'Friends': Making Audiences Laugh by Embracing the Unexpected in Conversation

The "Friends" reunion has undoubtedly been one of the biggest TV events of the year so far.

Over its ten series, the sitcom about a group of 20- and 30-somethings in New York had a massive cultural impact. It attracted plenty of scholarly analysis, including critiques of its gender and race politics. Its scripts inspired my own research as a professor of social interaction.

Love it or loathe it (and I loved it), one of the striking things about "Friends" was that much of the humour depended on clever conversational devices, not just set-piece jokes or one-liners. Instead, the scriptwriters seemed to embrace the unexpected in conversation.

Think about the conversational rules for a successful invitation.

A: What are you up to this evening?

B: Nothing much.

A: Want to go to the cinema?

B: Okay, great.

The design of an invitation – and any other action in conversation – depends on who we’re asking, what kind of relationship we have, what’s at stake and how important an acceptance (or rejection) is. These sorts of contingencies shape everything we say.

In the example above, B responds positively to A – doing what conversation analysts call a “preferred turn.” Although it might seem obvious that the “preferred” response to an invitation is acceptance, it’s not so obvious what the preferred response to a compliment is.

If an invitation’s “preferred” response is acceptance, the best ways to ensure a positive outcome is to lead up to it, using a “pre” question like, “What are you up to this evening?” This lays the groundwork for a possible invitation, depending on B’s answer. We design what we say to help those we’re talking to avoid having to give negative responses.

Breaching these rules is one way that the "Friends"’ scriptwriters got audiences laughing from the very beginning.

Generating the big laughs

In one scene, Joey asks Phoebe if she’d like to help build furniture.

Joey: Hey Pheebs, you wanna help?

Phoebe: Ohhh!! I wish I could, but I don’t want to.

And the audience erupts in laughter.

Saying “yes...

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