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If you loved Friends, here's how to pick your next Sitcom binge.

Need more friends in your life? Let me introduce you to some new one's in these two shows you should watch after you watch Friends.

By Leah HarrisPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
The Friends cast that we all know and love so much.

There are honestly times when I don't want to watch anything but Friends.

But I know every line, have laughed and cried through every big moment, and compared the lives of the main characters to that of me and my own friends for ten years now.

So... what do you watch after you've watched Friends?

What makes us love Friends so much?

Friends needs no explanation. It's been America's favorite sitcom since 1994, and one of the most well known and quotable show's amongst both Millennials and Gen Z alike.

Friends stars Jennifer Anniston(Rachel Green), Courtney Cox(Monica Geller), Lisa Kudrow(Phoebe Buffay), Matthew Perry(Chandler Bing), Matt LeBlanc(Joey Tribbiani) and David Schwimmer(Ross Geller) as a zany group of friends living in NYC, drinking coffee and coping with life as it comes.

There is something for everyone, no matter what kind of friend you identify as. From Ross and Rachel's on-again-off-again, Monica's OCD and desire for babies, Chandler and Joey's bromance, and Phoebe's eccentric hippie vibes, we can all relate.

How to find the right sitcom for you: the Formula

There are three things that all of us Friends fans love about the show, and definitely a must for whatever we decide to watch next.

Romance, Friendship and Funny.

1. Romance

The romance's on Friends carry us through the show, and make us desire (or not so much) a relationship like theirs. They also remind us of relationships from our own lives.

Ross and Rachel have the biggest, most dramatic, and sometimes most ridiculous romance on Friends. They have an unending chemistry throughout all 10 seasons of the show, which makes us all question "Will they ever actually get together, for real?"

Not only do we love watching Ross and Rachel, but my personal favorite couple will always be Monica and Chandler. They have a beautiful kind of friendship before anything ever happens with them romantically, and once they get together, they're it for each other till death do they part.

These two go through so much as a couple in a much healthier way than the two main characters, including moving in for the first time, marriage, and purposefully trying to have kids of their own.

2. Friendship

We all have that one friend (or friends) that we couldn't live without. This show portrays a tight group of friends that are closer than family, and has us gushing as they remind us to treasure our own friends too.

I love watching Monica and Rachel's friendship, Joey and Phoebe's sweet moments, and how close Chandler and Ross are after college and so many years later.

There is nothing sweeter than the love between these friends. But I especially love the friendship between Joey and Chandler. These two guys are some of my favorite characters, and have the best heart melting bro moments on the show.

3. Funny

On a bad day, this is my go-to show to feel better.

Each and every episode will make you laugh out loud, both with and at the characters. Whether it's an "Oh. My. God." moment from Janice, "Joey doesn't share food!", or one of Chandler's witty remarks: "I'm hopeless and awkward and desperate for love!", you're sure to be in a better mood after just one episode.

And aren't those three things what really make shows like Friends our favorite to binge?

We can relate.

We've all been through breakups, family drama, crazy date's, and wacko adventures with our best friends. And everyone can relate to the heartbreak and sweet moments of the last season in some way as well.

After Netflix ditched Friends (didn't that hurt us all??), you may have been stuck on what to watch next. Cuz really, does anything else compare?

Friends episode & season count:

Seasons: 10

Episodes: 236

What to watch after Friends

Now that you've finished watching Friends for the 20th time, here are a couple shows that will give you those warm Friends feels, with some new stories and characters to fall in love with along the way.

How I Met Your Mother

I remember watching HIMYM for the first time, in my first apartment with my boyfriend (who is now my husband). It was raining, and we had just gotten home from running all our clothes from the week to a laundry mat. We made a dinner of instant noodles and ICE sparking water. The essence of young romantic adulthood, am I right?

When we started watching How I Met Your Mother, it felt a lot like Friends. Fun and quirky, but with sassy new characters, and a more modern feel. I can honestly say we binge watched all 9 seasons in less than 3 months...

Though this group of friends does have a lot in common with the Friends we know and love, they all have their own crazy, lovable personalities with a story you will want to follow from beginning to end.

But does it have the three things?

1. Romance

While there are a lot of relationships on this show (10 listed out here, but beware of spoilers!) none are quite as good as Marshall and Lilly's.

