It's not as if Friends has a complex narrative structure. It doesn't jumps about in time or anything. There are no philosophically heavy premises like The Matrix and you don't need a basic understanding of quantum physics to follow the misadventures of the series' six main characters.
As such, there should probably be some consistency within its ten seasons - things like the age of the characters and their birthdays should be set in stone. As countless viewings over the years have demonstrated, however, that's not the case at all, and heavy binge-watching sessions on Netflix are only going to make these things even more obvious.
In fact, die-hard fans of the show have spotted an incredible number of gaffes and mistakes in the beloved series - which, need we remind you, was recently voted the best sitcom in history - many of which were collated by the Daily Mail.
The most glaring errors involve the ages and the birthdays of the characters. In particular, Ross - played by David Schwimmer - is listed as being 29 throughout seasons three to five, even though time continues to march on, as Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes prove.
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And in season 7, it's implied that Rachel - played by Jennifer Aniston - is the youngest of the bunch as she's the last to turn 30. But that contradicts season one, in which Joey - played by Matt Leblanc - is portrayed as the youngest of the group.
There are also some mixed-up birthdays. In one episode, Ross tells Gunther that his birthday is in December, but in another one he tells Joey his birthday is 18 October. Similarly, Rachel at one point tells Gunther her birthday is in May, but in a previous episode revealed that she's an Aquarius. That means her birthday would have to be in January or February.
The series also doesn't seem to have got its origin stories correct. In the pilot episode, Rachel runs into Central Perk wearing her wedding dress and is introduced to everyone there by Monica, including Chandler (played by Matthew Perry). But a flashback in a season 10 episode shows that Rachel and Chandler actually kissed when Chandler was in college. Maybe their memories are just terrible.
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However, fans may notice that this is inconsistent with a later storylines which sees Chandler and Rachel attending Geller Thanksgivings on several occasions, and in an episode from season 10 the pair are seen kissing in a flashback to Chandler's college years.
There a little behavioural inconsistencies, too. In seasons two and six, Ross is seen enjoying ice-cream, but in season seven we learn he doesn't like it. And in season 10, Phoebe - played by Lisa Kudrow - tries to teach Joey French for an audition. Two seasons earlier, however, she struggled with the language. Ok, she could have just learned the language in the intervening years.
Ross' virginity - or, rather, the loss of it - is also called into question. In the first season, he reveals the only person he's ever slept with is his ex-wife Carol. But in season seven, Chandler tells the gang that Ross slept with 'the cleaning lady' from their college dorm. But hey, people lie about that stuff, so why shouldn't Ross?
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There are more inconsistencies here and there, and while some are dumb and totally unavoidable, they don't really change the nature of the programme. Besides, nobody seems to care that Bart Simpson has been 10 years old for almost 30 years now, so is anyone really bothered about a few slip-ups here and there?
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.Topics: TV and Film, US Entertainment, Friends