Almost 30 years since it premiered, there are arguments that , and an edited video from argues that by removing the show's laugh track. Watch the clip below:
The clip follows Ross as he goes to great lengths to prove his claim about to Rachel and Phoebe. Without the laugh track, however, his efforts look incredibly off-putting.
Each member of the Central Perk gang is remembered for their unique qualities. This made the show's storytelling more engaging as the characters' respective arcs were also as interesting as their group adventures. Ross, in particular, is billed as the nice guy, primarily because of how he quietly pined for Rachel for years.
This doesn't mean that Ross was a bad person. He was decent, but he wasn't exactly the character that romanticized. He had the tendency to be manipulative and vindictive. As someone who worked in academia, he could also be very dense.
Schwimmer's amazing acting and charisma helped distract from his character's flaws, and now that is easily accessible via re-runs and streaming platforms, viewers can fully see him for who he really was.
Thestoryline is one of the best plots to expose the truth about Ross in . He was hell-bent on proving himself correct that he didn't care if he looked creepy. Granted that the whole narrative was exaggerated for maximum comedic returns, but it still showed how problematic Ross could be in the sitcom.
