Friends’ replacement show, which has an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, ultimately made its harshest reality less forgivable.The best episodes ofFriendsremind audiences why the hit sitcom is so brilliant, which centers on the six main characters’ wild escapades living in New York City. However, their lifestyles create a sitcom plot hole that leaves us questioning their finances.
There are manyfinancially unrealistic sitcom charactersin TV history. In fact, the sitcom subgenre is well-renowned for this trope. Asevery season ofFriendsprogresses, the characters’ finances only make less sense. However,the characters inHow I Met Your Motherare even worse in this context,and the show’s strong Rotten Tomatoes rating isn’t enough to distract from it.
The Harshest Truth About Friends Is That Its Characters Could Never Afford Their Lifestyles
The Careers Of The Friends Characters Aren’t As Well Compensated As You’d Believe
For a group who frequently face a lack of work, or are even fired at points,theFriendscharactersare never really that close to losing their homes.Friendsdepicts the financial compensation of these characters’ jobs as being far more secure than they are,and this creates a few plot holes.
Phoebe lives with her grandmother for quite a while, for example, but for someone who collects a pension and a masseuse, it makes no sense that they can afford their place. Even later in the show,the only way it is logically possible for Phoebe to stay there is if her roommate, Denise, pays for a majority of the rentand bills.
Monica’s apartment is under rent control,but when she loses her job in season 2, Rachel is still only a waitress. Even with rent control, before Ross helps Monica, how can they afford their place? Joey’s acting career isn’t a secure form of employment, and paleontologists/university lecturers in the real world don’t live the same lifestyle as Ross, either.
Chandler is the only one out of the main six whose paycheck makes sense.
In fact, Chandler is the only one out of the main six whose paycheck makes sense. At the same time, though,Chandler basically pays for everything Joey until he is cast inDays of Our Lives,but after Drake falls down an elevator shaft, he’s back to square one. Throughout the show, theFriendsgang are frivolous when it comes to money.
Rachel works hard to save for her Thanksgiving skiing trip, for example, which should really be a luxury for a coffee shop waitress. Interestingly,the season 2 episode “The One With Five Steaks and an Eggplant” acknowledges that Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe’s incomes differ greatlyfrom the others. However, after this episode,Friendsdoesn’t really acknowledge the financial divide.
How I Met Your Mother Repeated This Unbelievable Detail From Friends
New York Is Expensive, Regardless Of Which Sitcom You’re In
How I Met Your Motheris consideredFriends’ successorby many, but the other hit sitcom weirdly repeats this detail. Like Chandler,the only character inHow I Met Your Motherwhose financial situation makes sense is Barney’s.This is because Barney’s job responsibilities are incredibly vague, but it’s established that he is compensated well and involves something secretive.
When Barney is questioned about his job, he always replies with “Please.” In theHow I Met Your Motherseason 8 episode “Unpause,” this is revealed to be an anagram for “Provide Legal Exculpation And Sign Everything.”
However,every season ofHow I Met Your Mothertakes things even further when it comes to ludicrous expenses, but especially in the show’s earlier installments.Robin starts as a reporter for a small station hardly anyone watches,and she often works unsociable hours, yet she can afford a decent apartment by herself and multiple dogs.
Lily is a kindergarten teacher, and it’s later revealed that she has a mountain of credit card debt. Before she marries Marshall,Lily still has a small apartment (which is eventually turned into a Chinese restaurant),but she’s always at Marshall and Ted’s place. Marshall is a law student, but we never hear any mention of a part-time job to keep himself afloat.
Despite the glamorous exterior of the job, architects don’t make as much money as many believe.Ted is only 27 inHow I Met Your Motherseason 1, andmost architects have several decades of experience under their belts before they lead any major projects.Even if Ted had been some sort of young architectural genius, he still couldn’t afford to support him, Lily, and Marshall.
It’s worth noting that there are a few details that help justify this, even if they’re weak. For example, in theHow I Met Your Mothermasterpiece episode“Slap Bet,”we learn about Robin’s past as Canadian pop star Robin Sparkles, which suggests she likely has savingsfrom her teenage years. Other episodes also establish that Robin’s father is a rich businessman, too.
How I Met Your Mother Continuing This Sitcom Trend Was Less Forgivable
How I Met Your Mother’s Outlook On Money Is So Unrealistic
How I Met Your Mothersomehow goes even further with this thanFriends, though. Whilethe activities of theFriendsgang are unrealistic,How I Met Your Mothergoes to the extreme. Barney can somehow afford flights anywhere and everywhere, and Marshall is seemingly able to drop his studies or job on a whim, as are Robin and Ted.
Weirdly, Lily appears to be around a lot of the time. Although kindergarten takes up a good amount of the calendar year, she’s present in most ofHow I Met Your Mother’s best episodesbecause she’s never at work.The group is frequently up late, drinking long into the night,but the topic of hangovers is only touched on a few times throughout the show.
67%
93%
100%
78%
54%
Season 9
75%
Even when their financial situations hit rough patches at points,How I Met Your Motherquickly forgets about it. For example,Lily and Marshall don’t really complain about their mortgage after they purchase their first apartment,despite its high interest rate due to Lily’s credit card debt.
Another example of this, specific to Lily, is when she returns to New York after breaking up with Marshall.Lily notably struggles to find her new calling in life and doesn’t have any secure employment,and while her tiny apartment is falling apart, it makes no sense that she can afford it by herself (even if it’s the most realistic one in the show).
How I Met Your Motherwas on the air during the 2008 financial crisis, but the show didn’t really reference this real-world event at the time,even though it implemented others into its stories. There are a few vague mentions of the Great Recession, but it doesn’t appear to impact any of the characters the same way it did others, and if anything, somewhat trivializes it.
WhileFriendsmay be one of the most notable sitcoms that leans into the financially unrealistic character trope,How I Met Your Mothertakes it further than most titles. Of course, unlikeFriends,How I Met Your Motherhas an unreliable narrator, and it would make sense if Ted’s wacky stories exaggerate certain things.
Friends
Cast
Friends is a television sitcom that debuted in 1994, revolving around six young New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood. The series highlights their friendship as they support each other through personal and professional challenges, encapsulating the ups and downs of life in a comedic and relatable manner.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is a television series that follows a father telling his children about his past. Released in 2005, it explores his experiences and adventures with four close friends, leading up to meeting their mother, as depicted through a series of flashbacks.
