FIENDS

FRIENDS
NBC 1994-2004

FIENDS
MAD #343, March 1996
w: Josh Gordon (Arnie Kogen)
a: Mort Drucker

The cast of the show was used in ads for the National Milk Processing Board, so the cover was parodying those ads as well.

Everybody's seen at least one or two episodes of this, but I'll recap anyway, if only to get around the "fair use" conceit. The six of them were Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Ross (David Schwimmer), Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow).The intro said no hanky-panky went on but if I recall every man hooked up with every woman if not over a season at least once. Ross had a pet monkey named Marcel.

They were maybe my age, or a year or two older, I never understood how they had jobs even more menial than I did but could afford apartments that would cost in rent at least four times what I was paying (plus a monkey). I think it was explained one of the girls inherited the apartment.

They hung out at a coffee shop called Central Perk where Rachel was sometimes a waiter and Phoebe sang on open mic nights. Ross and Rachel had an on and off relationship.

They didn't all live in one apartment like this parody. The men lived in one and the women lived in another across the hall.

FRIENDZY
Cracked #304, December 1995
w: Greg Grabianski
a: Walter Brogan

Ross was a paleontologist.

Ross' ex-wife Carol (Jane Sibbett) occasionally was on the show. She and her partner raised a child with him as the biological father.

Friends was the lead-in for Seinfeld.

Those who can't get enough of the show can always listen to the Meet My Friends the Friends podcast.