It seems like making a comparison between Friends and How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) is way off limits. When I try to explain why Friends is clearly the better show – as you will see in my detailed and logical explanation below – people get mad. I’ve learned to keep quiet, but I am now breaking my silence. Friends is officially better than HIMYM and here’s why:
HIMYM copied the characteristics of each of the main characters from Friends.
1. Barney / Joey
Whether it is Barney’s wink or Joey’s “how you doin’?” it’s all the same. Barney and Joey both have girl-craziness and many of their storylines surround this characteristic. Not only was Joey the original, but he is also a way more believable character. Not to say that I don’t love Barney, but from The Playbook to his bachelor pad, his obsession is next level.
2. Chandler / Marshall
This pains me so much to write because I love them both so much, but of the comedic-relief-characters, Chandler is the winner. His absurdly traumatizing childhood and his unconditional love for Monica wins him the title of most loveable dorky character.
3. Ted / Ross
Ted and Ross are both the most humorously pretentious characters and also complete hopeless romantics. Ted and Ross fell insanely hard for women (Robin and Rachel) on the very first episode. Their journey toward love – though clearly not as obvious in Friends – is a central plot feature of the show. I honestly can’t choose a winner here because they’re both so whiny and annoying, so we’ll call it a tie.
4. Monica / Lilly
Both women have dual personalities: the crazy and the caring. Monica is a control-freak and Lilly is loud, but at the end of the day both are the most caring women on the show. No surprise, I have to pick Monica as the better character. Her craziness makes her extremely relatable and you can’t not love Fat Monica.
5. Rachel / Robin
Okay, let’s admit it: Robin is a direct Rachel-knock-off. She came from out of town, has daddy issues, is the hottest one on the show, dates Joey/Barney but should end up with Ross/Ted. The comparisons are undeniable. Robin is a more annoying version of Rachel. I feel like there isn’t really a point to this argument…because who likes Robin!?
6. Phoebe / No One
Clearly no one copied Phoebe, because she’s Phoebe.
The final score is Friends: 6 v. HIMYM: 0.
All GIFs are from giphy.com.