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Friends
The title screen, featuring a sofa in front of a fountain in a park
類型Sitcom
開創David Crane
Marta Kauffman
主演Jennifer Aniston
Courteney Cox
Lisa Kudrow
Matt LeBlanc
Matthew Perry
David Schwimmer
國家/地區United States
語言English
季數10
集數236(每集列表
每集長度20–22 minutes (per episode)
22–65 minutes (extended DVD episodes)
配樂Michael Skloff
Allee Willis
片頭曲"I'll Be There for You"
by The Rembrandts
製作
執行製作David Crane
Marta Kauffman
Kevin S. Bright
Michael Borkow (season 4)
Michael Curtis (season 5)
Adam Chase (season 5–6)
Greg Malins (season 5–7)
Wil Calhoun (season 7)
Scott Silveri (season 8–10)
Template:J
Andrew Reich (season 8–10)
Ted Cohen (season 8–10)
拍攝地點Warner Bros. Studios
Burbank, California
機位Film; multi-camera
製作公司Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions
Warner Bros. Television
發行公司NBC
Warner Bros. Television Distribution (worldwide)
播出資訊
首播頻道NBC
圖像制式480i (PsF 4:3 SDTV)
1080i (PsF 16:9 HDTV)
播出日期1994年9月22日 (1994-09-22)—2004年5月6日 (2004-05-06)
相關節目
續作Joey (2004–06)
外部連結
官方網站

Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which originally aired for ten seasons on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. 《老友記》是一部由David Crane與Marta Kauffman共同創作的美國情景喜劇。該劇於1994年9月22日在NBC播出,於2004年5月6日結束,共播出十季。It revolves around a circle of friends living in Manhattan, a borough of New York City. 此劇圍繞着一眾好友在紐約曼哈頓的生活展開。The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. 此劇由Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions 聯合華納兄弟電視公司製作。The original executive producers were Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane, with numerous others being promoted in later seasons.此劇最初的三位執行製片人分別為Kevin S. Bright、Marta Kauffman以及David Crane,而在之後的季度中亦陸續加入多位執行製片人。

Kauffman and Crane began developing Friends under the title Insomnia Cafe between November and December 1993. Kauffman與Crane在1993年11月至12月以Insomnia Cafe的名義開始創作老友記。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.當他們將這些想法闡述給先前的工作夥伴Kevin S. Bright之後,他們在一起。。。。。。 After several script rewrites and changes, including a second title change to Friends Like Us, the series was finally named Friends 在劇本歷經幾次變更重寫以及劇目名字變更(由之前的名字變為Friends Like Us,後又精簡為Friends)[1]之後, and premiered on NBC's coveted Thursday 8:30 pm time slot. NBC將老友記的首播時段定在星期四八點半的黃金時段。Filming for the series took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California in front of a live studio audience. 儘管此劇說的是東海岸紐約人的生活,但錄製地點則是在美國加州伯班克市的華納兄弟電影製片廠。The series finale (the 236th episode), airing on May 6, 2004, was watched by around 52.5 million American viewers, making it the fourth most watched series finale in television history[2][3] and the most watched episode of the decade.該劇的最終集(the Last One)於2004年5月6日播出,據估計約有5200萬美國觀眾收看了此劇的最後一集。這個數字使《老友記》在電視歷史上成為第四最多人收看最終集,而此集也成為2000年代最多人收看的電視劇集。[4]

Friends received positive reviews throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. 老友記在播映的過程中收到了許多讚揚,這也使之成為有史以來最受歡迎的情景喜劇之一。The series won numerous awards and was nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy Awards.劇集亦贏得了許多獎項,並被艾美獎提名多達63次。 The series, an instant hit from its debut, was also very successful in the ratings, consistently ranking in the top ten in the final primetime ratings. 《老友記》不僅從一開始就成為大熱劇集,而且在媒體評價上也頗賺口碑,經常性地會在最終黃金收視段評分中名列前茅。Many critics now regard it as one of the finest shows in television history, including TV Guide, which ranked it No. 21 on their list of the 50 greatest TV shows of all time.許多電視評論人將老友記列為電視歷史上最好的節目之一,其中《電視指南》雜誌便將老友記列為「史上最偉大的50個電視節目」的第21名。[5][6][7] In 1997, the episode "The One with the Prom Video" was ranked No. 100 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time.1997年,老友記第二季中的第十四集「畢業舞會的錄像帶」被《電視指南》雜誌列為史上最偉大的100個電視劇集中的第100位。[8] Furthermore, in 2013, Friends ranked No. 24 on the Writers Guild of America's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time.至2013年,老友記在。。。。。。中的史上最棒101寫就的電視劇中排名第24位。[9]

A critical favorite, commercial success, and cultural phenomenon, the series made a large cultural impact, which still continues today. 媒體好評、商業成功、文化熱潮等等因素促使此劇製造了一股濃烈的文化影響力,時至今日還仍在延續。The Central Perk coffee house that was featured prominently in the series has inspired various imitations throughout the world.在劇中有顯著地位的中央公園咖啡館引起全球各地一股模仿風潮。The series continues in syndication worldwide. All ten seasons are available in standard definition on DVD and in high definition on Blu-ray. 全部十季都以DVD或藍光版本發售。The spin-off series Joey was created to follow up with the series after the finale.在該劇結束之後衍生劇joey出現接替了《老友記》。

Characters

The series featured six main characters throughout its run, with many other characters recurring throughout all ten seasons.《老友記》中共有六位常規主角貫穿全劇,且亦會有其他非常規配角在一季甚至是全十季中反覆出現。

