The Real Reasons Why 'How I Met Your Mother' Is Better Than 'Friends'
- 110,570 VOTES
Long-Running Inside Jokes In 'HIMYM' Are A Hallmark Of The Series
Photo: CBSFriends has some comedic moments for sure. Smelly Cat is an absolute classic (so much so Taylor Swift covered it during her 1989 tour). It still can't hold a candle to HIMYM's long-running inside jokes, though.
The writers of HIMYM use season call-backs and in-jokes to make viewers feel like they're hanging out with the characters at MacLaren's. From the slap-bet and replacing all instances of weed with eating sandwiches to the ducky tie, Xing Hai Shi Bu Xing, and the Pineapple Incident, you can't fully appreciate the series without watching the whole thing.
- 29,540 VOTES
The Redemption Of Barney Stinson Won An Emmy Nomination
Photo: CBSBarney is one of the most captivating characters on modern television - after all, Neil Patrick Harris received both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for his role. Barney is a wholly unlikeable character; he's one of those friends you can't figure out why you ever befriended in the first place.
Throughout the series, Barney struggles with his selfishness, but we don't figure out the source until HIMYM peels back the layers. His hard-partying ways turn from hysterical to sad by the time "The Drunk Train" and "Now We're Even" roll around, but then something changes.
We watch as Barney mends things with his father, stops lying to his mother, and eventually abandons the Bro Bible and his apartment to settle down with Robin. Despite his temporary lapse into his old ways after their divorce, the minute he meets his daughter, he instantly becomes a protective father.
It's also worth mentioning Barney is simultaneously a feminist while being a womanizer. He supports his stripping wife-to-be, as well as Robin's penchant for cigars and a good glass of scotch. He is a flawed - but fundamentally good - human, while the characters on Friends lack the same kind of depth.
- 35,286 VOTES
'HIMYM' Is Actually An Accurate Portrayal Of New York
Photo: CBSIn what world could a barista and a chef afford a massive apartment near Central Park? Do they make apartments as big as the one they always fight over in Friends? Though the apartment on HIMYM is large and has revolving occupancy like the one on Friends, the series as a whole captures the real New Yorker experience.
Though previously a little-known secret held by bridge-and-tunnel 20-somethings, HIMYM introduced the drunk train to the entire nation in Season 7 (if you doubt its existence, hop on the Metro North or LIRR at around 2:45 am on a Friday).
Every Midwestern transplant who remembers a time before high rent prices and overwhelming stress relates to Season 4's "The Best Burger in New York." Also, Season 3's "Dowisetreepla" is a nod to the thousands of Craiglist ads touting made-up neighborhoods to bolster rent prices.
- 47,668 VOTES
The Framing Narrative Provides A Well-Rounded, Rewarding Story
Photo: CBSFriends never has any flash-forwards. We don't see what happens to the characters after Rachel exits the plane. It leaves the show feeling relatively incomplete and unmoved.
The writers could have dived into Monica's childhood trauma or Rachel's spoiled upbringing, and used these to flesh out the characters; instead, they focus flashbacks on moronic Flock of Seagulls haircuts.
HIMYM uses flashbacks and flash-forwards to deeply develop their characters - whether it's comedic or not. We learn Marshall becomes a lawyer before he passes the bar, which gives us more perspective; and Ted eventually remodels the house he impulsively buys to start a family. In Friends, we have less sympathy for the characters because we aren't as aware of their lives.
- 55,531 VOTES
'HIMYM' Brings In Interesting New Main Characters
Photo: CBSThroughout the entirety of Friends, the six main characters never stray from each other. They rarely hang out with new people, and if they do, they seldom last more than an episode or two.
HIMYM manages to bring in interesting characters who switch up the story arc and add something to the show - like how meeting new people can inspire change in real life. The most obvious example is Tracy (AKA The Mother), who has an episode shot from her perspective, altering our perception of Ted. Quinn's welcome with open arms shows another side of Barney. Plus, Kevin helps pull out Robin's often-hidden vulnerability.
In real life, groups of friends change. They grow; they shrink. If you're hanging out with the same people for 10 years without meeting anyone else, you've probably got issues.
- 64,612 VOTES
'HIMYM' Is Hilariously Self-Aware
Photo: CBSYou can't help but love a self-aware sitcom. HIMYM, cognizant of its similarities to Friends, poked fun at the '90s sitcom in the Season 2 episode "Swarley." While they're sitting in the coffee shop, Barney mentions how hanging out in a coffee shop isn't nearly as cool as a bar.
Friends doesn't like to laugh at itself. Sure, Brad Pitt guest-starred in an episode while involved with Jennifer Aniston, but we all know how their relationship ended.
- 76,635 VOTES
'HIMYM' Is A Mystery
Photo: CBSUnlike Friends, which more or less resets at the end of each episode, HIMYM has a long-running mystery: Who the heck is the mother of Ted's children? The series uses this to mask each gutting heartbreak with the overarching theme of love prevailing.
