1. "I'm so done with these characters who have lived this whole life by 30."

To some extent, "Friends" itself was guilty of this -- didn't Rachel's fashion career seem to mobilize unrealistically quickly? "These 22-year-old VPs -- why do they do that?" says Wilson. "And every guy's an architect. I've met architects before, and they're not living the life we see on TV." And certainly not before 30.

2. "I'm sick of women always having to be the straight men."

"Women don't get to be funny," says Wilson. "They just stand next to the wacky guy." Case in point: the woeful underutilization of Judy Greer in CBS's current offering "Mad Love."

3. "The stereotypical gay character has been done."

"Adam Pally plays a gay character in our show, but it's not the focus of his character, it's not at the forefront," says Wilson. "It feels strangely revolutionary." Contrast that with this season of MTV's "My Life As Liz," in which Liz gets a gay roommate when she moves to New York from Texas. Guess what? He teaches her to walk in heels -- and he's afraid of mice.

4. "The bitter, jaded single female character isn't true to women."

Wilson is her show's token single girl, but what made her take the part was that -- earth-shattering! -- her character doesn't hate being single. "I'm done with this bitter, hardened girl swilling wine," says Wilson. "[My character] Penny has seen it all, but she believes she's going to find love." We all remember NBC's "quarterlife" -- nothing says bitter like angry video blogging in your sports bra.

5. "I can never get over when women call each other babe and sweetie."

"I have never turned to my girlfriend and said, 'Oh, okay, babe,'" says Wilson, "and I see it in scripts all the time. It trickled down from 'Sex And The City.' I believe it coming out of Carrie Bradshaw's mouth. No one else's. But guys think this is how women talk to each other."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/elisha-cuthbert-happy-endings-abc-casey-wilson-damon-wayans-modern-family-2011-4#i-can-never-get-over-when-women-call-each-other-babe-and-sweetie-5#ixzz1JVFcz5Un

http://janeheller.mlblogs.com/friends.jpg

Who is this "Wilson" you quote? You don't identify he/she or where they're from.

i think its casey wilson from the abc sitcom happy endings

i think this Wilson guy is wrong - all these Friends knock-offs are full of lazy writing, tired cliches and boring rip-off characters.

i think this Wilson guy is wrong - all these Friends knock-offs are full of lazy writing, tired cliches and boring rip-off characters.

I completely agree. I think the only two sitcoms to introduce a group of Friends since Friends ended with originality are The Big Bang Theory and Community. While BBT clearly bulked up on the female cast to make the show more about the dynamic between the friends and their relationships, it does everything it does within the story in an original way.

I do like Big Bang Theory. It's fun and appeals to the comic book geek in me.

http://uproxx.com/tv/2015/05/6-succesful-friends-clones/3/

Ever since Friends went off the air in 2004, networks have been trying to duplicate its success, with mixed results. Some of these shows are genuinely great, but it seems like the best ones are never given the time and space to thrive by their networks. Friends was a critical hit and a cultural juggernaut, built on the chemistry of its talented cast and the fact that, at the time, a show about a bunch of friends just hanging out was still a fresh formula. By now, there are a few Friends copycats every year, with most getting cancelled within the season (Weird Loners, One Big Happy, and Marry Me). However, some managed to stick around and add something to the genre. Let’s check out some of the more successful Friends clones.

How I Met Your Mother

HIMYM probably came the closest to achieving the same success as Friends: It was well liked by both critics and viewers, running for nine seasons and maintaining cultural relevance for most of its run. There were will-they-or-won’t-they romances and classic friendships plucked right from the Friends playbook, and it managed to add some iconic references to the cultural lexicon. It may have grown stale in later seasons, but we can thank HIMYM for slap bets, the Hot/Crazy Scale, and for reminding us that “500 Miles” by The Proclaimers is one of the greatest road trip songs of all-time.

Happy Endings

I still miss this show (even you, Dave). Happy Endings was a critical hit with a small, but passionate following, but ABC could never figure out how to market it. It was endlessly shuffled around the schedule until it was unceremoniously cancelled after three seasons. It’s a real shame that Happy Endings wasn’t given more time, because few shows were as quick with sharp jokes and an honestly funny cast. They all moved on to different projects (including two other shows on this list), but all have left or had their most recent shows cancelled. Maybe ABC can rectify their mistake and make the cruelly teased reunion a reality.

New Girl

New Girl is basically just Friends for the hipster set, starring Zooey Deschanel, the Queen of Twee herself. All the pieces are there… roommates, weird pets (what happened to Winston’s cat?), and a regular hangout spot, now a bar instead of a coffee shop. New Girl really found its footing in its stellar second season, and fans are hoping that the upcoming fifth season will be a return to form. Stop trying to make Jess and Nick happen. Just give us more True American.

Coupling (UK)

Coupling was literally marketed as a raunchier version of Friends when it was first released, and posed a similar question: Can men and women be friends without sex messing things up? While Friends made it clear that many of its friendships were only platonic, Coupling took a different track, making it clear that most of the men on the show were only “just friends” for the time being. Luckily, the show was actually very funny and featured some great performances. Just never, ever go to a dinner party at Susan’s. Just don’t.

Cougar Town

It really is a shame that the title of this show was so terrible, because it was hilarious and often sweet. It may have started with Courtney Cox (an original Friend!) trying to bang younger dudes, but it quickly mellowed out into a show about a bunch of friends who liked to play Penny Can and drink lots of wine. Cox even enlisted a few of her old Friends to cameo; Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry both appeared on the show as guest stars. Cougar Town started out on ABC, but was moved to TBS before heading off to the Big Cul-de-sac in the Sky. It ran for five seasons and had a very loyal fanbase.

The Big Bang Theory

You knew this would be here. Love it or hate it, it’s impossible to discount the popularity of The Big Bang Theory. Until quite recently, The Big Bang Theory was the most popular show on television, with more viewers than many of the other shows on this list combined. It mines the Friends‘ well with drawn-out romances and roommate squabbles with a twist. (It’s funny because they’re NERDS!) Despite the internet’s ire, The Big Bang Theory shows no signs of slowing down and has been renewed through 2017.