Notably, while every episode revolved around dating, sex, and relationships, the Friends’ screenwriters and producers hysterically restrained the show’s dialogue in order to avoid explicit sexual vocabulary. Thanks to the influx of dating advice and pop psychology that threaded their way through late nineties/early ‘00s pop culture, Friends maintained its “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” gender war mantra throughout its run. (There was the “Rachel” hairstyle, the “we were on a break” expression, the Rembrandts’ theme song, Chandler’s unique enunciations, etc.) This show crystallized a certain subset of the New York demographic on their specific, golden-washed experiences (read: beautiful, white, upper middle class, highly unrealistic, utopic).

For good reason: that show held the reins of the cultural juggernaut for about a decade, influencing, reacting to, and commenting on popular culture trends once a night every week.

Take a look at any millennial-driven website, and you’ll see countless articles that wax on about Friends (1994)-induced nostalgia.

Friends book be your own windkeeper