Friends does have Ross and Rachel's relationship, which always seems like an inevitable end game. The feel-good ending is something anyone could expect. However, this isn't the case for HIMYM. Ted's main love interest is supposedly "Aunt Robin" in the pilot - not Mom - and the pair becomes an inevitable failure until the much-contested final episode. This makes for a more nuanced, realistic relationship faltering due to fate.
- 87,113 VOTES
'HIMYM' Deals With Real-Life Issues
Photo: CBSFriends deals with a few real-life issues, like Rachel's struggle as a single mother, but for the most part, it remains lighthearted. HIMYM takes the sitcom format and makes it a host for some of the most gutting scenes on network TV.
The death of Marshall's father is heart-wrenching, especially the last bit of the voicemail, which we only discover at the end. It's almost matched by the scene when Lily abruptly leaves. The way Marshall heals from both his father's death and his first breakup appears extraordinarily fleshed-out and realistic.
HIMYM also deals with the sensitive topic of infertility, and how it feels when you can't have children despite not wanting them in the first place. It grapples with the realities of cancer, and what it means being a widow. Meanwhile, on Friends, Joey walks around with a turkey on his head.
- 96,324 VOTES
There's Real Character Development In 'HIMYM'
Photo: CBSSure, Rachel manages to become a self-sufficient adult with a job, but she's still the frazzled, ditzy girl she was when she ran away to New York City in her wedding dress. Joey remains the lovable-but-idiotic actor, and Ross never finds his chill. Indeed, Chandler went from a commitment-avoiding single nerd-bro to a caring husband and father, but considering Friends spans 10 seasons, the characters should have grown a little more.
HIMYM uses its nine seasons to help its characters evolve. Barney starts as a notorious womanizer and ends up a protective father. Robin goes from obscure field reporter to lead anchor to morning talk show host. Also, Ted finally stops being so darned whiny.
- 104,207 VOTES
The 'HIMYM' Characters Don't Let Relationships Make Them Boring
Photo: CBSNot a single character on HIMYM is boring when they find a partner. Maybe Ted is a tad insufferable when dating Victoria, but his attraction to self-destructive risk-taking doesn't disappear. Robin and Barney may become zit-covered and obese, but they snap out of it.
Lily is whip-smart with her one-liners despite exhaustion from raising a newborn. Marshall shaves a line down his head on his wedding day. The same isn't applicable to Chandler, who becomes a total stick in the mud when he ties the knot with Monica.
Around the time Chandler moves to Tulsa to pursue a more lucrative job opportunity, he becomes painfully less funny. The sarcasm patters out to a full stop. Lily and Marshall continue to participate in their friends' drama, whereas Chandler and Monica check out a bit post-marriage.
- 116,752 VOTES
'HIMYM' Reminds Viewers That 'Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM'
Photo: CBSFriends teaches lessons, such as "don't try to launch a music career by singing about pungently scented felines," or "you can be a single parent, as long as you have a huge group of friends to help you take care of the baby." Beyond this, there's no moral at the end of the show. On the contrary, HIMYM teaches millennials essential life lessons.
Throughout the series, HIMYM highlights young people's mistakes with matters of the heart and the value of adult friendships; they handle this with a sensitivity lacking in Friends. Season 1, episode 18 introduces millennials everywhere to the much-needed (and often ignored) lesson: "Nothing good happens after 2 am." Honestly, this is one solid takeaway from the show.
- 125,888 VOTES
Robin Made Ted A Better Person, But Ross Made Rachel Worse
Photo: CBSFew TV characters are as unlikeable as Ross and Rachel. Rachel is a vapid, needy, self-absorbed rich kid, and Ross always plays the victim as an excuse to act selfishly. When it comes down to it, the dude crafts an idea of dating his sister's childhood best friend, holding onto it so tightly that no one else can have her.
He belittles her job (calling it "just a job") and refuses to annul his marriage for purely selfish reasons ("I don't want my tombstone to say 'Ross Geller, three divorces'") essentially holding Rachel hostage.
Ross and Rachel aren't representative of real love, but Robin and Ted as a couple make sense. Ted is arguably the whiniest character on the series, but when it comes to Robin, he frequently acts selflessly. Ted's there for her when she needs help digging up a locket in the rain or sneaking cigarettes out on the roof during late-night chats. He also steps back when she falls in love with his best friend (ahem, Ross).
- 134,429 VOTES
The Greatest Love Story Of All Time Is A Total Red Herring
Photo: CBSFriends serves as a love story for Rachel and Ross, despite its ensemble cast. Though HIMYM intends to tell a love story between Ted and Tracy, but the writers flip this predictable ending on its head. Tracy is a red herring.
Tracy fades out during the polarizing ending of the series. The story already establishes Robin as Aunt Robin. She doesn't want kids, and we know Ted does - it's a deal-breaker. Then Ted does have kids and marries the love of his life.
Without Tracy's death, Ted's relationship with Robin would never make sense long-term. In the last episode, the show becomes How I Met Robin instead of How I Met Your Mother.
Fans who feel duped by the HIMYM ending are likely the same kind of people who are happy about Rachel going back to Ross, despite Joey treating her right. HIMYM shows us the heart can heal after losing the people you care about most, and life doesn't always work out as planned. Otherwise, you can continue to live in fantasyland with Rachel.
