《老友記》20年：青春不老

從1994年開播到2004年完結，《老友記》中的好友們共同走過了十年的歡樂時光。如今，開播20年之久的《老友記》仍在吸引著一批批新觀眾。這不僅僅是因為劇中的友情令人感動，還因為在我們走過艱辛的成長之路時，有這樣一群可愛的人在演繹著我們自己的故事，他們的固執、勇敢、迷茫、掙扎，我們都能感同身受。影像鐫刻的是他們六人的成長故事，也留下了我們的青春歲月。

The original seven-page pitch1） for Friends described the show as a comedy about “six people in their 20s who hang out at this coffee house.” As a concept， it didnt exactly scream laughter. But， as we now know， Friends turned out to be one of the most successful sitcoms ever produced， adored by a generation of young people who saw themselves in the six main characters as they negotiated2） the tricky path of adulthood.

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the first episode of Friends and ten years since the show officially ended—with Monica， Chandler and their new twins moving upstate， and， of course， Ross and Rachel reuniting for good.

I say “officially” ended because Friends continues to pull in3） the viewers. Up to 17 episodes a day are screened on Comedy Central4）， which won the replay rights in 2011. The channels demographic is age 16～34 and it lays on5） extra episodes during the school holidays. DVD sales are still going strong， with 77，700 sold in the UK in the past 12 months alone. The show continues to open up to a whole new audience—many of whom werent even born when it debuted6）.

Parents who loved the show in their 20s now sit down to watch the repeats with their teens， while students who were toddlers when it first aired proclaim their appreciation on Twitter as they become hooked on Ross and Rachels will-they-wont-they storyline （even though they know the outcome）.

The back-to-back7） repeats have put me in the surreal8） position of seeing myself on TV at least five times a year—because I once appeared in an episode. Back in 2003， when I was working on Heat magazine， I received an invitation to appear as an extra9） in series nine. You can imagine my reaction. Who could blame me for the rather unseemly10） shrieking11） and screaming？ At that point， Friends was the biggest TV show in the world. I was going to be on it， alongside six of the most recognisable faces on TV： Jennifer Aniston， Lisa Kudrow， Courteney Cox， David Schwimmer， Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc. They were also televisions highest paid stars， with a pay packet of $1 million each per episode.

A decade on， the experience still ranks as my career high. Every time I catch a rerun of the episode I appear in （“The One with the Fertility Test”）， I still feel like shrieking. Im in the opening scene before the credits12） roll， ordering a coffee from cast regular Gunther in Central Perk—the coffee shop where Rachel （Aniston） once worked—while Ross （Schwimmer） argues with Joey （LeBlanc） over his palaeontologist13） girlfriend Charlie （guest star Aisha Tyler）. I dont actually say anything， but I do mouth “apples and pears” a lot because， as the director advised me on the day， those words make the best lip shapes on screen.

The on-screen friendships didnt just come alive for the cameras either. The six leads would drift off into a huddle14） between takes， spontaneously hugging and petting each others hair. I was under strict instructions not to stare at the stars. （I did， of course： you try being within six feet of Jennifer Aniston and not gawping15）.）

That wasnt to say they were aloof： everyone on set， from writers down to runners， was considered important. “Everyone here works as a family，” prop master16） Marjorie Coster-Praytor told me， as her young daughter Carlin ran around the studio giggling with Lisa Kudrows son of the same age， Julian （they gave birth on the same day at the same LA hospital）. “Its what makes the show so good.”

So there I am， part （albeit a blink-and-youll-miss-me part） of TV history. Back then we loved it because it was the first sitcom aimed right at our generation which addressed what mattered most to us—relationships， carving out careers， settling down. And that still resonates for todays teens and 20-somethings.

“The key thing about Friends is that its about people working out how they are going to live their lives—what kind of relationship are they going to have， what kind of job， the difficulties of settling down，” says Brett Mills， senior lecturer in film and television studies at the University of East Anglia. “Youre engaged in all those questions about escaping from your family， becoming an adult and working out what you want to be.”