  • Jennifer Aniston portrays Rachel Green, a fashion enthusiast and Monica Geller's best friend from childhood. 時尚狂熱愛好者,莫妮卡青少年時期的好朋友。Rachel first moves in with Monica in season one after nearly marrying Barry Farber whom she realizes she does not love. 在第一季中,瑞秋意識到不愛巴瑞並私自逃婚之後開始了與莫妮卡在一起的室友生活。Rachel and Ross Geller are later involved in an on-again-off-again relationship throughout the series. 而至此之後瑞秋與羅斯在全十季中則經歷了一段分分合合的戀情。Rachel dates other men during the series, such as an Italian neighbor, Paolo in season one, her client Joshua Bergin in season four, her assistant Tag in season seven, and Joey Tribbiani in season ten.不過,瑞秋在整部劇中亦有與其他男子約會,例如:意大利鄰居保羅(第一季)、在時裝公司上班時的客戶約書亞(第四季)、她的助理泰格(第七季)以及喬伊(第十季)。 Rachel’s first job is as a waitress at the coffeehouse Central Perk, but she later becomes an assistant buyer at Bloomingdale's in season three, and a buyer at Ralph Lauren in season five. 瑞秋的第一份工作是在Central Perk咖啡館當女服務生,而後來她憑藉着對時尚的靈敏嗅覺在布魯明戴爾百貨店覓得採購助理一職(第三季),並在後來擔任Ralph Lauren的採購員(第五季)。Rachel and Ross have a daughter named Emma in "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby, Part Two" at the end of season eight. 在第八季最終集中,瑞秋誕下了羅斯的女兒艾瑪。In the final episode of the series Ross and Rachel finally confess their love for each other, Rachel giving up a job in Paris to be with him.整部劇集的最終集(即第十季的最後一集)中羅斯和瑞秋終於承認了彼此之間的愛意,瑞秋最後放棄了巴黎的工作並陪伴在了羅斯的身邊。
  • Courteney Cox portrays Monica Geller, the mother hen of the group and a chef,六人中的大家長,職業為西餐大廚。[10] known for her perfectionist, bossy and competitive nature.以其完美主義、愛使喚別人並且好勝心強的個性而為人熟知。[11][12] Monica is often jokingly teased by the others for having been extremely overweight as a child, especially by her brother Ross.莫妮卡在青少年時期極其肥胖,而這一點總是會被其他五人用來開玩笑,尤其是她的哥哥羅斯。 Monica works as a chef in various restaurants throughout the show. 她在整部劇中曾被許多餐館聘為大廚。Monica’s first serious relationship is with family friend Richard Burke who is 21 years her senior. 莫妮卡在劇中第一段真正長久的感情經歷是發生在與其父親好友理查之間的。The couple maintains a strong relationship until Richard expresses that he does not want to have children much to Monica’s dismay.兩人保持了一段時間的戀愛關係之後,由於理查說不想再要孩子使得莫妮卡非常驚愕,也因此使其痛下決心與理查分手。 Monica and Chandler Bing later start a relationship after spending a night with each other in the season four finale, leading to their marriage in season seven and adoption of twins, a boy and a girl, at the end of the series.後來莫妮卡在第四季結尾與錢德勒上床之後,與錢德勒保持了一段戀愛關係。之後兩人在第七季結尾結婚並在全劇末收養了一對龍鳳胎。
  • Lisa Kudrow portrays Phoebe Buffay, an eccentric masseuse and self-taught musician.是一位個性古怪的按摩師,亦自學吉他創作歌曲,最有名的原創作品是《臭臭貓》。 Phoebe lived in uptown New York with her mother until her mother killed herself and Phoebe took to the streets. 菲比幼年時與母親在紐約住宅區同住,而後來其母自殺,菲比只能在街上流浪。Phoebe is ditsy but street smart and writes and sings (badly) her own quirky songs, accompanying herself on the guitar. 她深諳城市生存之道,並且在全劇中寫就並演唱了不少離奇怪異的歌曲,而這些歌曲大多都輔以菲比的吉他伴奏。She has an "evil" identical twin named Ursula who shares Phoebe’s quirkiness but unlike Phoebe seems to be cruel and uncaring.她還有一位雙胞胎姐姐厄蘇拉,與菲比同樣個性古怪。但是與菲比不同的是,厄蘇拉個性較為冷漠並且對他人漠不關心; Phoebe is childlike and innocent in disposition.而菲比則有些孩子氣,也比較天真。 Phoebe tends to use her past misfortunes such as her mother’s suicide as sympathy ploys. 有時她也會舉起自己之前所遭遇不幸的例子(例如母親自殺)來安慰他人。Phoebe has three serious relationships. 菲比在劇中有三段較為認真的戀情,這幾任男友分別是:Gary (the cop) in season five, an on and off relationship with Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd) in seasons nine-ten and David (Hank Azaria) in season one, which ends when he moves to Minsk on a research grant. 科學家大衛(第一季)、警察嘉瑞(第五季)以及邁克(第九季~第十季)。They reconcile whenever he returns but she eventually rejects him for Mike in season nine. In the last season, she marries Mike.邁克每次回歸劇中時菲比都會與他重修舊好,但最終在第九季中她拒絕了他。在最後一季中,兩人結婚。[13][14]
  • Matt LeBlanc portrays Joey Tribbiani, a struggling actor and food lover who becomes famous for his role on Days of our Lives as Dr. Drake Ramoray. 一位在娛樂圈裡摸爬滾打的演員,熱愛美食,在《我們的日子》中以德雷克·莫瑞醫生一角成名。Joey is a simple-minded womanizer with many short-term girlfriends throughout the series. 喬伊頭腦簡單,但是桃花運不斷,整部劇中他有許多女朋友,但與他的關係大多都維持不了很長時間。Despite his womanizing tendencies Joey is an innocent and caring character with good intentions.若拋開他較為風流的一面不談,喬伊也是六人中較為善良的一個,亦非常關心朋友。[15] Joey often uses the catchphrase pick up line "How you doin'?" in his attempts to win over women. 在本劇中喬伊經常會用口頭禪「How you doin'?」來贏得女人歡心,而這句口頭禪在西方世界也演變成了一句流行用語。Joey rooms with his best friend Chandler for years and later a while with Rachel.喬伊與錢德勒在劇中的前幾季都是居住在一起的,而在錢德勒搬入莫妮卡的公寓同居後,室友則變成了瑞秋。 He falls in love with Rachel in season eight.在第八季,喬伊愛上了瑞秋。[16] Rachel politely tells Joey that she does not share the same feelings. 而瑞秋則頗為抱歉的表示她對喬伊並沒有相同的感覺。They eventually date briefly in season ten, but after realizing it will not work due to their friendship (and especially Rachel's complicated relationship with Ross), they return to being friends as before.最終他們在第十季還是約會了,但之後他們都認為由於本身的友誼關係,兩人戀愛是行不通的(亦尤其是因為瑞秋與羅斯極其複雜的關係)。後來他們還是恢復了朋友關係。
  • Matthew Perry portrays Chandler Bing, an executive in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration for a large multi-national corporation. 是一位大型跨國公司數據分析與數據重置部門的行政主管。Chandler quits his job and becomes a junior copywriter at an advertising agency during season nine. 他在第九季辭去了工作,轉行投身廣告界,成為了文案撰寫師。Chandler has a peculiar family history being the son of an erotic novelist mother, and a cross-dressing Las Vegas star father. 錢德勒的家史較為奇怪:母親是色情小說家,父親則在拉斯維加斯表演變裝秀。Chandler is known for his sarcastic sense of humor and bad luck in relationships.錢德勒在劇中因其諷刺化的幽默以及戀愛中時常倒霉而為廣大觀眾熟知。[17] Chandler marries Monica in season seven, and they adopt twins at the end of the series. 而最後他與莫妮卡結婚,並在劇集最後收養了一對雙胞胎。Before his relationship with Monica, Chandler dated Janice Hosenstein in season one and subsequently broke up with her many times. 在與莫妮卡的戀情開始之前,錢德勒在第一季曾與詹尼斯約會,但後來也甩了她許多次。Matthew Perry has expressed his similarities to the character such as his need to break an awkward silence with a joke and difficulties with women when first joining the show.在首次加入劇組時,馬修·派瑞曾說過自己與錢德勒的性格很相似,例如他常用玩笑話來打破尷尬的沉默情景,以及自己在關於戀愛方面的困難等。[18]
  • David Schwimmer portrays Ross Geller, Monica Geller's older brother, a paleontologist working at the Museum of Natural History, and later a professor of paleontology at New York University. 莫妮卡的大哥,之前在自然歷史博物館工作,職務是古生物學家;後來則在紐約大學任職,成為古生物學教授。Ross is a sweet-natured man of good humor, although he is often clumsy and socially awkward. 儘管羅斯經常會腦筋不靈光,而且也不善於社交,但是卻是位富有很強幽默感的可愛男人。Ross is involved in an on-again-off-again relationship with Rachel throughout the series. 在整部劇集中,羅斯與瑞秋經歷了一段分分合合的戀情。Ross has three failed marriages during the series: Rachel, Emily, and Carol, a lesbian who is also the mother of his son, Ben (Cole Sprouse). 而其除了與瑞秋離過婚以外還經歷過兩段失敗的婚姻,分別是:女同性戀者卡羅(之後誕下本)以及英國人艾米麗。His failed love life is potentially due to his paranoia and jealousy in relationships and his divorces become a point of humor within the series. 這三段失敗的婚姻經歷潛在上都是由於其偏執狂以及妒忌性較強導致,而且「三次離婚」在劇集中也變成了一個笑點。He and Rachel have a daughter Emma by the end of season eight, and they confess that they are still in love with each other in the final episode.他與瑞秋的孩子艾瑪在第八季結尾出生,而在最終集中他們也對彼此坦誠還愛着對方。