The show does focus on Ted and his many relationships, but the relationship between this married couple can't be beat. Like any couple, Marshall and Lilly have their struggles, but it only makes them feel that much more real to us.

2. Friendship

How I Met Your Mother focuses on the friendships between Ted, Marshall, Lilly, Barney and Robin. Each of these five characters has a pretty tight relationship with each of the others, but Barney and Ted take first place for best bromance on this show.

Barney has been Ted's friends since they met in the bathroom at their favorite bar, MacLaren's. As odd as a place as that is for a friendship to start, they've been best bro's ever since. As Ted's wingman, Barney even came up with a game to help him meet women. "Have you met Ted?"

3. Funny

This show will definitely get some good laughs.

Between Ted stealing a blue horn from a restaurant for a girl, the cast's many pranks, Barney's "Get Pumped" mix, and a little something called "Slaps-giving", you will die laughing every time you hit play.

If you need proof, check out this list of 27 Hysterical HIMYM moments from BuzzFeed!

How we can relate: Relationships are hard, and the right ones are harder to come by. Sometimes your friends really do know what's best for you, and other times you just have to trust your gut. But in the end, knowing who'll be there for you is what matters most.

HIMYM episode & season count:

Seasons: 9

Episodes: 208

You can currently watch How I Met Your Mother on Hulu!

Watch the fan trailer here

New Girl

While I did love watching HIMYM when we did, I LOVE New Girl, and keep going back to it again and again. Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) is such a sparkling quirky personality, and brings her new friends closer together than they could ever have wanted to be.

It's probably the best sitcom I've seen since Friends, and carries the three staples that Friends fans love really well.

Without giving too much away, here is why New Girl is such a good recommendation for Friends fans:

1. Romance

On-again-off-again, Jess and Nick pull off a different sort of Ross and Rachel. What makes things worse, the whole time they are back and forth, they live in the same loft.

Even so, I think their relationship was healthier and sometimes more fun to watch than Rachel and Ross's was.

As I said before, I typically love the secondary romances better than the central ones, making Schmidt and Cece my favorite couple on the show. They have such a beautiful love story that will melt your heart over and over again.

I am biased though, because Schmidt and Cece's love story reminds me so much of my husband and I's. But who doesn't want a love story they can relate to? They go through a lot of the same steps Monica and Chandler do, and it makes them so sweet and relatable.

2. Friendship

The friendships on New Girl are some of the best I've seen on TV, and the most endearing to watch. Cece and Jess have a very sweet friendship that reminds me a lot of mine with my own best friend. And literally every characters friendship with Winston is just so hilarious to watch!

Then we have Schmidt and Nick, who have the same close friendship that Chandler and Joey have. Their friendship has endured since college, and even though Nick sometimes protests that Schmidt loves him "too much", their bond is unbreakable.

3. Funny

New Girl is packed with humor, funny moments, and definitely meets the criteria of funny. Jessica Day and her friends get sucked into so many wacky adventures, and keep us laughing as they try to find ways to fix their situations. We love the humor tied into everything from Schmidt's douche jar, episodes like "Quick-Hardening-Caulk", Winston setting his cat up on a date, and even a fun appearance from Prince himself.

So, if you've never seen New Girl before, don't walk to watch it, RUN to your couch. Optimally with popcorn and your favorite drink in hand.

How we can relate:

If you've ever fought with your best friend, broken up and gotten back together with an ex, made a drastic career change, or not known how to properly cook a Thanksgiving turkey, this sitcom is for you!

New Girl episode & season count:

Seasons: 7

Episodes: 146

You can currently watch New Girl on Netflix!

Watch the Official Trailer Here

One thing that all of these shows have in common is that they all center around a group of friends that grow together over the course of years. All the friends start out in a somewhat rough phase of life, and with help from each other, become the people they are supposed to be.

Whether you decide to pick How I Met Your Mother or New Girl, you'll laugh, cry, and maybe even find your new favorite TV show.

________________

Thank you so much for reading! If you liked this article, be sure to click the heart button. If you really liked this article, tips are greatly appreciated! You can find more articles from me here on Vocal under my profile. -Leah H.

Header photo image via ConcretePlayground.com

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About the Creator

Leah Harris

Writer, blogger and artist. Inspirations for writing are Markus Zusak and Tyler Knott Gregson. Follow me on Instagram! @LeahNaturally

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    Leah HarrisWritten by Leah Harris

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