In light of Matthew Perry’s untimely death at the age of 54, the past week we have seen an outpouring of grief not just on social media but also with tribute laid in front of the Friends apartment to honour him. With this I personally have seen a wave of people on Tik Tok mourning his death and describing the tv show “Friends” as their comfort show. But with all this I have wondered why do humans mourn the deaths of people we have never met and what is the idea of a comfort show?
First of all, we should trace it back to the idea of a “comfort tv show” which are tv programs that people can turn to for a sense of familiarity, relaxation and emotional comfort. A common theme in a comfort tv show is a sense of familiarity for the audience that often feature well-known characters and storyline’s that have been built over years that the audience have grown attached to. This can invoke senses of familiarity for the audience giving them a more personal connection to the characters and the actors. Another theme with time passing on is nostalgia. Nostalgia is an interesting concept as it is different for everyone but is overall described as a feeling of warmth. With nostalgia these shows would remind viewers of positive memories of the past and the actors in the show that provided the positive memories.
Mourning people we don’t know is known as “parasocial mourning” where individuals experience grief and sadness upon the death of public figures, celebrities or people they have never met. In relation to Matthew Perry, his portrayal of the Friends character Chandler Bing has created an emotional attachment with many fans of the show and was popular among all fans. Chandlers struggles on the show were ones that were easily identifiable with the audience such as the struggle to find a romantic partner provided that connection with the audience that resonated and made many people fail in love with the character.
Mourning people we don’t know is a reflection of the human capacity to form emotional connections with those we see in media. It is a testament to the power of media and storytelling in influencing our emotions and providing a sense of connection with these onscreen characters.
Anyways that's just my 2 cents. Until then long live Chandler Bing.
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