Cast

File:Friends season one cast.jpg
Friends cast in the first season.
Front: Cox, Aniston. Back: LeBlanc, Kudrow, Schwimmer, Perry.

In their original contracts for the first season, cast members were paid $22,500 per episode.[19] The cast members received different salaries in the second season, beginning from the $20,000 range to $40,000 per episode.[19][20] Before their salary negotiations for the third season, the cast decided to enter collective negotiations, despite Warner Bros.' preference for individual deals.[21] The actors were given the salary of the least-paid cast member, meaning Aniston and Schwimmer had their salaries reduced. The stars were paid $75,000 per episode in season three, $85,000 in season four, $100,000 in season five, $125,000 in season six, $750,000 in seasons seven and eight, and $1 million in seasons nine and ten.[22][23] The cast also received syndication royalties beginning with the fifth season.[20] At the time, that financial benefit of a piece of the show's lucrative back end profits had only been given out to stars who had ownership rights in a show, like Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby.[24]

Series creator David Crane wanted all six actors to be equally prominent,[25] and the series was lauded as being "the first true 'ensemble' show".[26] The cast members made efforts to keep the ensemble format and not allow one member to dominate;[26] they entered themselves in the same acting categories for awards,[27] opted for collective salary negotiations,[26] and asked to appear together on magazine cover photos in the first season.[28] The cast members also became best friends off-screen,[29] and guest star Tom Selleck reported sometimes feeling left out.[30] 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.[31] In the official farewell commemorative book Friends 'Til the End, each separately acknowledged in interviews that the cast had become their family.[32]

Season synopses

Season 1

The first season introduces the six main characters: Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross. Rachel arrives at Central Perk after running away from her wedding to her fiancé Barry and moves into her friend from high school's (Monica’s) apartment with her. Ross, who has had a crush on Rachel since the two of them were in high school, constantly attempts to tell her how he feels about her. However, many obstacles stand in his way, such as the fact that he is expecting a baby with his lesbian ex-wife, Carol. Joey is shown to be a bachelor and struggling actor, while Phoebe works as a masseuse and portrays a sort of "crazy" attribute to her personality based on her troubles as a child after her mother committed suicide. However the rest of the group loves her regardless. Chandler breaks up with girlfriend Janice (Maggie Wheeler), who frequently returns in later seasons. At the end of the season, Chandler accidentally reveals that Ross loves Rachel, who realizes that she feels the same way. The season ends with Rachel waiting at the airport for Ross』 arrival from a trip.

Season 2

The second season begins with Rachel waiting at the gate for Ross to declare her love for him. However, she discovers that he is dating Julie (Lauren Tom), someone he knew from graduate school. Rachel's attempts to tell Ross she likes him mirror his failed attempts in the first season, although the characters eventually begin a relationship. Joey gets cast in a part in a fictional version of the soap opera Days of Our Lives, but his character is killed off after conflicts with the show's writers, claiming that he writes many of his own lines. Chandler gets back together with his ex-girlfriend from season one, Janice. Monica begins dating Richard (Tom Selleck), a recently divorced family friend and 21 years her senior. In the season finale, they end their relationship when they realize that unlike Monica, Richard does not want children.

