WikiPortallus: Friends.html

Crane and Kauffman created Friends under the title Insomnia Cafe in November 1993, which they presented to co-worker and friend Bright. The team pitched the idea to NBC, which bought the idea as a put pilot. After several script rewrites and changes, the series was finally named Friends, and premiered on the coveted Thursday 8:30 pm timeslot. The cast was known for being unusually cohesive and unified, all of whom became best friends. Filming for the series took place at Warner Bros. Studios in front of a live audience. The series finale was heavily promoted by NBC, and viewing parties were organized around the U.S. by local NBC affiliates. The finale was watched by 52.5 million American viewers, making it the fourth most watched series finale in TV history.

Friends received mixed to positive reviews throughout its run, and became the most popular sitcom of its time. Throughout its run, the series won many awards and was nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy Awards. The series was also very successful in the ratings, consistently ranking in the top ten in the final primetime ratings. Friends has made a large cultural impact, and the Central Perk coffee house has inspired various imitations worldwide. Repeats of the series continue to air worldwide, while each season has been released on DVD. Following the series finale, the spin-off series Joey was created, and rumors of a film continue to circulate.

Cast and characters

Prior to their roles on Friends, the main six cast members were familiar to television viewers, but were not considered to be stars.¹ During the series' ten season run, the actors all achieved household name celebrity status.² Off screen, the series was known for its cohesive and unified cast, all of whom became best friends.³ The cast members made efforts to keep the ensemble format and not allow one member to dominate.⁴ Crane noted, "no one had done a true ensemble",⁵ and the series was lauded as being "the first true 'ensemble' show".⁴ The actors decided to enter themselves in the same acting categories for awards,⁶ opted for collective instead of individual salary negotiations,⁴ and asked to appear together on magazine cover photos in the first season.⁷

In their original contracts for the first two seasons, each main cast member was paid $1,600 per episode. In 1996, the cast threatened to go on strike unless they received pay increases, which resulted in each actor receiving $100,000 per episode. For the series' sixth season, the cast members were offered $250,000 to return.⁸ The cast members again entered negotiations in April 2000 asking for $750,000 per episode, and in February 2002, asking $1 million per episode.⁹ The actors became such close friends that one guest star, Tom Selleck, reported sometimes feeling left out.¹⁰ The cast remained good friends after the series' run, most notably Cox and Aniston, with Aniston being godmother to Cox and David Arquette's daughter, Coco.¹¹ In their official farewell commemorative book Friends 'Til The End, each separately acknowledged in their interviews that the cast had become their family.¹²

Season synopses

The first season introduces the six main characters: Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross. Rachel arrives in New York after leaving her fiance at the alter, and begins living with Monica in her apartment. Ross struggles to tell Rachel that he loves her, while his estranged lesbian wife is pregnant with his baby. Joey is shown to be a struggling actor, while Phoebe works as a masseuse. Chandler breaks up with girlfriend Janice (Maggie Wheeler), who frequently returns throughout the ensuing nine seasons. At the end of the season, Chandler accidentally reveals that Ross loves Rachel, who finds that she feels the same way.

The second season begins with Rachel discovering that Ross is dating Julie (Lauren Tom), someone he knew from grad school. Rachel's attempts to tell Ross she likes him mirror his own failed attempts in the first season, although the characters eventually begin a relationship that lasts into the following season. Joey gets a part in a fictionalized version of the soap opera Days of our Lives, but is killed off after claiming he writes many of his own lines. Monica begins dating Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck), who is recently divorced and 21 years older than her. In the season finale, they end their relationship when they realize that he does not want any more children and she does.

Season three takes on a significantly greater serialized format.¹⁵ Rachel begins working at Bloomingdales and Ross becomes jealous of her coworker, Mark. Ross and Rachel temporarily break up; however, Rachel decides to make it permanent when Ross sleeps with someone else. After believing to have no family except for her twin sister Ursula, Phoebe becomes acquainted with her half-brother (Giovani Ribisi) and mother (Teri Garr). Joey develops a relationship with his acting partner Kate (Dina Meyer), and Monica begins a relationship with millionaire Pete Becker (Jon Favreau).

