Friends

This article is about the television sitcom. For the social concept, see Friendship. For other uses, see Friends (disambiguation).
"Central Perk" redirects here. Not to be confused with Central Park.

Friends
GenreSitcom
Created by
Showrunners
  • David Crane
  • Marta Kauffman
Starring
Theme music composer
  • Michael Skloff
Opening theme"I'll Be There for You"
by the Rembrandts
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons10
No. of episodes236 (+ 1 special) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locationsWarner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time20–22 minutes (per episode)
22–65 minutes (extended international TV & DVD episodes)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 22, 1994 (1994-09-22) –
May 6, 2004 (2004-05-06)
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

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.[1] 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 early 30s who live in Manhattan, New York City. The original executive producers were Kevin S. Bright, Kauffman, and Crane.

Kauffman and Crane began developing Friends under the working title Insomnia Cafe between November and December 1993. They presented the idea to Bright, and together they pitched a seven-page treatment of the show to NBC. After several script rewrites and changes, including title changes to Six of One[2] and Friends Like Us, the series was finally named Friends.[3] Filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

The show 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[4][5][6] and the most-watched television episode of the 2000s.[7][8] Friends received acclaim throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time.[9] The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for its eighth season.[10] The show ranked no. 21 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,[11] and no. 5 on Empire magazine's The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[12] In 1997, the episode "The One with the Prom Video" was ranked no. 100 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time.[13] In 2013, Friends ranked no. 24 on the Writers Guild of America's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time,[14] and no. 28 on TV Guide's 60 Best TV Series of All Time.[15] The sitcom's cast members returned for Friends: The Reunion, a reunion special which was released on HBO Max on May 27, 2021.

  1. ^ Fergus, George (December 12, 2018). "Friends (1994) (a Titles & Air Dates Guide)". epguides. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ^ "'Friends' Was Originally Called 'Six of One'". ABC News. April 5, 2012. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  3. ^ Lauer, Matt (May 5, 2004). "'Friends' Creators Share Show's Beginnings". Dateline NBC. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2004.
  4. ^ Seemayer, Zach (March 31, 2014). "The 10 Most-Watched TV Series Finales Ever!". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  5. ^ Conradt, Stacy (February 28, 2010). "The 10 Most-Watched Series Finales Ever". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  6. ^ Kalin, Natalie (April 29, 2015). "Top 10 Most Watched TV Finales Ever". HuffPost. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  7. ^ "The shows of the decade". Chicago Tribune. December 4, 2009. Archived from the original on August 12, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  8. ^ Kinon, Cristina. "The Most Watched TV Episode of the Decade Was ... The Series Finale of 'Friends'". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on December 7, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  9. ^ Poniewozi, James (September 6, 2007). "All-Time 100 TV Shows". Time. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009.
  10. ^ "Friends". Television Academy. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  11. ^ "TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows". CBS News. April 26, 2002. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012.
  12. ^ Dyer, James; Williams, Owen; Gross, Ed; White, James; Nugent, John; De Semlyen, Phil; Hewitt, Chris (June 15, 2016). "The 50 Best TV Shows Ever". Empire. Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  13. ^ "Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time". TV Guide. No. June 28 – July 4. 1997.
  14. ^ "101 Best Written TV Series List". Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  15. ^ Fretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt. "The Greatest Shows on Earth". TV Guide. Vol. 61, no. 3194–3195. pp. 16–19.