How I Met Your Mother vs Friends

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I watched How I Met Your Mother for the first time when I was in 7^th grade. At that time, the jokes most likely went right over my head and I probably didn’t understand the context to many things but still something about Ted Mosby resonated with me, even then. I have always struggled with keeping my love in check like him which has led to various failings throughout the years but Ted’s always had my back by being one step ahead. For these reasons and more, I whole-heartedly love the show.

On the other hand, I watched F.R.I.E.N.D.S. a couple years later and thought it was mostly nice. I’d all but forgotten about it until last year when, for some reason, everyone started talking about it. I, by no means, thought it was a bad show but I couldn’t fathom why everyone liked it so much. People started labelling it superior to HIMYM which didn’t sit well with me. So I decided to re-watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S to gain perspective which led me to the conclusion that I really didn’t like F.R.I.E.N.D.S all that much.

Over the past year, I’ve had this “which is the best” debate several time with many people. So I thought I'd just go ahead and set the record straight about why HIMYM is a much better show, once and for all.

Disclaimer: Readers’ discretion is advised. Also, SPOILER ALERT!

How I met your mother vs Friends

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1. Non-linear Storytelling

The best part about HIMYM is definitely the fact that the storytelling is non-linear and unorthodox. It is a ride from start to finish whereas F.R.I.E.N.D.S just doesn’t compare in that department. It is way more nuanced with its story telling where even though you’re getting glimpse into the future, time and again, the mystery is still there. Compared to HIMYM, F.R.I.E.N.D.S is bland, one-directional and well, boring as hell.

2. Better Male Lead

 Theodore Evelyn Mosby is a nerd like Ross but a lovable nerd and way better person than him. Ted is endearing, empathetic and the actual best at all things romantic. When the girl that he liked didn't have time for a date, he staged a 2-minute date comprising of dinner, movie, deserts and everything in between outside her office.  Need I say more?

 Whereas Ross is extremely whiny and problematic across all seasons. I   don’t think I’ve ever watched an episode where Ross didn’t sulk for 80% of it. Not to miss that one time when he took Rachel’s name instead of Emily’s while taking their vows. Bottom line, Ross is the worst. 

3. Nuanced Humor

One of the major reasons why I prefer HIMYM to F.R.I.E.N.D.S is because of its humor. Say what you want, but the humor in F.R.I.E.N.D.S is dumb with a capital D. The jokes are contrived, the one-liners are forced and the humorous punches more often than not fail to hit the mark.

On the contrary, HIMYM is elusive. The jokes are hidden in plain sight may it be through the background posters, scenes or the texts on the several websites mentioned (case in point tedmosbyisajerk.com, tedmosbyisnotajerk.com, lorenzovonmatterhorn.com/). There is greater emphasis on details which makes it enjoyable even on the 4569^th re-watch.

4. Unreliable Narrator

The whole premise of HIMYM is that Ted is telling his children the story of how he met their mother. Like any person who has ever told a story, he sometimes forgets or messes up a few parts. This adds so much substance to the show. Sometimes he forgets the name of the girl and calls her blah-blah, sometimes he messes up the timeline so he goes back and re-tells the story, sometimes we get the story of how an event transpired from every character’s perspective. This makes each episode fascinating and unique.  

5. Deeper Characters

The show delves deeper into the life of each character paving way for much better character development. In HIMYM, you weep with Marshall when his dad dies, empathies with Robin when she finds out that she can’t have kids, feel sorry for Ted when he gets left at the altar and you cry with Barney when he confronts his real father about not being in his life when he was younger. My point is, there is more to each character than what meets the eye.

With F.R.I.E.N.D.S, the characters are unbearable and childish. And for the love of me, I will never figure out why people like Joey. Why???????

 

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6. Invaluable Life Lessons

In case of HIMYM, the entire show is one big life lesson- start to finish. I have learnt so many things from Ted’s search for his “The One” over the years. With every heartache and despair, Ted taught me how to deal with my own problems. He’s made me the person I am today and for that reason alone, I rank this show way higher than F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

“That’s life, you know, we never end up where you thought you wanted to be”- Marshall

“There are a lot of little reasons why the big things in our lives happen” –Ted

"Because sometimes, even if you know how something's going to end, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the ride" - Ted 

"The future is scary, but you can't just run back to the past because it's familiar. Yes, it's tempting, but it's a mistake" - Robin

"But that's the funny thing about destiny: it happens whether you plan it or not. It turns out I was just too close to the puzzle to see the picture that was forming" - Ted 

"I'm cuddly, bitch"- Marshall

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*Copies the entire script*

You get the gist.

7. HIMYM describes Life

Many people were really bummed with how HIMYM ended when it first aired. Did I completely enjoy the way things were tied up in the end? NO. I don’t think the mother should have died. I don’t think Robin and Barney should have gotten divorced. I don’t think Ted and Robin deserve each other at all. But you know what? That’s life. Life doesn’t always go as planned and so didn’t the show. To quote one of my other favorite shows Crazy ExGirlfriend, “Life doesn’t make narrative sense”.

In real life, people just don’t get off the plane. And the sooner you learn this, the better.

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All in all, I do admit that there are problems with HIMYM too but nonetheless, it will always be a better show than F.R.I.E.N.D.S for me. People always say “F.R.I.E.N.D.S is funnier no matter how many times you watch it” but that’s just because it’s so forgettable.

In contrast, what makes HIMYM remarkable is its link with the viewer through objects like Blue French Horn, Yellow Umbrella, Red Cowboy boots that certain someone totally pulls off and awesome (pun intended!) plot devices such as The Bro-Code, Hot-Crazy Scale, Cheerleader Effect, Robin Sparkles and her smash hit Let’s Go to the Mall, among a thousand others. These are the things that are completely unique to the show and imminently what makes it Legen-Waitforit-Dary ~Legendary~. Period.

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