Why Ukraine is obsessed with the U.S. sitcom 'Friends'
Why Ukraine is obsessed with the U.S. sitcom 'Friends'
The comedy show is a classic in the U.S. But it also has a rabid fanbase in Ukraine, more than 4,000 miles from New York City, where ‘Friends’ is set. Here’s why:
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Anastasiia has watched the classic American sitcom ‘Friends’ so many times that, without exaggeration, she knows every moment of every episode.
Especially during this fraught time of war, she finds tranquility in the show: after all, even the bad things on Friends generally end on a happy note.
The popularity of Friends shows the power of American culture abroad, and in unusual places, making the United States a beacon to the rest of the world. Ukrainians have connected with Western values and culture – and rejected Russian versions – in no small part due to the cultural products like this famous sitcom. And many also cite the show as a way they tried to learn English.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, Friends was one of the first American sitcoms to appear on the Ukrainian market. That’s partly because the series is almost the same age as Ukrainian independence. It was shown on six TV channels, at different times throughout the day, with Ukrainian language dubbing.
Soon after Friends appeared on TV screens, it won the hearts of the nineties generation of young Ukrainians. And ever since, thanks to repeats and streaming services, it has been picking up new young devotees.
That means that despite having been off the air for nearly two decades, those fans buy all sorts of Friends merchandise and gather in themed cafes in Ukraine – showing how it may be even more popular in this country than in its native United States!
For example, there is a cafe for fans of the TV series Friends in Kyiv near the Obolonska embankment, not far from the center of the capital. From the outside, the cafe is rather unremarkable. It certainly doesn't impress with its grandeur, like New York City itself.
But inside, there’s an orange sofa with a large table for a group of... friends. Above the sofa are the words from the familiar theme song: "I'll be there for you.”
For a moment, it seems as if you are in the center of the Friends sitcom. Directly in front of you is a television with episodes of the show playing non-stop.
Anastasiia Kravets is 26, so Friends was already on TV when she was born. At school, she saw some episodes of the series, but decided to watch it in its entirety only after she started the 10th grade.
"At that time I was a fan of Justin Bieber, so I was fascinated by American culture, and the show conveys it in full," she told The Counteroffensive.
Anastasiia also wanted to learn English. So she watched Friends in the original language.
"Every year I watched it, my English got better, and the jokes got funnier. When I had a chance to watch just one episode, I watched it several times in a row. I still laugh out loud at the jokes," Anastasiia said.
It got to the point where Anastasiia now knows by heart what, where and when things happen on the show. She doesn't even have to watch it anymore, she can just listen to it in the background and know what's on the screen.
Anastasiia compares herself to the character of Monica, saying she has the same love of cleanliness, cooking and eating. And much like the main character, she also deals with an eating disorder, as well as anxiety and the desire to win.
"It is interesting that before my first year I had no love or desire to clean, but over time it became my specialty. And I wouldn't be surprised if I got that trait from Monica," Anastasiia said.
According to Anastasiia, this is what makes the show so special and relatable: you see ordinary people, growing up in their 20s and early 30s. For Anastasiia, the atmosphere of the United States and New York City itself holds a special place in the show.
"It is something different from our everyday life, it feels like looking through a crack [in the door]," she said.
Iryna Onyshchuk feels the same way. Now 24, she also started watching Friends in high school.
"I googled a 3D map of the world and walked around New York to be on the same page as the characters. I was 14 or 15 years old, so don't put me on the crazy list," Iryna said with a laugh.
She didn't fall in love with the show right away: when she was little, she watched it on TV all the time, but only when it was on. Finally, one cold winter, she decided to watch the entire series.
"I didn't get out much, and the series is long, so I decided it was just what I needed right now. No wonder everyone loves it, I thought," Iryna told The Counteroffensive.
And then she got addicted. At the height of her obsession, she "woke up in the morning and watched it till evening", and now she regularly turns on random episodes in the background while doing some household chores.
"Friends" helps both Iryna and Anastasiia distract themselves during the war. For them, it creates a special feeling of peace and home.
Such devotion and love for the American sitcom is explained by Yurii Povoroznyk, chief content editor at Sweet TV. He says that the series has a fairly relatable story for everyone: friends hanging out at a coffee shop, enduring the ups and downs of life.
"It's a much more understandable formula than the classic sitcoms that used to be released in the U.S., where the family is in the center," Yurii Povoroznyk said.
Yurii is convinced that the main reason for the show's immense popularity is that while the American market had a huge number of comedy shows, for Ukrainians Friends was the only sitcom.
“It's very simple: it's a show that we've seen and known for a long time, that was shown on television, that was dubbed in Ukrainian, that was broadcast on many channels,” Yurii said.
Yurii pays special attention to the Ukrainian translation. Although many people now enjoy pointing out the mistakes in it, in the early 2000s it would have been very high quality and, most importantly, recognizable.
Friends was one of the first shows dubbed in the Ukrainian language.
"At that time, Ukrainian translation was already something so impressive, it was something new and unexpected. The fact that my friends spoke Ukrainian was a big part of its success," Yurii said.
And the enduring popularity of this American sitcom once again shows how Ukraine — and particularly its younger generation — have a strong desire to be part of the Western world — separate from Russia, and uniquely Ukrainian.
NEWS OF THE DAY:
Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
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DOG OF WAR:
Today’s dog of war is this pug that was hanging out, watching rollerbladers do laps in the park.
Stay safe out there.
Best,
Tim
Taiwanese love Friends too 🙋🏻♀️
I love this. Do the young Ukrainians know about “Friendsgiving” which is a family feast but with your friends family?