Where is friends being copied?
A show that premiered in 2009 is in the news now, for all the wrong reasons. Chinese sitcom iPartment is being accused of lifting plot lines, settings, characters and jokes from Friends, and in some cases even from The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. Some of the lead characters include a tech geek, a radio show host and a lecturer at a university.
The plot revolves around six friends living in two neighbouring apartments in Shanghai.
Being on air for the past three years, the show got into trouble only when it went national. On the other hand, the makers claim that their show is not a copy but a homage to American sitcoms. “Comedies have stereotypes; like the handsome man, the gorgeous woman, the cheap man and so on. They are there in many comedies. Our creation is not a plagiarised version, but more a homage to the American sitcom,” a representative reportedly told a Chinese publication
However, die-hard fans of Friends in the city aren’t impressed. “It’s amusing that after years of making cheap replicas of everything, they have even copied Friends! Another product sold with a ‘Made in China’ tag!” says Niveditha Murthy, a working professional.
No matter how popular iPartment is in China, fans are not willing to ignore the fact that it’s a rip-off of some of television’s most-watched and loved sitcoms.
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