Friends is an American television sitcom, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, the show revolves around six friends in their 20s and 30s who live in Manhattan, New York City. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The original executive producers were Kevin S. Bright, Kauffman, and Crane.
Kauffman and Crane began developing Friends under the title Insomnia Cafe between November and December 1993. They presented the idea to Bright, with whom they had previously worked, and together they pitched a seven-page treatment of the series to NBC. After several script rewrites and changes, including a second title change to Friends Like Us, the series was finally named Friends.
Filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. All ten seasons of Friends ranked within the top ten of the final television season ratings; it ultimately reached the number-one spot in its eighth season. The series finale aired on May 6, 2004, and was watched by around 52.5 million American viewers, making it the fifth most-watched series finale in television history, and the most-watched television episode of the 2000s.
Friends received acclaim throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for its eighth season. The show ranked no. 21 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, and no. 7 on Empire magazine's The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 1997, the episode "The One with the Prom Video" was ranked no. 100 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time. In 2013, Friends ranked no. 24 on the Writers Guild of America's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time, and no. 28 on TV Guide's 60 Best TV Series of All Time. The sitcom's cast members will return for a reunion special airing on HBO Max on May 27, 2021.
Cast[]
- Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Green
- Courteney Cox - Monica Geller
- Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay
- Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani
- Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing
- David Schwimmer - Ross Geller
International broadcasts[]
| Country | Network | Local title |
|---|---|---|
| United States | NBC, TBS, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central | Friends |
| Latin America South America |
Warner Channel | |
| Australia | Seven Network, Nine Network, Network Ten, GEM, TV Hits, Arena, 111 Hits | |
| Austria | ORF eins, ATV | |
| Belgium | VIER, VIJF, RTL-TVI | |
| Brazil | Sony Entertainment Television, Warner Channel, Rede Manchete, RedeTV!, SBT | |
| Canada | Global, Slice, DTour, CTV Comedy Channel, MTV, Moi et Cie, Vrak | |
| Chile | Canal 13 | |
| Colombia | Caracol Televisión | |
| Cuba | Multivision | |
| Dominican Republic | Telesistema 11 | |
| Ecuador | Teleamazonas | |
| El Salvador | Canal 12 | |
| France | Canal Jimmy, France 2, M6, W9, France 4, NRJ 12, C8, RTL9, Comédie+, AB1, TMC, TFX, Elle Girl TV, Warner TV | |
| Germany | Sat.1, ProSieben, kabel eins, Super RTL, sixx, RTL Nitro, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, VIVA, Comedy, Premiere Comedy, Premiere Serie, Premiere Start, Sat.1 Comedy, TNT Serie, Sky One | |
| Guatemala | TV Azteca Guatemala | |
| Honduras | Telesistema Hondureño | |
| Hong Kong (English) | TVB Pearl, ViuTVsix | |
| India | Star World, WB Channel, Zee Cafe, Romedy Now, Comedy Central | |
| Indonesia | RCTI, Star World, NET | |
| Ireland | RTÉ2, TV3, Comedy Central | |
| Italy | Rai 3, Rai 2 | |
| Luxembourg | RTL-TVI, RTL TV, RTL9 | |
| Mexico | Canal 5, Azteca 7 | |
| Morocco | 2M | |
| Netherlands | Veronica, Net5, Yorin, RTL 5 | |
| New Zealand | TV2 | |
| Nicaragua | Televicentro Canal 2 | |
| Pakistan | GEO Entertainment, Apna Channel, ARY Digital | |
| Panama | Telemetro Panama | |
| Paraguay | Paravision | |
| Peru | Frecuencia Latina, Panamericana Televisión | |
| Philippines | ABC, ETC, Star World | |
| Portugal | RTP1, RTP2, SIC Mulher, Fox Comedy | |
| Spain | Canal+, Antena 3, La 2, Comedy Central, Cuatro, Factoría de Ficción | |
| South Africa | SABC, M-Net, e.TV | |
| Switzerland | SRF zwei, Puls8, TV24 | |
| United Kingdom | Channel 4, S4C, Sky 1, E4, Comedy Central, Channel 5 | |
| Uruguay | Canal 10 | |
| Venezuela | Televen | |
| Arab World | MBC4, OSN | مسلسل أمريكي |
| Bulgaria | Kanal 1, bTV, Fox Life, PRO.BG, bTV Comedy | Приятели |
| China | Xing Kong, CCTV | 老友记 |
| Croatia | HRT 2, Doma TV | Prijatelji |
| Cyprus | CyBC 2, TVOne | Τα Φιλαράκια |
| Czech Republic | ČT, TV Prima, TV Nova | Přátelé |
| Denmark | TV 2, TV 2 Zulu | Venner |
| Estonia | Kanal 2 | Sõbrad |
| Finland | MTV3, Sub, AVA | Frendit |
| Greece | Star Channel | Τα Φιλαράκια |
| Hong Kong (Cantonese) | ATV World | 老友记 |
| Hungary | HBO, TV2, RTL Klub, RTL II, RTL+, Viasat 3, Viasat 6 | Jóbarátok |
| Iceland | Stöð 2 | Vinir |
| Israel | Channel 2, yes Comedy, Bip, Hot Comedy Central, HOT3 | חברים |
| Japan | WOWOW | フレンズ |
| Latvia | LNT, Kanāls 2 | Draugi |
| Lithuania | LNK, TV1 | Draugai |
| North Macedonia | A1 Televizija, A2 TV | Пријатели |
| Norway | TV2, TVNorge | Venner for livet |
| Poland | Comedy Central, HBO3 | Przyjaciele |
| Serbia | RTV Pink, B92 | Пријатељи |
| Slovakia | Markíza | Priatelia |
| South Korea | Dong-A TV, OnStyle | 프렌즈 |
| Sweden | Kanal 5 | Vänner |
| Taiwan | Chinese Television Network | 老友记 |
| Turkey | Show TV, Cine5, ATV, ComedyMax, MyMax | Sıkı Dostlar |
| Ukraine | 1+1, CITI, Novyi Kanal, ICTV, NLO TV, Paramount Comedy | Друзі |