In the fourth season premiere, Ross and Rachel reconcile, but soon break up again. Phoebe becomes a surrogate mother for her brother and his wife (Debra Jo Rupp). Monica and Rachel are forced to switch apartments with Joey and Chandler after losing a bet, but manage to switch back by bribing them with Knicks season tickets and a one-minute kiss between themselves. Ross begins dating an English woman called Emily (Helen Baxendale), and the season finale features their wedding in London. Chandler and Monica sleep together, while Rachel decides to attend the wedding. While saying his vows, Ross accidentally replaces Emily's name with Rachel's, to the shock of the guests.

Season five features Monica and Chandler trying to keep their new relationship a secret from their friends. Ross and Emily's marriage is called off, while Phoebe starts a relationship with police officer Gary (Michael Rapaport). Monica and Chandler go public with their relationship, to the surprise of their friends. They decide to get married on a trip to Las Vegas, but decide not to after witnessing Ross and Rachel drunkenly stumble out of the wedding chapel.

In the sixth season premiere, Ross and Rachel's marriage is established to be a drunken mistake and they divorce. Monica and Chandler decide to move in together in her apartment, and Rachel moves in with Phoebe. Joey lands a role on a cable television series called "Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E", where he stars alongside a robot. Ross gets a job lecturing at New York University, and starts dating his college student, Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden). Phoebe and Rachel's apartment catches on fire, and Rachel is forced to move in with Joey while Phoebe moves in with Chandler and Monica. Chandler decides to propose to Monica, while she considers going to back to Richard, who confesses to her that he still loves her. Monica decides to accept Chandler's proposal, and the friends celebrate.

The seventh season mainly follows various antics by Monica and Chandler, who are preparing for their wedding. Joey's television series "Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E" is canceled, but he is offered his old job back on Days of our Lives. Phoebe's apartment is fixed, but due to the way it is built, Rachel decides to stay with Joey. The season finale stars Monica and Chandler's wedding, and Rachel is revealed to be pregnant.

The eighth season's first three episodes follow a "Who's the father?" format. The father of Rachel's baby is revealed to be Ross, and they decide to have the baby. Joey develops romantic feelings for Rachel, however she does not feel the same. Rachel gives birth to baby Emma in the series finale, and Ross decides to propose. Joey finds Ross's ring on the floor, and Rachel believes he is proposing and accepts.

Season nine begins with Ross and Rachel living together with baby Emma. Monica and Chandler decide to conceive a child of their own, but discover that both of them are physically unable to conceive. Phoebe begins dating Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd), and chooses to be with him over her friend David (Hank Azaria). The group travels to Barbados in the finale to hear Ross give a keynote speech at a Paleontologist conference. Joey and his girlfriend Charlie (Aisha Tyler) break up, and she begins a relationship with Ross. Joey and Rachel's feelings for each other return, and the finale ends with them kissing.

The tenth season closes several long running storylines. Joey and Rachel try to contend with Ross' feelings about them being together, and decide to remain friends. Phoebe and Mike get married, while Charlie breaks up with Ross. Monica and Chandler decide to adopt a child, and meet Erica (Anna Faris), who gives birth to twins in the series finale. Monica and Chandler move to the suburbs, and Joey becomes upset with the changes happening in his life. Rachel takes a job in Paris, but decides not to go and resumes her relationship with Ross.

