It has been twenty years since the classic sitcom Friends ended its run. However, its timeless charm has been passed down from one generation to the next. That is mostly because the show is still relevant today and was light-years ahead of its time. But while the craze for Friends remains unchanged, the TV world has undergone a huge transformation. Take streaming services, for instance, they were unheard of back then, but now they are the ones breathing new life into Friends. 

Reflecting on the same, Matt LeBlanc once shared his thoughts on how much TV has changed since his Friends days.

Matt LeBlanc acknowledged the surge in television content since Friends

Matt LeBlanc sat for an interview with TODAY in the year 2015, where he came to talk about his sitcom Episodes. In the sitcom, which got renewed for a fifth season in the same year, he played the satirical version of himself. While talking about his motivation behind doing this show, the interviewer asked LeBlanc if he was a “big consumer of Television”. In response to this, the Friends alum made an interesting observation stating how there are “so many options as a viewer” these days. 

Back when he was doing Friends, there was no FX or the plethora of sources for content consumption. There were only four stations, and Friends had a “bigger share of the whole pie”, as per the actor. However, the television landscape had a major makeover following the conclusion of the show, along with people’s perception of comedy. Jennifer Aniston once pinpointed how the “woke culture” has had a huge impact on comedy following Friends days. 

Aniston also expressed her concern about how this shift in people’s choices causes hindrances to the creative liberty of artists. 

Jennifer Aniston shared her views on censored comedy 

Jennifer Aniston has been widely appreciated for her comedic genius ever since she made her mark on Friends. However, people taking offense to some of the jokes and plotlines from the show decades later made Aniston highlight the increased complexities in comedy. While promoting Murder Mystery 2, the actress candidly told Variety how earlier “You could joke about a bigot and have a laugh. That was hysterical”. 

These days, however, artists need to be extremely cautious with their opinions and what they are portraying on screen. As per Aniston, this trend has been killing the essence of comedy, which was all about making fun of oneself and the peculiarities of life. She wished that people could enjoy comedy for what it is instead of calling out over any joke that is borderline offensive. 

What do you think about the significant change in the industry since Friends? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!