Friends with Better Lives – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Friends with Better Lives

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

show2014

18%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A critically-panned 2014 sitcom about friends who can't stop envying each other's lives. Cancelled after one season for good reason.

13%

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Friends with Better Lives

show

TV-14, 2014

18%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A critically-panned 2014 sitcom about friends who can't stop envying each other's lives. Cancelled after one season for good reason.

13%

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be real: this show was bad when it aired in 2014, and it hasn't aged like wine. With a 13% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a swift cancellation after 13 episodes, Friends with Better Lives is the sitcom equivalent of a participation trophy.

The premise—six friends constantly comparing their lives and wondering if everyone else has it better—isn't just unoriginal, it's actually kind of toxic. Instead of modeling healthy relationships or genuine friendship, it's built entirely on envy and dissatisfaction. Not exactly the vibe.

Even if you're looking for mindless adult comedy, there are literally hundreds of better options. This one's a skip unless you're a completist who needs to watch every failed network sitcom from the 2010s. Your time is worth more than this.

Age Fit

Common Sense Media rates this 14+ for adult relationship themes, sexual content, and drinking. Honestly though, even teens would likely find this boring and dated. This is really for adults who have exhausted better options—and even then, probably not.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Adult sitcom centered on relationship dissatisfaction and 'grass is greener' comparisons. While it aims for lighthearted comedy, the core premise—friends secretly envious of each other's life choices—models comparison culture rather than genuine connection. Common Sense Media rates it 14+, suggesting mature themes around marriage, divorce, and adult relationships that aren't particularly emotionally healthy models for younger viewers.

Imaginative

Standard sitcom formula with zero creative ambition. The premise is literally just 'Friends but everyone wishes they had someone else's life.' Critics savaged it with a 13% Rotten Tomatoes score and 45 Metacritic—signals of derivative, paint-by-numbers comedy. No world-building, no creative storytelling, just recycled relationship tropes we've seen a thousand times.

Safe

Network sitcom safety guardrails keep it from anything truly shocking—no graphic content, violence, or explicit material. However, adult themes around sex, divorce, relationship dysfunction, and drinking are present. The 14+ Common Sense rating suggests content that would be inappropriate for younger kids to stumble upon. Typical sitcom fare but not something you'd want playing during family dinner with elementary schoolers.

Enriching

Critics panned it, audiences were lukewarm (69% RT audience vs 13% critics), and it was cancelled after one season. The 'takeaway' is basically 'everyone else's life looks better than yours'—not exactly enriching. No meaningful character growth, life lessons, or skill-building. Pure disposable entertainment that even as entertainment failed to entertain most people. IMDb 7.0 suggests some viewers found it watchable, but that's damning with faint praise.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

If you've literally watched every other sitcom ever made and need something—anything—to play in the background while folding laundry
The 69% audience score suggests some people found it mildly amusing, so there's that
Short-lived means you won't waste much time if you're curious—only 13 episodes exist

⚠

What to Watch For

Adult relationship themes including divorce, marital dissatisfaction, and sexual content—definitely not family viewing
The entire premise models comparison culture and 'grass is greener' thinking rather than gratitude or healthy relationships
It's from 2014 but feels older—the humor and relationship dynamics are already dated
Critics absolutely destroyed this show (13% on RT) and it was cancelled quickly, so manage expectations accordingly

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think people sometimes look at their friends' lives and wish they had what they have?"
"Have you ever felt jealous of a friend? How did you handle it?"
"What do you think makes someone actually happy in their life versus just looking happy?"

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