Production

Conception

Following the cancellation of their sitcom Family Album by CBS in November 1993, David Crane and Marta Kauffman began developing three new television pilots from their offices at Warner Bros. Television that could premiere in the Fall 1994 season.¹⁸¹⁹ Crane and Kauffman began thinking about the time when they had finished college and started living by themselves in New York. Kauffman believed they were looking at a time when the future was "more of a question mark", which was their feeling about their own lives at the time.¹⁷ They found the concept to be interesting, as they believed "everybody knows that feeling".¹⁷ Crane and Kauffman presented the idea of six friends living and working in New York to their production partner Kevin Bright. They titled the series Insomnia Cafe, which was pitched as a seven-page treatment to NBC in December 1993.¹⁷¹⁹

At the same time, Warren Littlefield, the then president of NBC Entertainment, was seeking a comedy involving young people in a big city coming together to share living expenses. This meant that the group shared memorable period of their lives with friends, instead of family members, who had become "new, surrogate family members".¹ However, Littlefield found difficulty in bring the concept to life, and found the scripts developed by NBC to be terrible. When Kauffman, Crane and Bright pitched Insomnia Cafe, Littlefield was impressed that they knew who their characters were.¹ NBC bought the idea as a put pilot, meaning they risked financial penalties if the pilot was not filmed.²⁰ Kauffman and Crane began writing a pilot script for a show now titled Friends Like Us,¹⁷ which took three days to write.²¹ Littlefield wanted the series to represent Generation X and explore a new kind of tribal bonding, but the trio did not share his vision. Crane argued that it was not a series for one generation, and wanted to produce a series that everyone would enjoy watching.¹ NBC liked the pilot script and ordered the series under another title, Six of One, mainly due to the similar title it shared with the ABC sitcom These Friends of Mine.²²

Development

Casting

Once it became apparent that the series was a favored project at NBC, Littlefield reported that he was getting calls from every agent in town, wanting their client to be a part of the series.¹ Auditions for the lead roles took place in New York and Los Angeles.²³ The casting director shortlisted 1,000 actors who had replied for each role down to 75, who were called into to read before her. Those who received a callback read again in front of Crane, Kauffman and Bright. At the end of March the potential actors had been reduced to three or four for each part, and were asked to read for Les Moonves, president of Warner Bros. Television.²⁴

During the casting process, more changes occurred to the series' storylines. The producers wanted Courteney Cox to portray Rachel; however, Cox refused and asked to play Monica. Kauffman said that Cox had "this cheery, upbeat energy", which was not how they envisioned Monica.¹⁷ When Cox auditioned by the role, the producers were surprised by her direction of the character and she was cast. When Matt LeBlanc auditioned for Joey, he put a "different spin" on Joey.¹⁷ The writers did not originally intend for Joey to be dim, but found it to be a major source of comedy. LeBlanc also gave the character heart, which the writers did not realize Joey had. At the time of LeBlanc's audition, Crane and Kauffman did not want him for the role, but were forced by the network to cast him. Crane claims that "he was shoved down our throats!", and Kauffman explains that it was a favor for the network they had to do.¹⁷

Having worked with Schwimmer before,²³ the character of Ross was written with him in mind, and he was the first actor cast.²⁵ Aniston, Perry and Kudrow were cast based on their auditions.²³ The writers' found that they had to adjust the characters they had written to suit the actors, and the discovery process of the characters occurred throughout the first season. Kauffman acknowledged that Joey's character became "this whole new being", and that "it wasn't until we did the first Thanksgiving episode that we realized how much fun Monica's neuroses are."²⁶

Writing

When Friends was picked up by NBC, unemployed writers would send in the scripts they had prepared for other series, mainly unproduced Seinfeld episodes. In the next few weeks, Crane, Kauffman and Bright reviewed the scripts and hired a team of seven writers.²⁷ Kauffman and Crane only hired young writers; Kauffman explained, "When you're 40, you can't do it anymore. The networks and studios are looking for young people coming in out of college."²⁸ According to Crane, the creators felt that utilizing six equal characters, rather than emphasizing one or two, would allow for "myriad story lines and give the show legs".⁵ The majority of ideas for the storylines came from the writers, although the actors added ideas.²³ In the early plan for the series, the big love story was between Joey and Monica. Crane said that when they were pitching the series, Joey and Monica seemed to be the most sexual of the characters. The idea of Ross and Rachel being romantically interested emerged during the time when Kauffman and Crane were writing the pilot script.¹⁷

