TV Show Review: Friends - Season 1

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Funny episodes and endearing characters in uncut episodes

Cons: Could have toned down a few of the sex jokes

The Bottom Line:

Chemistry from start

Makes you fall in love quickly

Funny characters

The One Where We Make New Friends

Friends is arguably the most popular sit com of modern times. (Or second most if it comes in behind Seinfeld.) Even though its ten year run is over, it still airs countless times in repeats every day. Here is a way to see where it all began with season one.

And it begins with us making new friends. There's Joey (Matt LeBlanc), the aspiring actor who is slightly clueless about the real world, Chandler, (Matthew Perry), the sarcastic data cruncher, Ross (David Schwimmer), a paleontologist who just found out that his wife is a lesbian and, oh yeah, is pregnant with their child, Monica (Courtney Cox), Ross's sister and an aspiring chef who is also compulsively clean, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), a singer/masseuse with a karmic outlook on life, and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), the spoiled rich girl who just left her fiance at the alter and moves to Manhattan to start life on her own.

Like most first seasons, the series is still developing here, but many things are established. We see Chandler and Joey get their foosball table, Monica deal with pleasing her parents, Phoebe encounter her twin sister, Rachel waitressing at Central Perk, the coffee house where the gang hangs out, and Ross get his pet monkey.

Most storylines are concluded in one episode, but there are a few story arcs. The biggest is Ross and Rachel's relationship. They'd continue to tease us with this storyline for all ten years. Here, Ross has a crush on the oblivious Rachel. They build it up all season only to end with the first of many Ross/Rachel cliffhangers. Other highlights of the season include Chandler breaking up and getting back together multiple times with Janice (Maggie Wheeler) and the guys teaching the girls poker.

The cast jumps right into their parts and the laughs start from the very first episode. You honestly believe they are friends. There is a charm to this season that got lost somewhere during the second half of the series run. Many of the jokes and a few of the storylines are for mature audiences (yes, even on network TV). Somehow, they always seem to be more overbearing here then later in the series.

So, what do you get with this set? All 24 episodes of the first season are present on four discs. And they've added back in scenes that had originally hit the cutting room floor. I know I noticed it in some of the episodes, but I'm not familiar enough to know if there's new stuff in all 24 episodes. Additionally, there's an audio commentary with the creators/producers on the pilot. The last disc includes an interactive tour of Central Perk, trivia quiz from season one, preview of season two, and clips of famous guest stars from this season.

Yes, you can still watch Friends on TV at least once a day. But if you love Friends, this is a great way to get the entire first season uncut.

Season 1 Episodes:

1. The Pilot

2. The One with the Sonogram at the End

3. The One with the Thumb

4. The One with George Stephanopoulos

5. The One with the East German Laundry Detergent

6. The One with the Butt

7. The One with the Blackout

8. The One Where Nana Dies Twice

9. The One Where Underdog Gets Away

10. The One with the Monkey

11. The One with Mrs. Bing

12. The One with the Dozen Lasagnas

13. The One with the Boobies

14. The One with the Candy Hearts

15. The One with the Stoned Guy

16 & 17. The One with Two Parts

18. The One with All the Poker

19. The One Where the Monkey Gets Away

20. The One with the Evil Orthodontist

21. the One with the Fake Monica

22. The One with the Ick Factor

23. The One with the Birth

24. The One Where Rachel Finds Out