Season 3

Season three takes on a significantly greater serialized format. Rachel begins working at Bloomingdale's, an upscale department store chain, and Ross becomes jealous of her colleague, Mark. Rachel decides to take a break; and Ross, hurt and drunk, sleeps with someone else, causing Rachel to break up with him. In the meantime, Chandler has a hard time dealing with their breakup because it reminds him of his parents' divorce. After believing she has no family except her twin sister Ursula (Lisa Kudrow), Phoebe becomes acquainted with her half-brother (Giovanni Ribisi) and birth 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) which ends because of disagreements between the two.

Season 4

In the fourth season premiere, Ross and Rachel briefly reconcile after Ross pretends to read a long letter that Rachel wrote for him, but continues to insist that the two were on a break so they break up again. Joey dates Kathy (Paget Brewster), a girl that Chandler has a crush on. Kathy and Chandler later kiss, which causes drama between Chandler and Joey. Joey forgives Chandler only after he spends a day in a box as punishment. Phoebe becomes a surrogate mother for her brother and his wife Alice (Debra Jo Rupp). Monica and Rachel are forced to switch apartments with Joey and Chandler after losing a bet during a quiz game, but manage to switch back by bribing them with Knicks season tickets and a one-minute kiss (off-screen) between the girls. Ross begins dating an English woman named Emily (Helen Baxendale), and the season finale features their wedding in London. Chandler and Monica sleep together, and Rachel decides to attend Ross and Emily's wedding. While saying his vows, Ross uses the wrong name at the altar (Rachel's), to the shock of his bride and the guests.

Season 5

Season five features Monica and Chandler trying to keep their new relationship a secret from their friends. Phoebe gives birth to triplets in the show's 100th episode. She gives birth to a boy, Frank Jr. Jr., and two girls: Leslie, and Chandler. (They had originally thought that there were two boys and one girl, but decided to keep the name Chandler, despite the baby turning out a girl.) Emily states that the only condition in which she would remain married to Ross is if he stops all communication with Rachel. Ross agrees, but during a last dinner with all six main characters together, Emily phones Ross and, upon discovering Rachel is there, realizes she does not trust him, which ends the marriage. Phoebe begins a relationship with a police officer, Gary (Michael Rapaport), after finding his badge and using it as her own. Monica and Chandler go public with their relationship, to the surprise and happiness of their friends. They decide to get married on a trip to Las Vegas, but change their plans after witnessing Ross and Rachel drunkenly stumble out of the wedding chapel.

Season 6

In the sixth season premiere, Ross and Rachel's marriage is established to be a drunken mistake. Ross and Rachel try to get an annulment because he doesn't want to have three divorces. However, he realized he couldn't do so and tried to keep their wedding a secret from Rachel. Nonetheless, they divorce several episodes later. Monica and Chandler move in together, causing Rachel to move 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 one of his students, Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden). The relationship ends because of their maturity differences. Phoebe and Rachel's apartment catches fire, and Rachel moves in with Joey, while Phoebe moves in with Chandler and Monica. Chandler proposes to Monica, who says yes even though her ex-boyfriend Richard confesses his love for her.

Season 7

The seventh season mainly follows various antics by Monica and Chandler, who begin to plan their wedding and run into financial problems which are quickly fixed by Chandler’s secret funds. Joey's television series Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E is cancelled, but he is offered his job back on Days of Our Lives. Phoebe's apartment is fixed, but is rebuilt with only one large bedroom instead of the original two, so Rachel decides to stay with Joey. The season ends during Monica and Chandler’s wedding where Phoebe and Rachel find a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom.

Season 8

In the eighth season, it is revealed that the positive pregnancy test found at Monica's wedding belongs to Rachel. Phoebe at first tricks Rachel and tells her that the pregnancy test is negative, in order to achieve Rachel's real emotions on the realization of being pregnant. Rachel projects feelings of sadness when she thinks she's not pregnant, so Phoebe tells her the truth. The three of them rejoice in the bathroom. The season revolves around Rachel's pregnancy; Ross is revealed to be the father after an investigation involving a red sweater. Rachel and Ross decide to have the baby but do not resume their romantic relationship. Joey develops romantic feelings for Rachel, but she does not reciprocate them. Rachel gives birth to baby Emma in the season finale. At the hospital, Ross's mother offers him an engagement ring because she wants him to marry Rachel. Ross does not intend to ask Rachel to marry him, but he takes the ring anyway and puts it in his jacket pocket. Meanwhile, in the post-delivery room, Joey looks for some tissue for an upset Rachel, picks up Ross's jacket, and the ring falls to the floor. He kneels to pick it up and turns to Rachel, still on his knees and still holding the ring. Rachel accepts what she thinks is his proposal of marriage.

Season 9

Season nine begins with Ross and Rachel living together as roommates with baby Emma. Monica and Chandler try to conceive a baby of their own but find out that they are unable to, due to health restrictions. Phoebe begins dating Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd), and chooses to be with him over her ex-boyfriend David (Hank Azaria). Rachel and Emma move in with Joey in the middle of the season, and Rachel develops romantic feelings for him, while the rest of the "friends" try hard to get Ross and Rachel back together. The group travels to Barbados in the finale to hear Ross give a keynote speech at a palaeontology 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.

Season 10

The tenth season closes several long-running storylines. Charlie breaks up with Ross to get back together with her ex-boyfriend. Joey and Rachel try to contend with Ross' feelings about them being together and decide it would be best to remain friends. Phoebe and Mike get married mid-season outside the Central Perk coffee house. Monica and Chandler apply to adopt a child and are chosen by Erica (Anna Faris). In the series finale, Erica gives birth to twins, to the surprise of Monica and Chandler — a boy, Jack (after Monica's father), and a girl, Erica (named after the birth mother). Monica and Chandler prepare to move to the suburbs, and Joey becomes upset with the changes happening in his life. Rachel gets fired from her job and accepts a new offer in Paris, but Ross, realizing he loves her, chases after her. Rachel realizes she loves him, too, and cancels her flight to Paris, agreeing to stay with him. The series ends with all the friends plus Monica and Chandler's new babies leaving the apartment, heading to Central Perk for a final cup of coffee. The finale dialogue used in this series is by Chandler, making a joke for the last time. The camera's last view is of all of the character's keys to the apartment on the counter table, finishing with a shot of the apartment door.

