is an American comedy-drama television series created by Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller. It premiered on Netflix in July 2017 and ran for two seasons before being canceled in 2019. With a cast full of recognizable comedic talent, including Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, Fred Savage, Annie Parisse, Nat Faxon, and Jae Suh Park, the show centers on a group of Harvard alumni navigating adulthood, relationships, and long-standing personal issues as they reunite in New York City.
The premise revolves around the idea that college friendships often linger long past their expiration date—and the show uses that idea to explore how those bonds can both support and sabotage adulthood. The core group of friends, now in their 40s, reconnects after years apart, but their interactions reveal layers of dysfunction, hidden affairs, and emotional immaturity. One of the central tensions is the long-term extramarital affair between Ethan (Keegan-Michael Key) and Sam (Annie Parisse), despite both being married to other people. This secret, and the lies used to cover it up, cast a shadow over the group’s attempts to rekindle their closeness.
Stylistically, Friends from College blends awkward comedy with emotional drama, though not always successfully. While the performances are strong—especially from Key and Smulders—the show often struggles to balance its tones. Its characters are written as deeply flawed, often selfish and irresponsible, which some critics found refreshingly realistic, while others felt it made them difficult to root for. The humor tends to rely on cringe-worthy situations and sharp dialogue, creating an uneasy mix of sitcom pacing with darker thematic undertones.
Season 1 received mixed to negative reviews upon release. Viewers and critics criticized the show’s unlikable characters and lack of narrative payoff, though some praised its commitment to emotional messiness and its portrayal of middle-aged disillusionment. The first season ends with the revelation of Ethan and Sam’s affair to the rest of the group, setting up deeper conflicts in the second season.
In Season 2, the show shifts slightly in tone, offering more introspection and consequences for the characters’ behavior. It delves into the fallout of broken friendships and the pain of growing apart. However, despite improvements in character development and storytelling, the show continued to divide audiences. Its refusal to offer easy resolutions or major character transformations left many viewers feeling unsatisfied, while others appreciated its realism.
Ultimately, Friends from College is a series that examines the complexities of adult friendships, the burden of nostalgia, and the ways in which people sabotage themselves and others. It’s a show about people who should know better but often don’t, and it rarely offers redemption. While the ensemble cast delivers strong performances, the show’s inconsistent tone and morally gray characters made it a polarizing watch.
In 2019, Netflix officially canceled Friends from College after two seasons. Though it never became a breakout hit, it remains a notable entry in the modern dramedy genre for its attempt to tackle adult friendship with brutal honesty, emotional awkwardness, and dark humor.
