The great combat!

Having binge-watched both of these shows at least thrice by now, I have finally figured out a way to compare them. Now, keep in mind that I love both these shows, so I have tried to be as objective about this, as possible.

Popularity:

Let’s just get this one out of the way because considering that Friends was a breakout hit, and each of its cast members still earn about a whopping $20 million each year from syndication revenue, and Netflix recently paid $100 million to retain the airing rights for the show, it really wouldn’t be a fair comparison to How I met your mother, which is a much smaller show, but still, as a formality, Friends wins this round, hands down.

Now that this is done, let’s get to the details.

Characters Arcs:

How I met your mother is often accused of having nearly identical characters to Friends, and there are definitely certain character traits where the influence is undeniable. That being said, let’s talk about individual character development for both the shows.

In the case of Friends, all the characters, with the exception of Ross, grow throughout the course of the 10 seasons. Now there are some rare moments where Ross as a character shows growth, like during Rachel’s pregnancy arc, but for the most part, he still comes off just as jealous, manipulative, and insecure towards the end, as he is in the beginning, he just gets much better at handling it, so its not as clearly evident. Now, a point of caution, I don’t hate Ross, I just think he doesn’t really change much in comparison to rest of the Friends. Rachel’s character growth is the driving force of the story, and the changes are clearly evident in the rest of the characters as well. Now I won’t talk about this in too much detail because each Friends character is complex enough to warrant an independent article. ( yes, I might do one of those).

In case of How I met your mother, Barney is the one character which stands almost leaps and bounds ahead of the rest. Barney undergoes a serious transformation, owing to his experiences, and learning from his mistakes. This is clearly evident in the final season of the show, where we get to see how Barney’s love for Robin has made him a much better person, he finally understands why honesty is crucial to a relationship and is willing to work on his marriage with Robin. Ted grows as a character, but the infamous ending of How I met your Mother, almost nullifies most of his character growth, because despite all of his lessons, and having understood what love is supposed to be about, he chooses to pursue Robin in the finale episode, which in my opinion is an indication that Ted hasn’t learned much from his past mistakes. Marshall is basically the same person, all throughout, nothing much changes in his life, apart from his career, and the fact that he is now married with kids, and Lily’s character has a similar fate. This is a close call between the two shows, HIMYM has deeper characters, sharply etched-out characters, but Friends does a better job of handling them. So this one goes to Friends.

Experimentation

Most episodes of Friends, follow the exact same format, with the exception of a few episodes, where all the six characters interact within a limited space ( bottle episodes), like ‘The one where no one is ready‘. HIMYM, on the other hand, has played around a bit. The reason for its initial popularity was the element of mystery introduced in the pilot episode, about the titular ‘mother’ in the show. This was extended for far too long than necessary but still was an innovative idea. Barney’s memorable dance number about his love for suits, an entire episode written as rhymes, and setting almost an entire season over a weekend are just some the many examples, where HIMYM isn’t afraid to play around with its structure, try out something new.

Running Gags/ Recurring Characters

Friends is much better at slap-stick humour and running gags. Think of the ugly naked man, Janice and her catchphrase‘Oh My God’, ‘We were on a break!, Pheobe’s childhood on the streets, Chandler’s ‘Could I be any more…?’, or Gunther’s unwavering love for Rachel. In the case of HIMYM, the running gags are few, mostly unoriginal, and the stories are dependent on the lead cast members, with the exception of some of Ted’s girlfriends. Having said that, a special mention to HIMYM’s slap bet and the bro-code which in my opinion are the two of the best things to come from the show’s canon. Just FYI, you can also buy a copy of the Bro-code.

Continuity

Think about how there have clearly evident changes in the Friends storyline. In the pilot episode, Chandler is first introduced to Rachel and the fact they didn’t know each other before the pilot is reinforced in the Season 3 episode ‘The One With The Flashback’ where they cross paths, a few days before the pilot episode and don’t recognize each other. But in the later seasons, we are told that Chandler and Rachel have known since college, due to their individual friendships with Ross and Monica. Joey is smarter in the beginning, later, the character is dumbed down for the sake of comedy. These are just some of the many instances where the show’s canon was manipulated, as the show progressed. Comparatively, HIMYM’s canon has lesser loopholes, the characters have clearly established back-stories, which are consistent for the most part. The characters introduced in the pilot are followed through, the back stories are clear and since we know these characters, we can better invest in their stories, so for this one, I would say HIMYM does it better.

Drama

Both of these prefer to stick to their genre focus on the comedy and avoid delving into serious plotlines. The instances of serious episodes are few in the case of Friends, such as the two-part finale of season 6, when Chandler and Monica propose each other, and the Ross and Rachel break up in season 3. Whenever Friends delves into drama, they balance it out with a good amount of comedy, sometimes taking away from the gravity of the situation. HIMYM is much better at handling drama and doing it with conviction and sensitivity. HIMYM has done some truly memorable episodes where the drama quotient is high. The death of Marshall’s dad, Barney’s journey to finding his father, Marshall and Lily’s breakup at the end of season 1, Robin’s relationship with her father or her inability to have children, which was first brought into light, in what is one of my favorite HIMYM episodes ‘Symphony of Illumination’, have all been handled with utmost compassion.

So, after having discussed so many factors, which show is better?

Well, that depends on what you want from the viewing experience. Friends has undeniable rewatch value, because its funny, light-hearted, and enjoyable. It stays true to the sitcom format, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and tries to maximize on the quirkiness of its characters. How I met your mother, though primarily aimed at being a comedy, strays into dramatic storylines, and its characters are more grounded in reality, which makes it easier to connect with them. So I guess what I am saying is both shows have individual strengths, and yes I admit to being a bit of a diplomat.