Here's more fuel to the Friends/Survivor debate...
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TV Guide, Jan. 13-19 Cheers and Jeers
"Cheers to survival of the fittest. CBS's scheduling of Survivor: The Australian Outback opposite NBC's Friends might seem unfair to viewers forced to make a choice, but frankly, we're looking forward to a good old rats-versus-snakes, winner-take-all battle. Competition is exactly what Friends needs. The venerable comedy, now in its seventh season, hasn't been its best lately, with David Schwimmer's Ross more buffoonish by the episode, the once-fresh Chandler-Monica relationship now having drained most of the humor from both characters, and Lisa Kudrow relying too heavily on her ditsy shtick. Friends could use a lesson from Survivor: Complacency won't win the day. Or the time slot."
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It appears TV Guide is following Entertainment Weekly's footsteps. Originally two of Friends' biggest supporters, they have both begun speaking negatively of the show during the past year.
There is no doubt Survivor will have a huge impact on Friends' writing. But will the writers actually improve the quality of the show, or will they simply bring more guest stars for cheap ratings boosts? Susan Sarandon and Jason Alexander are all but confirmed, so we can definitely count on the latter. I only hope good storytelling isn't sacrificed for ratings gimmicks.
--Doc