Serials’ Analysis: Friends and Pretty Little Liars Essay (Article)

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Two of the most successful TV series in recent history is the TV series called Friends and the TV series entitled Pretty Little Liars. The TV sitcom Friends is the story of four individuals that consider themselves friends. They live in a Manhattan apartment. Most of the scenes in the said TV sitcom were shot in their Manhattan apartment or the coffee shop near their apartment.

The coffee shop was made famous because of the TV sitcom. It is interesting to point out that the coffee of the shop was made famous before Starbucks became a global success. In the past, coffee shops are for old people. But because of the TV sitcom Friends, drinking coffee became a cool thing to do.

The best way to describe Pretty Little Liars is to look at it as a type of Desperate Housewives for teenagers. It is therefore difficult to classify the said TV series. It is not a TV sitcom. However, there are several funny moments that were shown in the TV series. It is probably a drama series. The main characters discovered that their friend Allison did not travel to a faraway land. The main characters discovered that she was brutally murdered.

Going back to the TV sitcom entitled Friends, several memorable scenes were shot inside the coffee shop. The said coffee shop was called Coffee Perk. The play of words made the audience smile, especially for new viewers. By naming the coffee shop Coffee Perk, it immediately sends the message that it is a comedy show. Thus, people are expected to laugh. It also prepares the audience as to what kind of comedy they will experience by watching Friends.

When people talk about New York, one of the first images that come to mind is Central Park. Therefore, the play of words is very significant. The imagination of the audience brings them to the area near Manhattan or Central Park. Also, the play of words Coffee Perk also prepares the audience to the type of jokes that are intended for the audience.

The show, therefore, attracts a certain type of audience. It is the type of audience that wants to have fun. They also like their jokes to require a certain level of intelligence. In other words, the audience needs to think first before they can appreciate the jokes. In fact, the audience needs to carefully follow the dialogue to appreciate the jokes.

The producers of the show did a great job when it comes to the design of the apartment. The apartment had to be small enough to show that it is a Manhattan apartment. Most of the viewers are smart. Therefore, they know that Manhattan apartments are expensive. Thus, the characters must have jobs that enable them to pay the rent.

One character is a struggling actor and the other one works on jobs that pay the minimum wage. To create an environment that enables them to pay the high monthly rates, two or three of the main characters were able to find regular jobs. The design of the apartment must be consistent with the economic status of the characters.

However, it is impossible to create a realistic set after considering the production requirements. There must be enough space for the film crew to move. There must be enough space for the cameras to move. Thus, it was difficult to create a set that looks like a real Manhattan apartment.

The characters in Friends talk fast. In a real-life situation, people do not talk fast. The reason why they talk fast is that they need to provide jokes. The audience expects to laugh every 30 seconds. Therefore, they need to deliver several lines every minute. It is important not to have gaps in the show. People watch the show because they need to be happy. They need to enjoy TV sitcom.

The characters also talk fast to create the right atmosphere. They need to deliver smart jokes. Thus, they are expected to deliver quick replies to a given statement. Sometimes one of the characters will say something dumb. Normally, dumb statements are not obvious. After a quick reply from the other characters, the audience realizes that it is a joke.

In the TV series entitled Pretty Little Liars the producer o,f the show wanted to present a story that is set in middle-class and upper-middle-class communities. Thus, the scenes are shot in a location that is comparable to rich neighborhoods in the United States. The location chosen helps describe the socio-economic status of the main characters.

It is clear that the main characters are from middle-class families. The way they dress contrasts with high school students studying in public schools. The main character’s clothes are different from the clothes worn by high school students studying in schools that are located in poor urban areas. There are several movies and TV shows that were set in public high schools or urban centers. These are areas where most of the students came from poor families.

In these types of movies or shows, the main theme is the struggle of poor high school students and their families. In these types of movies or TV shows, the audience is treated to scenes of broken down homes, and dilapidated school buildings.

In poor communities, the wall,s of campuses and school buildings are often filled with drawings or spray painting. However, the same scenes are absent in Pretty Little Liars. Thus, the producers of the show were able to establish clearly that the main characters came from middle-class or upper-middle-class families.

Most of the scenes are shot in the campus, homes, and places where the main characters meet to talk about the day’s events. The campuses have nice gardens and public areas.

Aside from the clothes, the social status of the main characters can be determined by looking at the gadgets or the things that they own. In one scene, the four main characters were talking in one of the public areas on the campus. One of them was using a large laptop computer.

The producers of the show attached a sticker in front of the laptop to hide the brand name. But based on the build and the outward appearance of the laptop, one can see that it is a Macbook, a laptop from Apple Computers. An Apple laptop is more expensive than the laptops produced by Dell or other low-cost manufacturers of laptops.

The major difference between Pretty Little Liars and Friends is the number of lines that are delivered in one minute. In Pretty Little Liars, the characters are not talking as fast as the characters in Friends. The audience does not have to follow the dialogue very closely. The intended message can be understood through their body language.

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IvyPanda. (2020, March 22). Serials' Analysis: Friends and Pretty Little Liars. https://ivypanda.com/essays/serials-analysis-friends-and-pretty-little-liars/

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"Serials' Analysis: Friends and Pretty Little Liars." IvyPanda, 22 Mar. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/serials-analysis-friends-and-pretty-little-liars/.

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IvyPanda. (2020) 'Serials' Analysis: Friends and Pretty Little Liars'. 22 March.

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IvyPanda. 2020. "Serials' Analysis: Friends and Pretty Little Liars." March 22, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/serials-analysis-friends-and-pretty-little-liars/.

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IvyPanda. "Serials' Analysis: Friends and Pretty Little Liars." March 22, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/serials-analysis-friends-and-pretty-little-liars/.

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