Addictive: the Netflix series Friends From College

A golden formula is not necessarily always due for renewal or change. Take the following setting: a group of friends in Manhattan where everyone is busy with their lives and their issues surrounding work, relationships. You know it well: the daily grind. Watching, right? Certainly. We’ve seen it before in Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Sex and the City, and Suits, and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few. And yes, you guessed it: we have another one. One with a familiar face too, namely Cobie Smulders – or Robin from How I Met Your Mother. Deep? Not really. Innovative? Far from it. Addictive? Absolutely. So yes, Friends From College can now be added to your watch list. And since staying home on Saturday night is so 2019, the chances are high that this your new Saturday night activity becomes.

Season 2 has been available on Netflix since the beginning of this year, which means we can binge two seasons. And to be honest: the first season is a bit so-so. The second season is clearly a lot more fun, which made me personally glad that I didn’t drop out halfway through. So here’s a heads up if you’re running into the same issue. Free tip: just start with season 2 and get acquainted with the characters. It’s worth it and saves you a lot of time.

But well, a group of friends in Manhattan then. A big difference with a series like Friends is that in Friends From College (even the names are similar: so innovative) the moral norms and values come across a bit less. For example, cheating is part of the daily routine in season 1. But they do have brains: the six friends that it’s about (six friends… Where do we know that from again?) are all Harvard alumni. That is indeed new. Fortunately, the showrunner himself also realized that the man who cheats with his wife’s best friend is very cliché. In his own words: ‘Two words: epic shitshow. People did not like it.’ Now that’s being honest. And thankfully so, because we were treated to a much more positive and fun second season on January 11.

The annoying character traits that some characters had (like putting on silly voices when someone is nervous, for example) have also been written out of the show. In short, season 2 actually feels like a completely different series. A fun series that you also want to watch. It was also labeled by critics as the ‘most improved’ series of 2019. Does that mean a season 3? If it’s up to the cast, at least yes. They are clearly much better in their roles in season 2 and the nice thing about a Netflix Original series is that they are not bound by strict rules from networks, so it’s also a bit bolder. That’s why I’m also very curious about the very first Dutch Netflix series, a horror – love it already. I also really expect a horror series, with blood, ghosts, clowns, spirits; you name it. I’m ready for it.

Another nice plus of season 2 is an extra familiar face. Namely Sarah Chalke, who played Dr. Elliot in Scrubs and also happened to have a role in How I Met Your Mother. Yes, the New York sitcom pond is not that big, that’s clear. And yet I haven’t been asked for a guest role yet. It can’t be long now, of course, I feel it.

Written by Wieke Veenboer