Is it ok to watch Friends?

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I mean, fornication, lying and taking God’s name in vain are omnipresent in the show. Is it ok for a Catholic to watch this type of show?
 
The question you should be asking YOURSELF (not a group) is whether you watching this program is going to be an occasion of sin for you or others.

If it bothers your conscience, don’t watch it.

Someone else might choose to watch it because they’re less affected by it or are watching for some other reason (for example they might be doing research into television programs trends during a certain era).

There generally aren’t blanket rules for all Catholics. A 14-year-old watching such a show is likely to be affected differently than a 40-year-old professor of communications.
 
I wouldn’t. I also never found it funny. (interesting how it has been described to me as a comedy), use prudential judgment.
 
I practiced listening English with that show. I love it.

Back to your question, as Tis Bearself said, if it bothers you don’t watch it. Personally I realize that if I’m going to cut out all the shows that have lying, fornication, and taking God’s name in vain I’m gonna be very limited in what I watch, and I’m a person who likes watching movies and series.

It’s a matter of personal judgement. If it makes you uncomfortable or leads you to sin, don’t watch it.
 
I used to watch it years ago and had thought it fine, in fact I loved it, but recently I watched a little of it and found the same issues you mentioned. Has the show changed? no not at all, so it must be me. I just can’t watch that kind of stuff anymore. It seems to me you are experiencing the same thing. I’d say follow your conscience. If you feel uncomfortable with any issues in a show (or a book for that matter) then don’t have anything to do with it, dont judge others for their enjoyment of it, but just move in to something you do enjoy. God is moving your heart, let him. God bless you.
 
No, but you can (and should) watch Seinfeld.

Seriously though, keep in mind that like professional wrestling, Friends isn’t real. When you read a novel like Madame Bovary do you feel scandalized because the protagonist does bad things and is doomed? People do bad or foolish things in real life, and sometimes they suffer for it and learn their lesson, and sometimes they don’t; I don’t see why fiction should be any different.
 
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I also never found it funny. (interesting how it has been described to me as a comedy)
I thought it was just incredibly dumb, a waste of my time, and that the characters were not anyone I would want for my personal friends. I was also about 10-15 years older than the target age group for the show when it came out, so it reflected a generation I wasn’t part of and wasn’t interested in.
No, but you can (and should) watch Seinfeld .
That was another show that I found mostly unfunny and with completely insufferable characters.
The only episode that made me chuckle a little bit was the Soup Nazi.
 
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I’m not a huge fan of Friends, but whether you want to watch it comes down to your own judgement. Lots of shows depict sinful or less than ideal ways of living, but this in itself doesn’t necessarily make a show sinful to watch.
 
I watched it when it came out and thought it was funny and I wanted hair like Rachel (I would only admit this to you guys because we’re forum-mates like that🙂).

However, their values weren’t my values, and also, I was starting my grown up family life and they were still a bunch of free wheeling singles.
So I got bored and stopped watching.

Besides, X Files was so much cooler.
 
Well if I had to die on a hill I would make it Seinfeld rather than Friends but ultimately what one finds funny is subjective so to each his own.
 
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I find it hard to imagine a saint watching shows like this. I want to be a saint so that’s why I’m always trying to watch less TV. For me my guilty pleasure is King of Queens. I watch it a lot less than I used to so there is progress I guess. I do find that older TV shows (like from the 70’s) have much less of that stuff. I watch a lot of the older shows.
 
Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory, House, Friends etc. show adults in various stages of arrested development. Essentially you have teenagers in adult bodies. So there is a risk that you become inured to this sort of behaviour. It doesn’t really help you. Plus, these shows are always plugging false messages about homosexuality, dating, marriage. Sooner or later, it’s going to affect you.

I’ve given up Forensic Files because after a while its darkness cast a shadow on my mood.

It’s better to read biographies about great people.
 
No one should watch Friends. What a boring, unfunny show! I could barely get through one episode. Watch Seinfeld instead, the epitome of un-PC shows.
 
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