Broadcast history

Note: The most frequent time slot for the series is in italic text.

  • Thursday at 8:30–9:00 pm on NBC: September 22, 1994 – February 23, 1995
  • Thursday at 9:30–10:00 pm on NBC: February 23 – May 18, 1995
  • Thursday at 8:00–8:30 pm on NBC: September 21, 1995 – May 6, 2004

Production

Conception

"It's about sex, love, relationships, careers, a time in your life when everything's possible. And it's about friendship because when you're single and in the city, your friends are your family."
—The original treatment used by Crane, Kauffman and Bright to pitch the series to NBC.[33]

David Crane and Marta Kauffman began developing three new television pilots that would premiere in 1994 after their sitcom Family Album was cancelled by CBS in 1993.[34] Kauffman and Crane decided to pitch the series about "six people in their 20s making their way in Manhattan" to NBC, since they thought it would fit best there.[35] Crane and Kauffman presented the idea to their production partner Kevin Bright, who had served as executive producer on their HBO series Dream On.[36] The idea for the series was conceived when 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."[33] They found the concept to be interesting, as they believed "everybody knows that feeling,"[33] and because it was also how they felt about their own lives at the time.[33] The team titled the series Insomnia Cafe, and pitched the idea as a seven-page treatment to NBC in December 1993.[33][35]

At the same time, Warren Littlefield, the then-president of NBC Entertainment, was seeking a comedy involving young people living together and sharing expenses. Littlefield wanted the group to share memorable periods of their lives with friends, who had become "new, surrogate family members".[13] However, Littlefield found difficulty in bringing 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.[13] NBC bought the idea as a put pilot, meaning they risked financial penalties if the pilot was not filmed.[37] Kauffman and Crane began writing a pilot script for a show now titled Friends Like Us,[33] which took three days to write.[38] 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.[13] 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.[39]

Casting

 
The producers wanted Courteney Cox (pictured) to portray Rachel, and Jennifer Aniston Monica; however, Cox and Aniston disagreed, so Cox was cast as Monica and Aniston as Rachel.

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.[13] Auditions for the lead roles took place in New York and Los Angeles.[40] The casting director shortlisted 1,000 actors who had applied for each role down to 75. Those who received a callback read again in front of Crane, Kauffman and Bright. At the end of March, the number of potential actors had been reduced to three or four for each part, and were asked to read for Les Moonves, then-president of Warner Bros. Television.[41]

Having worked with David Schwimmer in the past,[40] the series creators wrote the character of Ross with him in mind, and he was the first actor cast.[42] Cox wanted to play the role of Monica, but the producers had her in mind to play Rachel because of her "cheery, upbeat energy", which was not how they envisioned Monica; after Cox's audition, though, Kauffman agreed with Cox, and she got the role.[33][43] When Matt LeBlanc auditioned for Joey, he put a "different spin" on the character.[33] 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. Although Crane and Kauffman did not want LeBlanc for the role at the time, they were told by the network to cast him.[33] Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow were cast based on their auditions.[40]

More changes occurred to the series' storylines during the casting process. 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."[44]

Writing

In the weeks after NBC's pick up of Friends, Crane, Kauffman and Bright reviewed sent-in scripts that writers had originally prepared for other series, mainly unproduced Seinfeld episodes.[45] Kauffman and Crane hired a team of seven young writers because "When you're 40, you can't do it anymore. The networks and studios are looking for young people coming in out of college."[46] The creators felt that using six equal characters, rather than emphasizing one or two, would allow for "myriad storylines and give the show legs".[25] The majority of the storyline ideas came from the writers, although the actors added ideas.[40] The writers originally planned a big love story between Joey and Monica, as they intended them to be the most sexual of the characters in the series pitch. The idea of a romantic interest between Ross and Rachel emerged during the period when Kauffman and Crane wrote the pilot script.[33]

During production of the pilot, NBC requested that the script be changed to feature one dominant storyline and several minor ones, but the writers refused, wanting to keep three storylines of equal weight.[39] 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 that 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 relented and dropped the idea.[33]

Each summer,[需要解釋] the producers would outline the storylines for the subsequent season.[47] Before an episode went into production, Kauffman and Crane would revise the script written by another writer, mainly if something concerning either the series or a character felt foreign.[45] 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 Joey's romantic interest in Rachel. The storyline was incorporated into the season; however, when the actors feared that the storyline would make their characters unlikable, the storyline was wrapped up, until it again resurfaced in the season's finale. For the ninth season, the writers were unsure about the amount of storyline to give to Rachel's baby, as they wanted the show neither to revolve around a baby nor pretend there to be none.[47] 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. Kauffman and Crane would not have signed on for an eleventh season, even if all the cast members had wanted to continue.[44]

The episode title format—"The One..."[48]—was created when the producers realized that the episode titles would not be featured in the opening credits, and therefore would be unknown to most of the audience. Episode titles officially begin with "The One..." except the title of the pilot episode and the series finale "The Last One".

Filming

 
The Greenwich Village building, 90 Bedford Street, used as the friends' apartment block in establishing shots

The first season was shot on Stage 5 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.[49] NBC executives had worried that the coffee house setting was too hip and asked for the series to be set in a diner, but eventually consented to the coffee house concept.[33] The opening title sequence was filmed in a fountain at the Warner Bros. Ranch at 4:00 am, while it was particularly cold for a Burbank morning.[50] At the beginning of the second season, production moved to the larger Stage 24, which was renamed "The Friends Stage" after the series finale.[51] Filming for the series began in summer 1994[需要解釋] in front of a live audience, who were given a summary of the series to familiarize themselves with the six main characters;[33] a hired comedian entertained the studio audience between takes.[28] 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.[28]