The other key aspect was， of course， the group dynamic17）. Before Friends， sitcoms tended to focus on family life， with parents being the central characters. The message that our friends count more than family when were young adults is still a powerful one.

Yet many elements were pure fairy tale： Monica and Rachel wore designer clothes， had impossibly glossy18） hair， model-thin figures， and lived in a vast loft apartment in Greenwich Village19）. Yet we loved that fantasy—who wouldnt want to hang out with our best friends all day and live across the corridor from a pair of funny guys？

Now， in an era where a raw， unflinching20） and explicit show such as Girls is lauded for its honest portrayal of 20-somethings， Friends must seem old-fashioned—twee21）， even. Most of the series were shot pre-mobiles and pre-Google （the advent of which can ruin a plot）. And theres no nudity， no swearing， no sexting22）. It lends Friends an innocence， refreshing for todays generation of viewers for whom the pressure of social media and online porn is an inescapable part of life. Lisa Kudrow， who played Phoebe， remarked that it was “troubling that Friends is now one of the most wholesome23） TV shows.”

Friends wasnt afraid to show the six main characters failing to succeed—and not just at relationships. At times they lost their jobs， struggled on low incomes and got stuck in careers they hated. These are all situations that todays student-debt-ridden 20-somethings can identify with as they struggle to find work and afford their first home. When Monica persuades Rachel to cut up the credit cards her dad funded at the end of the first episode， saying， “Welcome to the real world. It sucks，” yes， its a reality of sorts24）， but with the harsh edges blunted by glossy styling and razor-sharp banter25）. The humour is benign but nevertheless topical： a large team of writers bounced lines off each other26） long into the night to keep the wit crackling， allowing jokes about surrogacy27）， same-sex marriage， STDs28）， infidelity29） and suicide to be made without offending.

The shows coffee-house culture—Central Perk is the setting of some of the shows most pivotal30） scenes， including Ross and Rachels long-awaited first kiss—is even more reflective of the zeitgeist31） now than when it first aired. The National Union of Students last year reported a rise in coffee shops springing up on campuses.

“It didnt jar； it wasnt dark，” adds TV executive Jo Sargent， who produced Grownups and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps， aimed at the same 20-something audience as Friends.

“There isnt one magic ingredient with Friends—its a combination of all sorts of things，” she adds. “Its aspirational but not exclusive. Its about friendship. The women were funny in it， and beautiful， and I dont know how much wed seen of that before then.”

It made Jo， now executive producer on Miranda， rethink how comedy should be tackled. “It made me realise that comedy needed to have a story and a heart to it. Thats why audiences connect with it，” she says. Her own 14-year-old daughter is a fan of the reruns.

The cast members have repeatedly ruled out a reunion show for the 20th anniversary， with Matt LeBlanc saying， “Everyone identifies with those characters in their own way and everyone in their own mind imagines what has become of those characters. I just think its best to leave it at that.”

His sentiment was echoed by the shows co-creator Marta Kauffman， who told reporters earlier this year： “Friends was about that time in your life when your friends are your family and once you have a family， theres no need any more.”

Todays legions32） of fans—young and old—might disagree.

老友記》最初的七頁廣告宣傳將它描述為一部關于“六位二十多歲的年輕人在這個咖啡館消遣”的喜劇。就這個概念來說，它并不會讓觀眾大笑。但我們現在知道，《老友記》最終成為有史以來最成功的情景喜劇之一，被一代年輕人所鐘愛，因為他們走過艱辛的成年之路時，曾在六位主角的身上看到了自己的影子。

明年（編注：英文原文發表于2013年10月）是《老友記》第一集播出20周年紀念，也是這部劇正式結束十周年紀念——在結尾，莫妮卡、錢德勒和他們的新生雙胞胎移居紐約州北部，羅斯和瑞秋當然也重歸于好，永不分離。