During the production of the pilot, NBC requested that the script be changed to feature one dominant storyline and several minor ones. The writers' refused, and wanted to keep three story lines of equal weight.²² NBC thought the cast was too young, and pushed for an older character who could give the young adults advice. Crane and Kauffman were forced to comply, and wrote a draft of an early episode which featured "Pat the cop". Crane found the storyline to be terrible, and Kauffman joked, "You know the kids book, 'Pat the Bunny?' We had Pat the Cop." NBC eventually consented and dropped the idea.¹⁷

The storylines for each season would be outlined by the producers early in the previous summer.²⁹ Before an episode went into production, Kauffman and Crane would revise the script written by another writer, mainly if something felt foreign to either the series or a character.²⁷ Unlike other storylines, the idea for a relationship between Joey and Rachel was decided on halfway through the eighth season. The creators did not want Ross and Rachel to get back together so soon, and while looking for a romantic impediment, a writer suggested the idea of Joey being interested in Rachel. The storyline was incorporated into the season; however, when the actors' feared that the storyline would make their characters unlikeable, the storyline was wrapped up, until it again resurfaced in the season's finale. For the ninth season, the writers' were unsure of the amount of storyline they wanted to give to Rachel's baby. Crane noted, "we don't want it to become a show about a baby", but "we don't want to pretend that there isn't one."²⁹

Filming

The series was filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. The first season was shot on Stage 5,³⁰ but production moved to the larger Stage 24 from the second season. After the series finale, Stage 24 was renamed "The Friends Stage".³¹ Filming began in the summer of 1994 in front of a live audience, who were given a summary of the series so that they could familiarize themselves with the six main characters. The NBC executives worried that the coffee house setting was too hip, and wanted the series to be set in a diner, similar to Seinfeld.¹⁷ The fountain used in the opening title sequence is located at the Warner Bros. Ranch, half a mile north of Warner Bros. Studios. The opening scene was shot at 4:00 am, while it was particularly cold for a Burbank morning.³²

Each 22-minute episode took six hours to film—twice the length of most sitcom tapings—mainly due to the several retakes and rewrites of the script. A comedian was hired to entertain the studio audience between takes.⁷ The series was criticized throughout its run for incorrectly depicting New York, with the financially struggling group of friends being able to afford huge apartments.³³ Bright defended the use, noting the space had to be big enough for the cameras, lighting, and "for the audience to be able to see what's going on".²³ Bright believed that the apartments needed to provide a place for the actors to execute the funny scripts.²³

Throughout the series' run, no episodes were shot on location in New York. The producers wanted to find the right story which would take advantage of being on location; however, Bright noted that filming outside the studio made episodes less funny, even when shooting on the lot outside. Bright found the live audience to be an integral part of the series, and noted that the fourth season finale was shot on location in London because the producers knew of the country's large fanbase.²³ At the time, Friends was the only U.S. television series to have filmed in a foreign country. The scenes were shot in a studio with the three audiences of 500 each; the largest audiences the series had throughout its run. The fifth season finale, which was set in Las Vegas, was actually filmed at Warner Bros. Studios. Bright found that most people thought the finale was filmed on location in Vegas.³⁴

Broadcast

After the pilot lived up to NBC's hopes, it was awarded with the coveted Thursday 8:30 pm timeslot, airing between Mad About You and Seinfeld.¹ Bright, Kauffman and Crane noted that they produced the series with that timeslot in mind.²⁷ The series was finally named Friends, and premiered on September 22, 1994, when it was watched by almost 22 million American viewers.¹⁷ The series was a huge success throughout its run, and was a staple of NBC's Thursday night line-up, dubbed by the network as Must See TV.³⁵