Although the producers always wanted to find the right stories to take advantage of being on location, Friends was never shot in New York. Bright felt that filming outside the studio made episodes less funny, even when shooting on the lot outside, and that the live audience was an integral part of the series.[40] When the series was criticized for incorrectly depicting New York, with the financially struggling group of friends being able to afford huge apartments, Bright noted that the set had to be big enough for the cameras, lighting, and "for the audience to be able to see what's going on";[40] the apartments also needed to provide a place for the actors to execute the funny scripts.[40] The fourth season finale was shot on location in London because the producers were aware of the series' popularity in the UK.[40] The scenes were shot in a studio with three audiences each made up of 500 people. These were the show's largest audiences throughout its run. The fifth season finale, set in Las Vegas, was filmed at Warner Bros. Studios, although Bright met people who thought it was filmed on location.[52]

Series finale

 
The cast became very emotional while filming the final episode. Jennifer Aniston explained, "We're like very delicate china right now, and we're speeding toward a brick wall."[53]

The series' creators completed the first draft of the hour-long finale in January 2004, four months before its original airing. Crane, Kauffman and Bright watched the finales of other sitcoms to prepare the episode's outline, paying attention to what worked and what did not. They liked the ones that stayed true to the series, citing the finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as the gold standard. Crane, Kauffman, and Bright had difficulty writing the finale, and spent several days thinking about the final scene without being able to write a word. They did not want to do "something high concept, or take the show out of the show".[54] The most critical parts of the finale were shot without an audience, and with a minimum number of crew members. The main cast enjoyed the finale and were confident that the fans would react similarly:[54]

It's exactly what I had hoped. We all end up with a sense of a new beginning and the audience has a sense that it's a new chapter in the lives of all these characters.

——David Schwimmer on the series finale. [54]

NBC heavily promoted the series finale, which was preceded by weeks of media hype.[55] Local NBC affiliates organized viewing parties around the U.S., including an event at Universal CityWalk featuring a special broadcast of the finale on an outdoor Astrovision screen.[56] The finale was the subject of two episodes of Dateline NBC, a weekly television newsmagazine, one of which ran for two hours. A one-hour retrospective of clips from previous episodes was shown before to the airing of the episode. Following the finale, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was filmed on the set of the Friends' Central Perk coffee house, which featured the series' cast as guests.[57][58] The advertising rates for the finale averaged $2 million for 30 seconds of commercial time, breaking the record held by the Seinfeld finale at $1.7 million.[56]

In the U.S., 52.5 million viewers watched the finale on May 6, 2004, making it the most watched entertainment telecast since the Seinfeld finale in 1998.[57] Although it was not the series' most watched episode,[59] the finale was the fourth most watched series finale in television history, only behind the finales of M*A*S*H, Cheers and Seinfeld, which were respectively watched by 105, 80.4 and 76.2 million viewers. The retrospective episode was watched by fewer than 36 million viewers, and the finale was the second most watched television episode of the year, only behind the Super Bowl.[57] Following the finales of Friends and Frasier, media critics speculated about the fate of the sitcom genre. Expressed opinions varied between a signaling of the end of the sitcom genre, a small decline in the large history of the genre,[56] and a general reduction of scripted television in favor of reality shows.[55]

Impact

Critical reception

Early reviews of the series were mixed. Tom Feran of The Plain Dealer wrote that the series traded "vaguely and less successfully on the hanging-out style of Seinfeld",[60] while Ann Hodges of the Houston Chronicle called it "the new Seinfeld wannabe, but it will never be as funny as Seinfeld."[61] In the Los Angeles Daily News, Ray Richmond named the series as "one of the brighter comedies of the new season",[62] and The Los Angeles Times called it "flat-out the best comedy series of the new season".[63]

Chicago Sun-Times' Ginny Holbert found Joey and Rachel's characteristics to be underdeveloped,[64] while Richmond commended the cast as a "likeable, youth ensemble" with "good chemistry".[62] Robert Bianco of USA Today was complimentary 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".[65] The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends thought that the cast was "trying just a little too hard", in particular Perry and Schwimmer.[66]

As the series progressed, reviews became more positive, and Friends became one of the most popular sitcoms of its time. It is now often ranked among the all-time best TV shows.[5][6][7] Critics commended the series as having consistently sharp writing and chemistry between the main actors.[67] Noel Holston of Newsday, who had dismissed the pilot as a "so-so Seinfeld wannabe" in 1994, repudiated his earlier review after rewatching the episode, and felt like writing an apology to the writers.[44] 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".[68] Bill Carter of The New York Times called the eighth season a "truly stunning comeback". Carter found that by "generating new hot storylines and high-decibel laughs", the series made its way "back into the hearts of its fans".[69] 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 [was] still sharp".[70] Havrilesky thought that the tenth season was "alarmingly awful, far worse than you would ever imagine a show that was once so good could be."[68] Friends was featured on Time's list of "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-Time", saying, "the well-hidden secret of this show was that it called itself Friends, and was really about family".[71]

"It may have been impossible for any one episode to live up to the hype and expectations built up around the Friends finale, but this hour probably came as close as fans could have reasonably hoped. Ultimately, the two-hour package did exactly what it was supposed to do. It wrapped up the story while reminding us why we liked the show and will miss it."
— Robert Bianco of USA Today on the series finale.[72]

Reviews of the series finale were mixed to positive. USA Today's Robert Bianco described the finale as entertaining and satisfying, and praised it for deftly mixing emotion and humor while highlighting each of the stars.[72] Sarah Rodman of the Boston Herald praised Aniston and Schwimmer for their acting, but felt that their characters' reunion was "a bit too neat, even if it was what most of the show's legions of fans wanted."[73] 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."[74] Ken Parish Perkins, writing for Fort Worth Star-Telegram, pointed out that the finale was "more touching than comical, more satisfying in terms of closure than knee-slappingly funny."[75]

Awards

To maintain the series' ensemble format, the main cast members decided to enter themselves in the same acting categories for awards.[27] Beginning with the series' eighth season, the actors decided to submit themselves in the lead actor balloting, rather than in the supporting actor fields.[76] 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 nominations in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2003.[77] The series also won an American Comedy Award,[78] one GLAAD Media Award,[79] one Golden Globe Award,[80] three Logie Awards,[81][82] six People's Choice Awards,[83][84] one Satellite Award,[85] and one Screen Actors Guild Award.[86]

Ratings

The table below indicates the ratings of Friends in the U.S., where it consistently ranked within the top ten of the final television ratings.[87] "Rank" refers to how well Friends rated compared to other television series that 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.So far, it has been the last sitcom to reach the No. 1 spot on television, as its successors were CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, American Idol, NBC Sunday Night Football and NCIS.