我說“正式”結束，是因為《老友記》仍然在吸引著觀眾。美國喜劇中心頻道在2011年贏得了該劇的重播權，每天播放達17集之多。該頻道的觀眾年齡介于16歲到34歲之間，在學校放假時，每天還要加播幾集。《老友記》的DVD光盤銷售依然風頭強勁，僅僅在過去的12個月中，英國就售出了7.77萬套。這部劇還繼續吸引著全新的觀眾群——其中很多人在它首播時甚至尚未出生。

曾在二十多歲時喜歡這部劇的父母現在會和自己十幾歲的孩子一起坐下來觀看重播；有些學生在這部劇首播時還是蹣跚學步的兒童，如今開始著迷于羅斯和瑞秋分分合合的故事情節（即使他們已經知道結果），并在推特上公開表達他們對這部劇的喜愛。

接連不斷的重播讓我陷入了夢幻般的境地，那就是每年至少都會在電視上看到自己五次——因為我曾參與某一集的演出。時間回溯到2003年，當時正在《熱度》雜志工作的我接到了一份邀請函，請我在《老友記》第九季中擔任臨時演員。你可以想象出我的反應。誰能因為我那相當不得體的尖叫而責備我呢？那時，《老友記》是全球最熱播的電視劇，而我即將參演，與電視熒幕上最容易辨識的人中的六位一起出現：珍妮弗·安妮斯頓、莉薩·庫卓、考特尼·考克斯、戴維·施維默、馬修·佩里和馬特·勒布朗。他們同時也是電視行業中片酬最高的明星，每人每集酬勞高達一百萬美元。

十年過去了，那次經歷仍然是我職業生涯的巔峰。每當在重播時偶然看到自己出演的那一集（《生育能力檢測》），我仍然想要尖叫。我出現在字幕之前的開篇場景中，在中央公園咖啡館——那是瑞秋（安妮斯頓飾演）曾經工作過的咖啡館——從常規角色岡瑟那里點一杯咖啡，當時羅斯（施維默飾演）正為了他的古生物學家女朋友查利（艾莎·泰勒客串出演）而跟喬伊（勒布朗飾演）爭吵。其實我沒有任何臺詞，但我確實多次做出了“蘋果和梨”的口型，因為那天導演對我建議說，那幾個詞的唇形最上鏡。

熒屏上的友誼也并不只為攝像機而生。六位主演常常在拍攝間隙不自覺地聚在一起，很自然地擁抱或摸摸彼此的頭發。我被嚴格要求不許盯著明星們看（我當然看了：你可以試試在距離珍妮弗·安妮斯頓不足六英尺時，如何不目瞪口呆地盯著她看）。

那并不是說他們拒人于千里之外：在拍攝現場，從編劇到跑腿的每一個人都被認為身兼重任。“在這里工作的每一個人都像家人一樣，”道具師瑪喬麗·科斯特-普瑞特告訴我，“正是因為如此，這部電視劇才會如此精彩。”她說這話時，她年幼的女兒卡林正在和同齡小伙伴也就是莉薩·庫卓的兒子朱利安在攝影棚里咯咯地笑著跑來跑去（他們于同一天出生在洛杉磯的同一家醫院）。

我就這樣成了電視史中的一員（盡管是個一眨眼就會被人錯過的一員）。那時我們喜歡這部劇，因為這是第一部完全針對我們這代人的情景喜劇，并且討論了對我們來說最重要的東西——愛情、立業、安居。這在當今十幾歲和二十多歲的年輕人中仍能引起共鳴。

“《老友記》的關鍵在于它展現的是人們對于自己將如何生活的探索——該擁有怎樣的感情，該從事哪種工作，安頓的過程中會遇到哪些困難，”東安格利亞大學影視研究專業的高級講師布雷特·米爾斯說道，“你需要處理所有那些關于離開家庭、長大成人以及想清楚自己未來的問題。”

