Stevens, John Shaffner, Debra McGuire, Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles, Melora Hardin, Greg Malins, Jim Bentley, Maggie Wheeler, Bonnie Somerville, Alexandra Holden, and James Michael Tyler. It has the almost 11 minute “The Legacy of Friends”. It has interviews with the same people as the last two mini documentaries. That’s everything from the first bonus disc. The next one includes Seasons 6-8, 10 specials 70 minute “Friends of Friends”. It has some Seasons 6-10 77 minute “Gag Reels”. It has the Seasons 6-9 specials 9 minute “Gunther Spills the Beans About Next Season”. It has the Extended Broadcast Episodes for “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” in standard definition. It has the”Behind the Style: The Look of Friends”. It has The Flaming Lips “Phoebe Battles the Pink Robots” music video. It has “Friends Final Thoughts”. It has Matt LeBlanc’s “Joey Joey” music video. It has the Producer’s cut for “The One Where Rachel Tells Ross” in standard definition. It has the “The One Where Rachel Tells Ross” original script. It has 7 minutes of “Additional Gag Reel”. It has the 16 minute “Friends Visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show”. It has the 22 minute “Friends on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”. It has The Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There for You” music video. This 25 disc for the 30th anniversary will definitely keep you busy for awhile. It’s packed with so many extras from the past plus a few new ones. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!