The eighth season was believed by many to be the last, and Crane raised very little reaction when he told reporters that he did not see why the endpoint was a foregone conclusion. Many thought that they he was posturing, and that at least two of the cast members would not sign on for another season.³⁶ When it was announced that Friends would return for a ninth season, the news was mainly about the amount of money—$7 million per episode—that it took to bring the series back for another season.³⁶

After yearlong expectations that the ninth season would be the series' last, NBC signed a deal in late December 2002 to bring the series back for a final tenth season. The series' creative team did not want to extend negotiations into the next year, and wanted to start writing the rest of the ninth season episodes and a potential series finale.³⁷ NBC agreed to pay $10 million to Warner Bros. for the production of each tenth season episode, the highest price in television history for a 30-minute series.³⁸ Although NBC was unable to bring in enough advertising revenue from commercials to cover the costs, the series was integral to the Thursday night schedule, which brought high ratings and profits to the other television series.³⁷ The cast demanded that the tenth season be reduced from the usual 22 episodes to 18 episodes to allow them to work on outside projects.³⁹

Prior to the airing of the series finale, Kauffman and Crane stated that they would not have signed on for an eleventh season, even if all the cast members wanted to continue. Crane said that it took them a while to accept the idea of a tenth season, which they decided to do because they had enough stories left to tell to justify the season. Crane was glad they accepted to sign on for the tenth season, which he enjoyed producing.²⁶

Series finale

The series' creators completed the first draft of the hourlong finale in January 2004, 2004, four months prior to its original airing. Prior to writing the episode, Crane, Kauffman and Bright decided to watch finales from other sitcoms, paying attention to what worked and what did not. Kauffman found that they liked the ones which stayed true to the series, and they found the finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show to be the gold standard. The writers had difficulty writing the finale, and spent several days thinking about the finale scene without being able to write a word. Crane said that they did not want to do "something high concept, or take the show out of the show".⁴¹ The most critical parts of the finale were shot without an audience, and with a minimum amount of crew. The finale was well received by the main cast, who were confident that the fans would have the same reaction:⁴¹

NBC heavily promoted the series finale, which was preceded by weeks of hype.⁴² Viewing parties were organized by local NBC affiliates around the U.S., including an event at Universal CityWalk featuring a special broadcast of the finale on an outdoor Astrovision screen.² The finale was the subject of two episodes of Dateline NBC, one of which ran for two hours. Prior to the airing of the episode, a one hour retrospective of clips from previous episodes was shown. Following the finale, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was filmed on the set of the Friends' Central Perk cafe, which featured the series' cast as guests.³³⁴³ The advertising rates for the finale averaged $2 million for 30 seconds of commercial time. This was the most ever for a sitcom, breaking the record held by the Seinfeld finale at $1.7 million.²

The finale was watched on May 6, 2004 by 52.5 million American viewers, making it the most watched entertainment telecast in six years. Although it was not the series' most watched episode,² the finale was the fourth most watched series finale in TV history, only behind the finales of M*A*S*H, Cheers and Seinfeld, which were watched by 105, 80.4 and 76.2 million viewers respectively. The retrospective episode was watched by under 36 million viewers, and the finale was the second most-watched television show of the year, only behind the Super Bowl.³³ Following the finales of Friends and Frasier, media critics speculated this signaled the end of the sitcom genre. Other critics argued that it was merely a small decline in the large history of the genre,² while many found scripted television to be reducing in favor of reality shows.⁴²