Season Season premiere Season finale TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1 September 22, 1994 May 18, 1995 1994–95 #8[88] 24.3 [88]
2 September 21, 1995 May 16, 1996 1995–96 #3[88] 29.4 [88]
3 September 19, 1996 May 15, 1997 1996–97 #4[88] 25.0 [88]
4 September 25, 1997 May 7, 1998 1997–98 #4[88] 24.1 [88]
5 September 24, 1998 May 20, 1999 1998–99 #2[88] 23.5 [88]
6 September 23, 1999 May 18, 2000 1999–2000 #5[88] 20.7 [88]
7 October 12, 2000 May 17, 2001 2000–01 #4[88] 20.2 [88]
8 September 27, 2001 May 16, 2002 2001–02 #1[88] 24.5 [88]
9 September 26, 2002 May 15, 2003 2002–03 #3[88] 21.6 [88]
10 September 25, 2003 May 6, 2004 2003–04 #3[88] 22.8 [88]

Cultural impact

 
Set of Central Perk at Warner Bros. Studios

Although the producers thought of Friends as "only a TV show", numerous psychologists investigated the cultural impact of Friends during the series' run. Aniston's hairstyle was nicknamed "The Rachel", and copied around the world.[13] Joey's catchphrase, "How you doin'?", became a popular part of Western English slang, often used as a pick-up line or when greeting friends.[89] The series also influenced the English language, according to a study by the University of Toronto that found that the characters used the emphasized word "so" to modify adjectives more often than any other intensifier. Although the preference had already made its way into the American vernacular, usage on the series may have accelerated the change.[26] Perry's habit of ending a sentence unfinished for sarcasm also influenced viewers' speech.[90] Following the September 11 attacks, ratings increased 17% over the previous season.[69]

Friends is parodied in the twelfth season Murder, She Wrote episode "Murder Among Friends". In the episode, amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) investigates the murder of a writer for Buds, a fictional television series about the daily lives of a group of city friends. The episode was devised after CBS moved Murder, She Wrote from its regular Sunday night timeslot to a Thursday night timeslot directly opposite Friends on NBC; Angela Lansbury was quoted by Bruce Lansbury, her brother and Murder, She Wrote's supervising producer, as having "a bit of an attitude" about the move to Thursday, but he saw the plot as "a friendly setup, no mean-spiritedness".[91] Jerry Ludwig, the writer of the episode, researched the "flavor" of Buds by watching episodes of Friends.[91]

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 is inspired by 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 manager in the series, Gunther, attended the grand opening of the Dubai cafe, where he worked as a waiter.[92] Central Perk was rebuilt as part of a museum exhibit at Warner Bros. Studios, and was shown on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2008. Jennifer Aniston revisited the set for the first time since the series finale in 2004.[93] From September 24 to October 7, 2009, a Central Perk replica was based at Broadwick Street, Soho, London. The coffee house sold real coffee to customers and featured a display of Friends memorabilia and props, such as the Geller Cup from the season three episode "The One with the Football".[94] In Beijing, business owner Du Xin opened a coffee shop named Central Perk in March 2010.[95]

Friends has also developed an alternative family lifestyle by representing young people that live unconventional domestic lives. It presents the idea that "all you need is good friends" and can construct families through choice. The audience is able to identify with the program through the troubles seen on weekly episodes. It portrays a new way of living life and developing relationships which are not normally seen in conventional society.[96] According to pop-culture expert at the University at Buffalo, Friends is "one of those rare shows that marked a change in American culture". The images of youth and the roles they portray are better defined and represent a lifestyle that centres around creating and sustaining relationships between friends running their own lives and seeking help from each other.[97]

The Guardian's TV and radio blog stated that Friends has impacted the creation of other television shows such as How I Met Your Mother. The similarities between the two consist of both sitcoms taking place in Manhattan, a group of white adults who are funny and have similar character traits.[98]

Readers of TV Guide voted the cast of Friends their Best Comedy cast of all time, ranking at 29% of the votes, beating Seinfeld, which registered 18%.[99] A poll undertaken by 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair named Friends the third greatest sitcom of all time.[100]

Distribution

Broadcast

After the produced pilot lived up to NBC's hopes, the series premiered with the name Friends on September 22, 1994 in the coveted Thursday 8:30 p.m. timeslot. The pilot aired between Mad About You and Seinfeld,[13] and was watched by almost 22 million American viewers.[33] 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.[101] When Crane told reporters in 2001 that the ninth season was a possibility, critics believed that he was posturing, and that at least two of the cast members would not sign on for another season.[69] When it was confirmed 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.[69]

After year-long 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.[102] 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.[67] 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.[102] The cast demanded that the tenth season be reduced from the usual 24 episodes to 18 episodes to allow them to work on outside projects.[70]

In fall 2001,[需要解釋] Warner Bros. Domestic Cable made a deal with sister network TBS (both are owned by Time Warner) to air the series in rerun syndication. Warner Bros. Domestic Cable announced that it had sold additional cable rights to Friends to Nick at Nite which began airing in the fall of 2011[需要解釋] (unlike the TBS and broadcast syndication airings, Nick at Nite broadcasts of the series, which began airing as part of a seven-night launch marathon on September 5, 2011, replace the end credit tag scenes with marginalized credits featuring promotions for the series and other Nick at Nite programs). Warner Bros. was expected to make $200 million in license fees and advertising from the deal. Nick at Nite paid $500,000 per episode to air the episodes after 6 p.m. ET for six years through fall 2017.[需要解釋] TBS also renewed its contract for the same six-year period as Nick at Nite but paid $275,000 per episode because airings were restricted to before 6 p.m. ET except for the first year. In syndication until 2005, Friends had earned $4 million per episode in cash license fees for a total of $944 million.[103]

Beginning on March 5, 2012, high definition versions of all 236 Friends episodes were made available to local broadcast stations, starting with the pilot episode. For the remastered episodes, Warner Bros. restored previously cropped images on the left and right sides of the screen, using the original 35 mm film source, to use the entire 16:9 widescreen frame.[104] These masters had been airing in New Zealand on TV2 since January 2011.[105]

International

Friends has aired on different channels in the UK, including Channel 4, Sky1, E4, and Comedy Central UK.[106][107][108][109][110] On September 4, 2011 Friends officially ended on E4 after the channel re-ran the series since 2004. Comedy Central took over the rights to air the program from October 2011. The series has aired in Ireland on RTÉ Two and TV3 and its digital channel 3e.[111][112]

Friends has aired in Australia on the Seven Network (season 1 only), Nine Network (season 2–10), Network Ten (2007–09, repeats), on GEM (a sub-channel of the Nine Network), and on pay TV channel TV Hits formerly aired on Arena, 111 Hits.[113][114] The show is broadcast on TV2 in New Zealand.[115]

The show is broadcast in India on STAR World, WB and Zee Café.[116][117][118] In 2009, its Pakistani premiere aired on Apna Channel[119] in Punjabi.

