Difference between How I Met Your Mother and Friends
How I Met Your Mother is one of the most acclaimed sitcoms in recent years and in the opinion of many of today’s generation of TV viewers, the show can definitely measure up to the TV classics of yesterday. However, it is only inevitable that comparisons would be made between How I Met Your Mother and older sitcoms such as Friends, with which it has certain similarities. Of course both shows focus on the everyday concerns of young American adults, but can a comparison between the two actually be made? That’s precisely what this article aims to answer!
Premise
How I Met Your Mother was first aired on September 19, 2005 on CBS. The show was the brainchild of Craig Thomas and Carter Bays and was based on the experiences that the pair had in New York. In fact, some of the "Marshall" and "Lily" characters are partly based on Thomas and his wife, while "Ted" is inspired by Bays. Friends for its part was the creation of David Crane and Marta Kauffman and was similarly inspired by the experiences of a group of friends in Manhattan. The series first aired on September 22, 1994 on NBC, and came off the air on May 6, 2004.
Characters
As far as most people are concerned, How I Met Your Mother’s cast of actors is generally outperformed by Neil Patrick Harris, who plays the lead role. In fact, it may be argued that Harris even outperforms every one of the Friends cast. What Friends had going for it however, is a strong ensemble cast that is generally better than the sum of its parts. The Friends cast appears to have been cognizant of this fact–at least during the early years of the series–and they routinely appeared on magazine coves together and even negotiated salary increases as a group.
Public Reception
Most critics generally consider the writing of How I Met Your Mother to be superior to that of Friends, although there are certainly plenty of fans of the latter series who would disagree. Of course you would have to consider how much nostalgia plays in all this, although there are also sizable numbers of Friends fans who agree that the show doesn't really hold up all that well. One other factor to consider is that How I Met Your Mother is somehow able to take advantage of the path that Friends forged. Furthermore, it remains to be seen as to whether or not How I Met Your Mother will achieve the same cultural significance that Friends has arguably enjoyed.
Summary
How I Met Your Mother
- First aired on CBS in September 19, 2005
- Inspired by the New York experiences of the show’s writers Craig Thomas and Carter Bays
- Undisputed star of the show is Neil Patrick Harris generally outperforms anyone on the show…and even on Friends for that matter.
- Considered by many to have better writing than Friends
Friends
- First aired on NBC in September 22, 1994
- Friends Finale aired on NBC in May 6, 2004
- Arguably one of the classic sitcoms
- Relied on an ensemble cast instead of a few key characters
- Achieved almost cultural status
- Some feel that the writing and performance doesn’t hold up that well
- The shows are generally feel good themes which have their own value
