The term “Must See TV” has been used so often that it has almost lost all relevance. Game of Thrones?
Must see TV. The Sopranos? Must see TV. Squid Game, Ted Lasso, The Mandalorian? Must see, must see, must see.
Yet there was a time not all that long ago where the term wasn’t a catch-all applied to
the pop-culture series du jour. It was, in fact, a heavily-promoted slogan created by NBC promotional producer Dan Holm in 1993 that would come to be associated with NBC’s dominant Thursday evening block throughout the 1990s. Although many shows were rotated through the block — Frasier, Wings, and Mad About You to name a few — the most prominent line-up of series associated with the Thursday night slogan happen to be three of the most iconic of all time: Seinfeld, Friends, and ER. But were they really “Must See TV”? Yes. Yes, they were.
‘Seinfeld’ Was Master of Its Domain
Jerry Seinfeld, the observational comedian, and Larry David, the acerbic, angry comedian, are, in many ways, polar opposites of one another, yet their relationship yielded a creative output that was almost perfectly balanced. In a meeting with NBC, the pair proposed a show about “nothing,” the mundane occurrences in life presented through the lens of absurdity. Unlike most sitcoms of the time, Seinfeld, which began life as The Seinfeld Chronicles, had one overarching mantra that was woven throughout its time on television: “No hugging, no learning.” The pilot was hated by test audiences and criticized as being “Too New York, too Jewish,” but was still given a shot. A four-episode first season shot. But it caught on with its unique mix of inanity and a killer cast, and soon Seinfeld could do no wrong. Phrases from the show entered the lexicon. “Double-dipping”. “Yada yada yada”. “No soup for you!”. Entire episodes became legendary, perhaps none more so than “The Contest,” an episode about masturbation that didn’t use the word even once (“master of your domain,” another phrase that has outlived the show). The characters were awful people, but almost universally relatable. One had to watch Seinfeld just to see what minutiae of life was going to be skewered that week, or to see how deep the characters would go to bail themselves out of whatever situation they got in to. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
‘Friends’ Was There For You
It’s 1994, and a show about six young adults who are inseparable friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, hits the air, and becomes a hit right away. Like Seinfeld, Friends boasted a cast that clicked both on-and off-screen, famously negotiating as a collective that saw each treated equally. There was something in each character that viewers could relate to: Monica’s (Courteney Cox) need to control, Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) eccentricities, Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) ambition to make it on her own, Ross’ (David Schwimmer) scholar that can’t catch a break, Chandler’s (Matthew Perry) quick wit, or Joey’s (Matt LeBlanc) dim-witted coolness. The show was carefully crafted, allowing the characters to grow but still retain those things that endeared them to the viewers. It became the shining example of how to make the “will they won’t they” trope work, with Ross and Rachel’s relationship in a constant state of flux right to the bitter — but very sweet — end. Friends’ lasting success isn’t hinged on phrases and quotes, but more in moments that can’t be forgotten, moments like the Holiday Armadillo, The Routine, Joey locked in his entertainment center, “Smelly Cat,” or the Chandler and Monica proposal. And it was the need to catch these moments that made Friends a must-see.