In Serbia the show initially aired on RTV Pink. Beginning in April 2011, reruns have been aired on B92.[120]

In Indonesia it was aired by RCTI by from 1996 until 2002.

Merchandise

All ten seasons have been released on DVD individually and as a box set. Each Region 1 season release contains special features and footage originally cut from the series, although Region 2 releases are as originally aired. For the first season, each episode is updated with color correction and sound enhancement.[40] A wide range of Friends merchandise has been produced by various companies. In late September 1995, WEA Records released the first album of music from Friends, the Friends Original TV Soundtrack, containing music featured in previous and future episodes. The soundtrack debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 46,[121] and sold 500,000 copies in November 1995.[122] In 1999, a second soundtrack album entitled Friends Again was released.[123] Other merchandise include a Friends version of the DVD game "Scene It?", and a quiz video game for PlayStation 2 and PC entitled Friends: The One with All the Trivia.[124][125] On September 28, 2009 a box set was released in the UK celebrating the series' 15th anniversary. The box set contained extended episodes, an episode guide, and original special features.[126]

Warner Home Video released a complete series collection on Blu-ray on November 13, 2012.[127]

DVD name Episodes DVD release dates Blu-ray release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 Region A Region B UK Region B Australia
The Complete First Season 24 April 30, 2002[128] May 29, 2000[129] October 4, 2006[130] April 30, 2013
The Complete Second Season 24 September 3, 2002[131] May 29, 2000[129] October 4, 2006[132] April 30, 2013
The Complete Third Season 25 April 1, 2003[133] May 29, 2000[129] October 4, 2006[134]
The Complete Fourth Season 24 July 15, 2003[135] May 29, 2000[129] October 4, 2006[136]
The Complete Fifth Season 24 November 4, 2003[137] May 29, 2000[129] October 4, 2006[138]
The Complete Sixth Season 25 January 27, 2004[139] July 17, 2000[140] October 4, 2006[141]
The Complete Seventh Season 24 April 6, 2004[142] October 25, 2004[143] October 4, 2006[144]
The Complete Eighth Season 24 November 9, 2004[145] October 25, 2004[146] October 4, 2006[147]
The Complete Ninth Season 24 March 8, 2005[148] October 25, 2004[149] October 4, 2006[150]
The Complete Tenth Season 18 November 15, 2005[151] October 25, 2004[152] October 4, 2006[153]
The Complete Series 236 November 15, 2005
November 14, 2006 (re-issue)
April 16, 2013 (re-issue 2013)
October 2, 2006
November 12, 2007 (re-issue)
September 28, 2009 (15th Anniversary Edition)
November 13, 2012 November 12, 2012 November 21, 2012 (JB Hi-Fi exclusive)
August 21, 2013

Spin-offs

 
Matt LeBlanc hoped that by having his own show, Joey—whom he believed was "probably the least evolved character" on Friends—would become more developed.[154]

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, although Bright agreed to executive produce the series with Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan.[155] NBC heavily promoted Joey and gave it Friends' Thursday 8:00 pm timeslot.[156][157] The pilot was watched by 18.60 million American viewers,[158] but ratings continually decreased throughout the series' two seasons, averaging 10.20 million viewers in the first season and 7.10 million in the second.[52] The final broadcast episode on March 7, 2006 was watched by 7.09 million viewers;[159] NBC cancelled the series on May 15, 2006 after two seasons.[160] Bright blamed the collaboration between NBC executives, the studio and other producers for quickly ruining the series:[52]

On Friends, Joey was a womanizer, but we enjoyed his exploits. He was a solid friend, a guy you knew you could count on. Joey was deconstructed to be a guy who couldn't get a job, couldn't ask a girl out. He became a pathetic, mopey character. I felt he was moving in the wrong direction, but I was not heard.

——Kevin S. Bright on the reason for Joey's cancellation.[52]

Film rumors

Following the series finale, rumors began to emerge of a Friends film, although all were proven untrue.[161] Rumors of a film reemerged after the release of the Sex and the City film in 2008, which proved to be a success at the box office.[162] The Daily Telegraph reported in July 2008 that the main cast members had agreed to star in the project, and that filming was going to start within the next 18 months.[161] When asked about the film, Kudrow said that she was unaware of the talks, but expressed interest in the idea.[161] The director of publicity for Warner Bros., Jayne Trotman, said there was "no truth in the story",[163] and Perry's spokeswoman added that "nothing is happening in this regard, so the rumor is false."[164] Kudrow and Cox told the Associated Press in January 2010 that they had never been approached by Crane and Kauffman to make a film version of the series.[165]

New rumors of a reunion in 2013 were silenced by co-creator Marta Kauffman, who said there would never be a Friends movie as the characters had all grown up. "Friends was about that time in your life when your friends are your family and once you have a family, there's no need anymore."[166]

In December 2013, following rumors suggesting that Aniston and Cox were discussing plans for a 2014 reunion, a poster titled 'The One After The 10 Year Break' went viral on the internet, claiming to be an advertisement for a reunion show.[167] The poster was met with excitement at first, and then anger after a tweet by Lisa Kudrow implied that the rumor was untrue. It was later confirmed on January 16, 2014, that the poster was made by a fan, who later apologized for misleading fans of the show.[168]

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前任者:
Extreme
1995
Friends
Super Bowl lead-out program
1996
繼任者:
The X-Files
1997

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