Impact

Critical reception

Early reviews of the series were mixed, and several critics compared it unfavorably to Seinfeld and Ellen, noting the similarities all three series had in depicting friends conversing about their lives. The cast, particularly Schwimmer, were complimented, though there was some concern that the characters were undeveloped. Tom Feran of The Plain Dealer wrote that it traded "vaguely and less successfully on the hanging-out style of Seinfeld",⁴⁴ and Ann Hodges of the Houston Chronicle called it "the new Seinfeld wannabe, but it will never be as funny as Seinfeld."⁴⁵ In the Los Angeles Daily News, Ray Richmond called the cast a "likeable, youth ensemble" with "good chemistry", and added the series was "one of the brighter comedies of the new season".⁴⁶ In the Chicago Sun-Times, Ginny Holbert found Joey and Rachel's characteristics to be underdeveloped,⁴⁷ while The Los Angeles Times called it "flat-out the best comedy series of the new season".⁴⁸ Robert Bianco of USA Today was complementary of Schwimmer, calling him "terrific". He also praised the female leads, but was concerned that Perry's role as Chandler was "undefined" and that LeBlanc was "relying too much on the same brain-dead stud routine that was already tired the last two times he tried it".⁴⁹ The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends call the pilot a "good, solid start to the series" but "the regular cast (particularly Perry and Schwimmer) might be trying just a little too hard".⁵⁰

As the series progressed, reviews became more positive, and Friends became the most popular sitcom of its time. Critics commended the series for its consistently sharp writing and the chemistry between the main actors.³⁸ Noel Holston of Newsday, who dismissed the pilot as a "so-so Seinfeld wannabe" in 1994, reneged his review after rewatching the episode, and felt like writing an apology to the writers.²⁶ Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com thought that the series "hit its stride" in the second season. Havrilesky found the character-specific jokes and situations "could reliably make you laugh out loud a few times each episode", and the quality of writing allowed the stories to be "original and innovative".⁵¹ Bill Carter of The New York Times called the eighth season a "truly stunning comeback". Carter found that by "generating new hot story lines and high-decibel laughs", the series made its way "back into the hearts of its fans".³⁶ However, Liane Bonin of Entertainment Weekly felt that the direction of the ninth season was a "disappointing buzzkill", criticizing it for the non-stop celebrity guest spots and going into "jump the shark" territory. Although disappointed with the season, Bonin noted that "the writing is still sharp".³⁹

Reviews of the season finale were mixed to positive. Robert Bianco of USA Today described the finale as entertaining and satisfying, and praised it for deftly mixing emotion and humor while showcasing each of the stars.⁵² Sarah Rodman of the Boston Herald praised Aniston and Schwimmer for their acting, but felt that their characters' reunion "felt a bit too neat, even if it was what most of the show's legions of fans wanted."⁵³ Newsday's Noel Holston called the episode "sweet and dumb and satisfying",³⁸ while Roger Catlin of The Hartford Courant felt that newcomers to the series would be "surprised at how laughless the affair could be, and how nearly every strained gag depends on the sheer stupidity of its characters."⁵⁴ An editorial in USA Today highlighted the view of many critics who found problem with the ageing cast, commenting, "Friends was getting creaky even as it remained popular".⁵⁵ Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com said that even with the "nauseating hype and the disappointing season and the lackluster finale, it's important to remember what a great show this was for such a very long time."⁵¹ Ken Parish Perkins of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram graded the finale with a B, calling it "more touching than comical, more satisfying in terms of closure than knee-slappingly funny."⁵⁶

Awards

To maintain the series' ensemble format, the main cast members decided to enter themselves in the same acting categories for awards.⁵⁷ Beginning with the series' eighth season, the actors decided to submit themselves in the lead actor balloting, rather than in the supporting actor fields.⁵⁸ The series was nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning six. Aniston and Kudrow are the only main cast members to win an Emmy, while Cox is the only actor not to be nominated. The series won the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, with a nomination in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2003.⁵⁹ The series has also won an American Comedy Award,⁶⁰ one GLAAD Media Award,⁶¹ one Golden Globe Award,⁶² three Logie Awards,⁶³⁶⁴ six People's Choice Awards,⁶⁵⁶⁶ one Satellite Award,⁶⁷ and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.⁶⁸⁶⁹

Ratings

Below, "rank" refers to how well Friends rated compared to other television series which aired during primetime hours of the corresponding television season. The television season tends to begin in September, and ends during the May of the following year, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. "Viewers" refers to the average number of viewers for all original episodes, broadcast during the television season in the series' regular timeslot. "Rank" is shown in relation to the total number of series airing on the then-six major English-language networks in a given season. The "season premiere" is the date that the first episode of the season aired, and the "season finale" is the date that the final episode of the season aired.

