In 1988 two mid-level comedians pitched a television show to NBC.
The show in question has been called many things since then, but the premise ultimately revolved around a group of friends who, in spite of their misadventures, are ultimately stagnant, who regardless of triumphs and failures in their own lives, neither improve nor develop as characters.
And so, with a show-runner dedicated to a writing directive of “no hugs, no learning”, one of the greatest television comedies of all time was born. And for nine seasons it progressed without ever really…progressing. It’s become a classic, and highly influential (in the artistic sense), but the truth is that despite all of that, it kind of bums me out.