# Friends with Better Lives (2014)

> Six Los Angeles friends at different relationship stages secretly wonder whether their pals have the better life.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/52625

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Dana Klein
- Network: CBS
- Cast: James Van Der Beek, Kevin Connolly, Majandra Delfino, Zoe Lister-Jones, Brooklyn Decker, Rick Donald, Kristian Kordula, Jason Pace
- TMDB rating: 7.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2742174/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, witty, light, comforting, romantic

## What critics say

Audiences found the ensemble comedy about six friends comfortable and likable but not especially distinctive, with a mixed overall reception.

## Synopsis

Friends with Better Lives (2014) is a American network sitcom created by Dana Klein for CBS. Six friends in Los Angeles sit at different points in love: Andi (Majandra Delfino) and Bobby (Kevin Connolly) are married with two kids and sometimes miss their less burdened younger days, Will (James Van Der Beek) is newly single, preaching the bachelor life while still pining for his ex-wife, Jules (Brooklyn Decker) and Lowell (Rick Donald) are giddy in a new relationship, and Kate (Zoe Lister-Jones) has a successful career yet feels the sting when Jules becomes the last single friend to get engaged. The engine of the show is the constant comparison: each half hour thins the line between contentment and envy, turning ordinary dinners, dates and engagement news into small social crises. Running for a single season of thirteen half-hour episodes, it is a light, self-contained comedy with a stable ensemble rather than a serialized arc. Its tone is breezy and gently barbed, with a warm affection for its characters underneath the bickering. Fans of Friends, How I Met Your Mother and Happy Endings will find a similar blend of group chemistry, romantic anxiety and sunny Southern California polish. The show was canceled after its only season.

## Shows like Friends with Better Lives

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- [Hello Ladies (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/47769)
- [Rules of Engagement (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/2618)
- [Tell Me You Love Me (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/13989)
- [Casual (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56735)
- [Happy Endings (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/30214)
- [Cybill (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/2567)
- [Men At Work (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/38861)
- [Mistresses (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/39901)

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