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Looking for some quality comedy entertainment to check out?
Who better to turn to for under-the-radar comedy recommendations than comedians?
Although COVID-19 haspostponed the HBO Max reunion indefinitely,Friendsis truly a franchise that wont die.
In the series, three roommates live in the same building as three of their friends.
They cope with the work-life balance in the go-go 90s and all wind up dating each other.
And the opening credits are iconic.
But comedian andBlack MondaywriterYassir Lesterwas there from the jump.
So its always been this weird association in my life.
This show really centers the four women.
Because I dont get it, because Im stupid.Living Singlewas that.
All the adult women in the room were always laughing.
I would laugh when Overtons hat fell off or something.
But it felt like one of those things that was made for them, you know?
Whereas when youre a kid, youre like,Theyre my mom.
They want to feed me and love me and tell me Im the best.
ButLiving Singledealt with [bigger issues].
For one thing, Im black, so its going to resonate more.
It felt like Brooklyn; it felt like Queen Latifah.
I was in love with Kim Fields.
But on top of all that, it felt real.
OnFriends,even though they had different jobs,they all felt like they were the same income level.
To me,Living Singlelived their archetypes a little bit more.
Overton felt like a handyman, whereas Kyle felt more like a … whatever Kyle was.
Yeah, what was Kyles job?
Wearing vests?I think he was an accountant or consultant.
He wasnt a lawyer, because Maxine was the lawyer.
Khadijah had the magazine, and Synclaire worked there.
Regine was at the boutique.
She was a buyer.Which is a job Rachel eventually got onFriendsjust saying.
And that speaks volumes.
They did characters where I thinkLiving Singledid people.
Does that make sense?
Yeah.It wasnt just the characters on the show.
The way they dressed, their job, the way they talked it was fully defined.
It wasnt a super-hood show.
Whatever joke you got came from the actual character.
I also noticed that very few episodes were standard sitcom plots.
Nobody got trapped in an elevator in the episodes I watched.Right.
And the episodes you recommended straight up felt like you were pranking me.
Thats what Im saying.
Thats why this show was so dope.
I dont want to be one of those guys saying You cant say anything now!
You cant kiss a woman you dont know!
or whatever it is those dudes complain about.
But why hasnt there been a weird breast-reduction episode of television in recent history?
But these were the main shows on TV dealing with that.
I find it so interesting.
Because no one else is going to talk about it for you.
It took a level of bravery.
Thats why its so rewatchable.
Those jokes still work, and those ideas still resonate.
In the sexual-harassment episode, Khadijah makes a joke about how little accusations of harassment matter.
She makes an Anita Hill joke and says that she could still get nominated for the Supreme Court.
But theres probably an episode ofMamas Familythat tackles racial injustice, you know?
The Anita Hill thing, we think were the first ones to make that joke?
Were all aping our predecessors.
Thats a jokeforblack women.
And Fox was like, Sure, well air it.
We have to talk a little bit about the fashions.Even that was part of their archetypes.
Khadijah was always rocking a hockey jersey at home.
In the office, a dope tweed blazer.
Regine always looked like a Bloomingdales mannequin.
Maxine was always ruler crisp.
In one of the episodes that I watched, Kyle was wearing a MichelangelosDavidnecktie.
Like, peeking through his vest.Thats cool though!
Kyle was weird because he had this voice.
Its almost like that thing where in cartoons, people with British accents or Indian accents are always geniuses.
And they can be an idiot and be from somewhere else.
They would also just put him in a beret sometimes.
Theres just so much shit on his neck.[Laughs.]
Its such an iconic look.
And we just let it fall by the wayside!
And no one gives him his due.
That look should be called the Kyle.
That episode was made for its audience, specifically.
Heres what its like to be a woman in America.
That is a very deep cut for a show thats like, Also, watchThe Simpsonsnext.
Anyway, I just wanted to get that out there.
And now I have.