Cultural impact

During the series' run, pop psychologists have "prattled" about the cultural impact of Friends, with the producers laughing, "It's only a TV show."¹ Aniston's hairstyle was nicknamed "The Rachel", and copied around the world.¹ Joey's catchphrase, "How you doin'?", has become a popular part of Western English slang, often used as a pick-up line or when greeting friends.⁷⁶ The series has also impacted on the English language, according to a study by a linguistics professor at the University of Toronto. The professor found that the characters used so as an adjective more often than other intensifiers, such as very and really. The professor believed that although the preference had already made its way into the American vernacular, usage on the series may have accelerate the change.⁴ Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, ratings increased 17% over the previous season as viewers tuned in for comfort.³⁶

The Central Perk coffee house, one of the principal settings of the series, has inspired various imitations worldwide. In 2006, Iranian businessman Mojtaba Asadian started a Central Perk franchise, registering the name in 32 countries. The decor of the coffee houses are inspired by the one in Friends, featuring replica couches, counters, neon signage and bricks. The coffee houses also contain paintings of the various characters from the series, and televisions playing Friends' episodes. James Michael Tyler, who plays the Central Perk waiter in the series, Gunther, attended the grand opening of the Dubai cafe, where he worked as a waiter.⁷⁷ As part of a museum exhibit at Warner Bros. Studios, Central Perk was rebuilt and shown on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2008. Lisa Kudrow revisited the set for the first time after the series finale in 2004.⁷⁸

Distribution

International

Friends began airing in the UK in 1994 on the terrestrial Channel 4; however, in 1996, Sky1 bought the rights to the series. Although Channel 4 continued to air episodes several weeks after their original airing on Sky1, the series was one of the network's most popular series,⁷⁹ averaging 2.6 million viewers per episode. In 1999, Channel 4 signed a £100 million deal to regain the rights to Friends and ER from Sky1. The three year deal meant that Channel 4 would be the first station to air new episodes of the series, and could negotiate pay-TV airings with other broadcasters.⁸⁰ The final episode averaged 8.6 million viewers—more than a third of the UK's television audience at the time—and saw a peak of 8.9 million viewers. This was the highest amount of viewers for any episode of Friends, beating the June 2002 episode which drew 6.5 million viewers. Repeats of the series are regularly shown on Channel 4 and E4.⁸¹ The Irish channel RTÉ Two was the first channel in Europe to air the finale on May 24, 2004.⁸² Friends debuted on Australian television in 1996 on the Seven Network.⁸³ The Nine Network began airing the second season in 1997, and continued to show the series until its finale in 2004.⁸⁴ In November 2007, it was announced that Network Ten had bought the rights to the show, and that it would air it seven nights a week at 7:00 pm.⁸⁵ TV2 currently airs repeats of Friends in New Zealand on Sundays.⁸⁶

Merchandise

All ten seasons have been released on DVD individually and as a box set. Warner Bros. has also talked about plans of a future Blu-ray release.⁸⁷ Each season release contains special features and footage originally cut from the series. For the first season, each episode is updated with color correction and sound enhancement.²³ A wide range of Friends merchandise has been produced by various companies. In late September 1995, WEA Records released the Friends Original TV Soundtrack, containing music featured in previous and future episodes. The soundtrack debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 46,⁸⁸ and sold 500,000 copies in November.⁸⁹ In 1999, a second soundtrack album entitled Friends Again was released.⁹⁰ Other merchandise include a Friends version of the DVD game "Scene It?",⁹¹ and a quiz computer game, entitled Friends: The One with All the Trivia.⁹²

