• I cannot stand the show "Friends."
• I don't understand why it's so beloved.
• It had problematic storylines and featured LGBTQ people as punch lines.
• There are tons of nostalgic shows more worth your time.

As soon as I see that awful, '90s-style leather couch and the fountain, I know the torture has officially begun.

I attempt to block the beginnings of the guitar licks from entering my ears, but politeness takes hold. Indeed, no one told me life was going to be this way.

"Come on, I think you'll really like it!" my well-meaning friends say once again. "It's a classic. I'm really hoping they do a reboot!"

As much as I like having friends, I absolutely hate watching the TV show 'Friends'

Yes, I know that it spawned the most popular haircut of the late 20th century. And yes, I'm aware that "Friends" catapulted Jennifer Aniston to fame. And of course, you believe "Friends" is an American classic.

Newsflash: Just because something is iconic or legendary enough to be considered a classic doesn't mean that it's actually good. And it certainly doesn't mean that it needs to be revived from the dead. In fact, it might simply mean that we've so romanticized something that's otherwise mediocre that we've given it even more life and credit than it truly deserves. Matthew Perry agrees.

Here's my No. 1 issue with "Friends."

It should just be called 'White Friends'

The six people we're supposed to be rooting for at the center of this nightmare are Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe. For the record, you could tell me that any of those men are named any of those names and I'd believe you; they are even more interchangeable and nondescript than Hollywood's 900 white "hunks" named Chris.

To quote the theme song, will they really be there for you? I refuse to trust them.

"Friends" is so white that there's an amazing (albeit very short) YouTube rap video dedicated to discussing the few black actors with speaking roles in the series. Keep in mind that this YouTube video is under four minutes long, but "Friends" aired for over a decade.

During those 10 years of my personal hell, few storylines revolved around nonwhite people. Those that did were often purposeful, including Aisha Tyler's oft-forgotten guest role on the series under the directorship of Sheldon Epps, a black man. According to The Washington Post, this was a part of a conscious effort.

Gabrielle Union took on a guest role in the episode "The One With The Cheap Wedding Dress" which she later described in her memoir, "We're Going to Need More Wine."

Union said she had positive experiences with the cast, but dealing with the director of the episode was much less pleasant.

"The director was a regular, he did a lot of episodes," Union wrote. "He went over the scene with David Schwimmer, Matt Perry, and the extras. Then he turned to me and his tone completely changed."

Union went on to describe the director talking to her in a "condescending" tone, one that she said was "telling." Though Union said she didn't bother calling out the director of the episode, who IMDb lists as Kevin Bright but Union chose not to name in her book, she did write, "I thought, No wonder you don't have black talent on this show."

When the people behind the scenes aren't able to direct, collaborate, or create in a way that values diversity, it shows through.

This is also the case when it comes to the writers' room

"Living Single" fans noticed more than a few unsettling coincidences in the storylines and subjects of the two shows, to the point that accusations of copying have become commonplace.

Bossip reported on Queen Latifah talking about how "Friends" unsettlingly whitewashed and appropriated the storyline of "Living Single."

"When 'Living Single' came out, shortly thereafter Warren Littlefield, who was president of NBC — they asked him, if he could have any show on television, any of the new shows, which one would it be," Latifah said. "And he said 'Living Single,' and it was in the newspaper. Next thing you know, here comes 'Friends,' which was an amazing show."

Jay-Z later expressed a similar sentiment with the help of the music video for his song "Moonlight." He used an all-black cast, including breakout star Tiffany Haddish, to make a strong statement about Hollywood's systematic whitewashing of urban spaces, including New York City, and to recreate "Friends" in a much more diverse way.

If there's one way 'Friends' tried to dip its toe into the waters of diversity, it's in regards to LGBTQ issues

Unfortunately, the toe-dipping didn't evolve into a whole fountain-dancing sequence, but instead became a puddle of muddled, uncomfortable storylines and misfires masquerading as jokes. Cue the laugh track.

Chandler's father's role on the show is particularly troubling. As Cosmopolitan pointed out, his father is called a drag queen and gay but was later said to be transgender. At one point, Chandler's mother, who is divorced from his father, suggestively jokes about whether or not her ex-husband is able to fit into a dress because of her ex-husband's genitals, which are also the source of speculation throughout the show.

Chandler himself is the subject of gay jokes at many points in the series. "Homophobic Friends," a YouTube documentary project, pointed out each of the instances of microaggressive or overtly homophobic jokes used with the help of a laugh track.

GLAAD later bestowed awards and accolades onto the show for its depictions of LGBTQ people, including Ross' ex-wife and her partner, whose wedding was considered controversial at the time.

Since then, we've learned and grown. These things are no longer funny, so why should we laugh at them as though we don't know better now? We also shouldn't be forced to say, "Oh, it was the '90s!" as some sort of excuse for problematic behavior.

In the end, the show is about 6 straight white people. And to top it all off and make it even less relatable, they're 6 straight, white, rich people.

The building from the show is the site of a ton of tourist attention, and any New Yorker would know just by looking at it that rent in the area could not have come cheap. It's a show that masquerades as relatable, aspirational even, all while these people live in apartments that they could afford in real life only if they were making some serious cash.

All in all, "Friends" represents the uninformed privilege of the '90s and therefore that is the era in which it should stay, its mark on history being that it was a fantastically mediocre show that inspired a wave of undue popularity and major paydays.

If you're feeling nostalgic and hoping to catch up on something with those same vibes, there are a ton of options from the aforementioned era, all of which can be easily viewed online and will not feel as yikes in present times.

Here's what you should watch instead

The previously discussed "Living Single" is available for purchase on Amazon Video or iTunes and is a very similar concept to "Friends" but exponentially better, including being more diverse and realistic.

"My So-Called Life" is a heavily lauded cult classic from that same era. It follows a teenage Angela Chase as she takes on high school and the heavy issues that come with it, including drugs, sex, homophobia, censorship, and infidelity. Despite its heaviness, the show also manages to be hopeful, humorous, and heartwarming. "My So-Called Life" is available on Hulu, iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, and Google Play.

A classic, "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" is a hilarious story about a sort of rags-to-riches come-up for one young man born and raised in West Philadelphia. Yes, you can finish that whole sentence by just singing the theme song. "Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" isn't available on the usual streaming services, but it's on YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Video, and Vudu.

Looks like you've got some binge-watching to do. Invite some friends over and, hopefully, they'll be hooked. No leather couches or fountains required.

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