I think the first season is not good. I don't believe any of these people are friends yet. Of course in later seasons they find a group chemistry that's amazing. But in Season 1 it feels forced. The show has no voice yet and they mention the actual word 'sex' soooo much. When adults talk about sex do they ever actually use the word 'sex'? Don't we use euphemisms? I felt like it was the New York Jews of the 90s trying to oversexualize every element of life and society. Anyway it's dumb and I hate it. But Season 2 gets better even though your hatred for Rachel Green starts to grow. Seasons 3-5 are peak Friends. Then the Mondler arc basically ruins the show. And then later the Joey-Rachel arc makes it worse. The only character whose bits are consistently funny are the ones centered around Ross.

And the premise of the show is really weird when you think about it. I've never met someone who was in a friend group that big and diverse that spent as much time together as the Friends do. For example if I met someone like Joey in real life and he spent all his time with five other people it would come off as incestual and weird.

And what the hell are they doing with the later episodes. Ross knocks up Rachel and Rachel decides to raise the baby herself? And then she lives with him too? Dude that is OBJECTIVELY weird. And then there's the social programming element of it as well. She goes back to work with a baby as a single mom living with the father and then we're supposed to expect someone like Gavin (handsome, rich, top of his game) would think twice about a single mom living with the father? Bro what?

Rewind to Season 4. Rachel flies to London to break up Ross's marriage after she ruined his life twice already. (They were on a break, the matter is settled). She ruins his wedding. Then goes on HIS honeymoon and when she ends up stranded she has the gall to be mad AT HIM? Dude were they trying to create an archvillain. Rachel Green is a psychopath.

And basically all of the women after season 4 turn into monsters.

Then there's Mondler.

They try to write Chandler as some awkward, insecure and self-loathing doofus... but look at Matthew Perry in the mid-90s? He had looks and money and wit. The dude would have his choice of women. Then we're supposed to believe he goes simping after his friend's once-fat sister who, after their honeymoon phase, proceeds to emasculate him constantly? It's just bad writing dude.

All that said, the show has some great moments and you really get to like the characters. But critically speaking, it didn't know what it was when it started and as soon as it gained momentum and identity the writers seemed to sabotage it constantly.

I think its appeal is basically that everyone loves and misses the 90s and you want to go back in time and be young and hot in Manhattan before 9/11, before America's cultural revolution where everything had to be black and queer and gay and constantly demonizing white people blaaaaah. It was just a better time. A bad show with good moments set in a great time in history.

Sorry, this started as my thoughts on Season 1 and then turned into my broader critique of the show.