《老友記》的另一個關鍵內容當然就是群體之間的互動。在《老友記》出現之前，情景喜劇多聚焦于家庭生活，以家長為中心人物。在我們初為成人之時，朋友重于家人仍然是一個強有力的主題。

然而，《老友記》中的很多內容純粹是童話：莫妮卡和瑞秋身穿名牌服裝，留著散發出令人難以置信光澤的秀發，擁有像模特一樣纖瘦的身材，還住在格林尼治村寬敞的頂樓公寓中。但是我們喜愛那種不真實——誰不想和我們最好的朋友整日閑逛，而且對門還住著一對有趣的家伙呢？

如今，諸如《都市女孩》這般不加掩飾、無所顧忌且露骨的電視劇因反映了二十多歲年輕人的真實生活而廣受贊譽。在這樣一個時代，《老友記》肯定看起來過時了，甚至是過于美好了。多數劇集都拍攝于手機和谷歌出現之前（它們的出現會破壞故事情節）。劇中沒有裸體，沒有咒罵，也沒有色情短信。這賦予了《老友記》一種純真，對于當今無法在生活中擺脫社交媒體和網絡色情壓力的一代觀眾來說，《老友記》給他們一種新鮮感。菲比的扮演者莉薩·庫卓評價說：“《老友記》現在成了最有教益的電視劇之一，這種狀況讓人擔憂。”

《老友記》不懼怕展現六位主角未能成功的一面——不僅僅在感情方面。有時他們會失業，靠著低收入掙扎謀生，也不得不從事自己討厭的工作。這些都是當今背負累累助學債務的二十多歲年輕人在努力找工作或買下第一棟寓所時同樣會遇到的情況。第一集末尾，莫妮卡勸瑞秋剪斷她爸爸資助的信用卡時說：“歡迎來到現實世界，它糟透了。”是的，現實基本如此，只是光鮮的造型和犀利的戲謔削弱了其嚴酷的方面。這種幽默溫和卻不失現實意義：一大批編劇徹夜互相切磋臺詞，機智的火花不斷迸發，使代孕行為、同性婚姻、性傳播疾病、不貞行為和自殺這些話題成為調侃的對象，卻又不會令人反感。

劇中的咖啡館文化——中央公園咖啡館是該劇一些最關鍵場景的拍攝地，包括羅斯和瑞秋等待已久的初吻——與首播的時候相比，更能反映出現在的時代潮流。美國全國學生聯合會在去年的報告中指出，大學校園內涌現出的咖啡館越來越多。

“那里沒有刺耳的音樂，燈光也不昏暗。”電視節目策劃人喬·薩金特補充說。她曾擔任過《長大成人》和《兩杯啤酒和一包薯條》這兩部電視劇的制片人，它們和《老友記》一樣，都是以二十多歲的年輕人為受眾。

“《老友記》的成功不是因為某一個神奇的因素，而是各種因素綜合起來的結果，”她補充說，“它很勵志，但又非高不可攀。友誼是它的主題。里面的女孩兒既有趣又漂亮，我不知道之前我們見過多少這樣的情景。”

這令如今身為《米蘭達》（編注：英國的一部情景喜劇）執行制片人的喬重新思考應該如何拍攝喜劇。“它讓我意識到喜劇需要有故事，要能觸動人心。這也是觀眾能產生共鳴的原因。”她說。她自己14歲的女兒是重播的《老友記》的粉絲。

演職人員們已經屢次拒絕了為首播20周年進行重聚表演，馬特·勒布朗說：“每個人都用自己的方式與角色產生共鳴，每個人都在自己的腦海里想象著這些角色后來的結局。我只是覺得這部劇最好就演到此為止吧。”

他的觀點得到了此劇聯合主創馬爾塔·考夫曼的認同，她曾在今年早些時候對記者說：“《老友記》針對的是你生命中的某個階段，那時你的朋友們就是你的家人，一旦你有了自己的家庭，就沒有必要了。”

它現在的眾多粉絲——無論老少——可能都不會同意。