I remember this kid in highschool that, when I asked what was his favorite movie or TV shows, he said he never really watched much stuff before. Like… I ask him about piracy, I forgot what he answered but it was something on the lines of “idk”, dude doesn’t have a netflix and never figured out piracy… So um… yea, strict parents sheltering him… I guess… so that’s why we never really “clicked”.
To be fair, I wasn’t exactly the most outgoing person, but like I could do some amount of random conversations, I know common topics to talk about.
I would say definitely not essential, but it can elevate both forming and having one. There should still be something in common to build on.
In general, being a big fan of both Psych and Scrubs on TV, I would say pop culture references elevated both of those shows for me greatly. It feels like theyrey sharing insider jokes with me and I do get them.