Steven Helmer Publications

It's a windy, crappy day outside today so after doing some chores around the house, I am on the couch watching re-runs of Friends .  The episode I'm watching right now is "The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner," which, among other things, is reminding me just how terrible Ross ( David Schwimmer ) and Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston ) were as a couple and why they shouldn't have gotten back together (sorry, I just can't change my mind about that). However, it also got me thinking about some of the other relationships on the show and I realize it isn't the cringiest one from the series, or even the cringiest one Ross was involved with. Here are my top five in no particular order: Ross and Elizabeth ( Alexandra Holden ) -  At first, I thought this was just a relationship that didn't age well. However, even the series itself recognized a professor dating a student just wasn't right by forcing Ross to keep it hidden to avoid being fired. In fact, one of the gr...

Even though the season finale aired nearly 21 years ago, the show Friends  remains a fan favorite and, at least in our household, the reruns are watched on repeat.  Typically, you can't have a conversation about the show without mentioning one of the two main power couples - Ross ( David Schimmer ) and Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston ) or Monica ( Courteney Cox ) and Chandler ( Matthew Perry ). Maybe to a slightly lesser extent, you could even mention Phoebe ( Lisa Kudrow ) and her boyfriend/husband in the later seasons, Mike ( Paul Rudd ). I, however, think the REAL power couple is one that doesn't get enough credit, Ross's ex-wife Carol ( Anita Barone in season 1 and Jane Sibbett after that) and her wife Susan Bunch ( Jessica Hecht ). While their lesbian relationship was often portrayed in a comical light (as was often the case in the 90s) and their recurring appearances were reduced in the later seasons, there are three reasons why I'd pick them above any of the couples ...

My wife and I are currently binge-watching the show The Big Bang Theory (first time for her, second time for me) and, as we watch/re-watch the episodes, we find ourselves comparing the series to another favorite, Friends .  While I do think the former has a slight edge overall, partly because the material isn't as dated as the 90s sitcom now is, there were also some things Friends  did better, making me want to attempt some comparisons. After some thought, I decided to start with the shows' couples. For simplicity purposes, I am focusing solely on the primary pairings. In the case of Big Bang Theory , it would be the seven starring characters, and, with Friends , I am using the show's couples at the end of the series.   Ross and Rachel ( Friends ) versus Leonard and Penny ( Big Bang Theory ) At first glance, there are a lot of similarities between these two couples. Both Ross and Leonard had crushes on their future romantic partners long before the romantic interest was ...