Again, it’s an end-of-month archival expansion here at Shared Darkness, ergo this DVD review of a Friends compilation set, originally published upon its release in 2001. To wit:

If you have no friends or just prefer the tremendously telegenic lookers of NBC’s eponymous hit sitcom over your own, fear not, for The Best of Friends, Volumes 3 and 4 features 10 more episodes from the series’ first six seasons. Billed as episodes voted the best by both fans and the series’ creators, this attractively packaged set nicely mixes installments that give each of the stars of Friends some time in the spotlight, with each episode including previously unaired footage. While the lack of strict adherence to chronology may irk some, this tack actually allows for the pleasure of watching haircuts change and characters develop without sitting through several entire seasons worth of shows.

At first a show built around simple types, obvious jokes and telegraphed conceits (albeit delivered in a very talented and good-looking way), Friends has really grown throughout its super-successful run. Even if its situations are still sometimes a bit transparent, its layered comedy has really enriched the characterizations. This DVD set includes a 40-minute behind-the-scenes documentary from 1999 that takes viewers all the way through the show, from writing, script development and set construction to shooting with a live studio audience. It does not, however, answer one crucial question. How many promotional photos have these six taken together? The world may never know. B (Shows) B (Discs)