A lot of our favorite shows have been making their way to Netflix. There was nothing but excitement – at first. Then, once people were watching again, they were singing a whole different tune. One show I saw thrown under the bus – Girlfriends.

From what I hear, people were annoyed with what they were seeing on The Parkers and Moesha. Some of the jokes apparently don’t hold up and are cringe worthy. From what I remember from those shows, I can see that some of the jokes about weight and relationships wouldn’t work today. It could be my love for Girlfriends that has me all in my feelings about comments I’ve seen about the show. That show was a favorite for me, especially when I had just moved to L.A. They were my people.

The complaints I’ve seen about the show is that the characters didn’t grow and that the writing wasn’t strong. As I binged, ALL the seasons, I felt like their chemistry was awesome and I still laughed out loud. Still, I let my self consider the criticism I was seeing. I can see how the characters were consistently themselves throughout. I guess that counts for lack of growth that their faults were always there. Joan was always blowing a relationship with a man. Toni was consistently self centered. Lynn was always a grifter. Maya, I think, had the most change. William progressed as a person as well. For some reason, none of this bothers me.

Are the complaints fair?

My only beef with looking at old shows with today’s eyes is that it’s unfair. We are in a whole new era now. As much as I hate the term “woke” that’s where we are now. In many areas of life we are beginning to tell the truth and call things out in a way we weren’t doing before. If you really think about it, not many older shows hold up to the outlook that we have today. I don’t expect them to either.

Just like we aren’t the same people that we used to be, the writers and producers of these shows were in a different place too. Most people weren’t as progressive and aware as they are now. If so, those shows would have been written much differently. As far as one of my faves, Girlfriends, is concerned. I felt like a lot of the topics they covered and their humor held up. I could certainly be biased based on the time in my life when I watched the show. This is definitely possible. Still, I don’t think it’s fair to expect anything or anyone to be who or what it was decade ago.