Friends is a timeless show. It has a nostalgic appeal that spans across generations. Which was originally a comforting watch for millennials, transformed into a pop culture touchstone for Gen Z. However, some nuances in the show that might have been acceptable in the 90s do not align with today’s woke culture. Hence, upon revisiting the show, many fans found it borderline offensive. And Jennifer Aniston addressed this sensitivity among fans in an interview earlier this year. 

What was supposed to be a defense for Friends, instead breathed new life into another show, Living Single, which just garnered more scrutiny for the NBC sitcom. 

Living Single trended following the interview of Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston sat for an interview with AFP in March where she discussed how the “cancel culture” has changed comedy significantly. She also said that people back then were not as sensitive as to take offense to such jokes. These comments led some fans of Living Single to weigh in on Twitter regarding what they found offensive about Friends. Fans shared that it was not the jokes that offended them. It was Friends being a rip-off of Living Single, without giving the Fox show any credits. 

Living Single was also a show about six New York City friends, navigating adulthood while living in a Brooklyn brownstone. Though it was one of the influential shows of the ’90s, the show could not maintain its relevance and slowly faded from the limelight by Fox. After Aniston’s interview, the show started trending once again. However, Living Single is not the only concluded show that experienced an unexpected surge in popularity in 2023. 

Jennifer Aniston’s neighbor, Meghan Markle starrer Suits, also enjoyed a strange new respect, more than four years after its series finale aired in September 2019. And recently, Markle guessed the reason for this hike in the show’s viewership.

Meghan Markle on why Suits trended again in 2023

Meghan Markle recently attended the Power of Women event by Variety where she was asked about the recent surge in popularity of Suits. Markle guessed that the binge-worthy episodes of Suits “could have something to do with it”. She also indirectly called the American legal drama television series “Everlasting”. The show exuded “a sense of community”, something that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry both strongly believe in. 

Suits ranked as the most-watched show on Netflix for four consecutive weeks this year. It also garnered 3.7 billion minutes of viewing time on Peacock, which totaled to a whopping  45 billion minutes streamed on Netflix and Peacock combined. While many shows have been regaining their popularity in 2023, Friends never lost it. With a weekly audience of 16 million, it retains its status as one of the most beloved shows in history!

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