Television Shows Last Through Generations

Molly Ryan

4/3/22

There are so many shows that have made it through many generations. Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, Friends, Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, etc.

There are many streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max or evern YouTube that hold these shows to this day for many generations to watch.

The well known and beloved TV sitcom Friends premiered on September 22, 1994 on NBC. This show continued into 2004, and then it soon canceled because “the cast was growing up” according to co creator Marta Kauffman.

Friends now streams on HBO Max and the six main characters, Rachel (Jennifer Anniston), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Ross (David Schwimmer), Monica (Courtney Cox) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) still make 20 million dollars a year from reruns alone.

Even Gen Z had TV shows that we grew up with like iCarly, Zoey 101, Victorious etc. Colonie senior Jenna Noguera told me that those shows somewhat prepared her for highschool by watching the main characters go through the typical highschool struggles, especially the female characters.

“I thought to myself, maybe these TV shows are good inspiration for when I get older.” said Noguera.

She also explained that kids want to watch these TV shows because they have a curiosity for what life was like back then because of how life was so different.

“Watching these shows is like a time capsule looking back,” said Noguera.

Older shows like Grey’s Anatomy (2005-present) and Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003) were added to Netflix, which is arguably one of the most popular streaming services that people use. The viewings of these shows skyrocketed once they were added to Netflix.

Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) was added to Netflix in 2014, and stayed on there ever since due to the amount of viewers. Gilmore Girls fan, Ms. Gigliello, a English/Public Speaking teacher at Colonie, is glad to see the show streaming.

“Gilmore Girls holds such a special place in my heart. I watched it my junior year of high school after going through a rough time, and since then I have probably seen every episode 20 times, no exaggeration” said Gigliello

Her favorite character is Lorelai.

“Lorelai is such a strong female that I truly admire and look up to- if I have a daughter, her name will be Lorelai.” said Gigliello.

Many shows nowadays are making a comeback and are having a positive influence on people.

“I think that overall, shows from past generations are making a comeback because it gives adults a sense of nostalgia,” said Gigliello.

Shows that make it through the generations and are coming back to all of our streaming services, and they will always hold a special place for all of us.