Future

Joey

After the series finale in 2004, LeBlanc signed on for the spin-off series Joey, following Joey's move to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. Kauffman and Crane were not interested in the spin-off; however, Bright accepted to executive produce the series with Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan.¹²⁴ Joey was heavily promoted by NBC,¹²⁵ and was given Friends' Thursday 8:30 pm timeslot.¹²⁶ The pilot was watched by 18.60 million American viewers,¹²⁷ however ratings continually decreased throughout the series' two seasons, averaging 10.20 million viewers in the first season and 7.10 million in the second.³⁴ The final broadcast episode on March 7, 2006 was watched by 7.09 million viewers,¹²⁸ and NBC canceled the series on May 15, 2006.¹²⁹ Bright blamed the collaboration between NBC executives, the studio and other producers for quickly ruining the series:³⁴

Film

Following the series finale, rumors began to emerge of a Friends film, although all were proven to be untrue.¹³⁰ After the success of the Sex and the City film in 2008, rumors reemerged of a film.¹³¹ In July 2008, The Daily Telegraph reported that the main cast members had agreed to star in the project, and that filming was going to start within the next 18 months. A source commented that "Jennifer, Courteney and the rest of the cast are [eager] to reprise their roles, under the right circumstances [...] Jennifer says she and Courteney have already talked this summer about what they want out of a Friends movie."¹³⁰ When asked about the film, Kudrow said that she was unaware of the talks, but expressed interest in the idea.¹³⁰ However, the director of publicity for Warner Bros. said there was "no truth in the story",¹³² and Perry's spokeswoman added that "nothing is happening in this regard, so the rumor is false."¹³³

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Jicha, Tom (May 2, 2004). "They leave as they began: With a buzz" 1. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved on 23 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Friends heads for much-hyped farewell". The Indian Express (May 5, 2004). Retrieved on 19 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b Zaslow, Jeffrey (October 8, 2000). "Balancing friends and family". USA Weekend. Retrieved on 19 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d McCarroll, Christina (May 6, 2004). "A family sitcom for Gen X - Friends cast a new TV mold". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on 19 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b Jicha, Tom (May 2, 2004). "They leave as they began: With a buzz" 2. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved on 23 December 2008.
^ Bianco, Robert (January 1, 2005). "The Emmy Awards: Robert Bianco". USA Today. Retrieved on 19 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b Kiesewetter, John (January 27, 2002). "Friends grows in stature, ratings". The National Enquirer. Retrieved on 5 January 2009.
^ "Friends in the money". BBC News (21 July, 1999). Retrieved on 21 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b Saah, Nadia (January 21, 2004). "Friends til the end". USA Today. Retrieved on 19 December 2008.
^ Power, Ed (May 6, 2004). "Why we will miss our absent Friends", Irish Independent. Retrieved on 19 December 2008.
^ "People: DeGeneres tries to calm the howling pack". The Denver Post (October 18, 2007). Retrieved on 19 December 2008.
^ Wild, David (2004). Friends 'Til the End: The Official Celebration of All Ten Years. Time Warner. ISBN 1932273190. http://www.amazon.com/Friends-Til-End-Official-Celebration/dp/1932273190.
^ McLellan, Dennis (February 12, 2008). "Married ... With Children Co-Creator Dies". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved on 23 December 2008.
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^ Sangster, Jim; David Bailey (2000). Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends (2nd ed.). London: Virgin Publishing Ltd. pp. 132–134. ISBN 0-7535-0439-1.
^ Sayles, Matt (September 14, 2003). "Alfre Woodard, Charles Dutton among Emmy winners". USA Today. Retrieved on 29 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Lauer, Matt (2005-05-04). "Friends creators share show's beginnings". MSNBC.
^ Wild, p. 206
^ ^a ^b Kolbert, Elizabeth (March 8, 1994). "Birth of a TV Show: A Drama All Its Own", The New York Times. Retrieved on January 19, 2008.
^ Stallings, Penny (2000). The Ultimate Friends Companion. London: Channel 4 Books. pp. 102–103. ISBN 0752272314. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Friends-Companion-Penny-Stallings/dp/0752217267.

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