Saying that network television has been circling the drain for awhile is a bit like calling sports-related concussion data mildly unsettling. The Big Four as currently constituted are nothing more than a mishmash of reality shows, crime procedurals, tepid comedies, talent shows and – my personal favorite – talent show results episodes. Recently, I’ve caught a few episodes of former Must-See TV mainstay Friends on Nick at Nite while late night channel surfing. And how could I not? I think they’re run on a continuous loop. Hard to fathom that it’s been 8 years since we bid the Central Perkers adeiu (well, 7 for Joey, who starred in his eponymous spinoff – a triumph of the medium , IMHO). How NBC execs don’t walk by a Friends poster at headquarters without sobbing uncontrollably, I’m not sure. While it had a phenomenal 10-year run, it’s easy to forget its genius in an age where the single-camera format has a foothold on the medium. In rewatching many episodes, it’s admittedly easy to get distracted by the details (going back to the “Smellycat” well a few too many times; Matthew Perry’s fluctuating weight). But the writing was consistently funny – often superb – and the writers and performers succeeded in creating 6 indelible characters out of what seemed like a bland setup even in 1994. What sets Friends apart were the unique comedic dynamics between each of the characters: the loopy leaps in logic shared by Joey and Phoebe; the adolescent bickering between Ross and Monica; Chandler’s cynical wisecracks sailing over Rachel’s head). And, never forget that the degree of difficulty for a show with a large ensemble cast is astronomical: how to make each character engaging, spreading the comedy magic around evenly, etc. While the show often veered too far into relationship nonsense, especially in later seasons (see: Joey and Rachel), by that time  viewers had developed such an affection for the characters that all could be forgiven.