Marta Kauffman, the co-creator of Friends, regrets not doing more to promote diversity on the show. When it first premiered, in September 1994, the simple premise of six companions experiencing life and love in New York City seemed like an unlikely candidate to turn into one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. Almost two decades since the show went off the air, with the final episode airing in 2004, the series has continued to be a dominant force in pop culture. With the focus on the show, and the significant success it has achieved in syndication and streaming, the flaws of the sitcom has received renewed scrutiny.
In particular, the lack of diversity on Friends has led to plenty of conversation and criticism. The shortcoming was noted by audiences and critics, even while the sitcom was airing, but societal shifts and a better understanding of the importance of meaningful representation in media has brought the issue to the forefront. Friends had a few notable examples of non-white characters throughout its run on NBC, namely Julie in season 2 and Charlie in the last two seasons. For the most part, however, characters of color were kept to one-off guest appearances and were often used in a minor capacity. The cast of Friends has spoken out about the issue, with Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay) noting that the series would look different if it were made today.
Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman recently gave her thoughts on the subject, according to The Daily Mail. During the virtual 2020 ATX Festival, as part of a panel with other female showrunners, Kauffman admitted that she didn’t do enough to promote diversity on the series. “I just wish I knew then what I know now. I would’ve made very different decisions,” Kauffman said. “I mean we’ve always encouraged people of diversity in our company, but I didn’t do enough and now all I can think about is what can I do?”
Kauffman, who would go on to co-create Grace and Frankie for Netflix, teared up while making her remarks. They came as a response to the question of what Kauffman wished she knew when she was starting out as a showrunner. The writer noted, ultimately, that she was constantly confronting herself with questions about what to do differently and how to run her shows in a new way.
It’s a question that many have been grappling with in recent days, as actresses on Glee and Riverdale have spoken out about feeling marginalized. While it’s tempting to look at Friends as a time capsule, with all the good and bad that entails, that approach would obscure the reality of the present moment.
Resistance to true inclusion wasn’t only an issue in the 1990s, when Joss Whedon was met with resistance for wanting to hire a black actress on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It continues to be a problem today, as Josh Trank’s recent comments about a black Sue Storm make clear. It is the responsibility of influential writers to push for more inclusion in their projects, particularly on a show like Friends which relied so heavily on a wide net of recurring guest stars.
