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Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and Matthew Perry. Warner Bros./Photofest ©Warner Bros.

Overview

What Seinfeld was to Baby Boomers, Friends was to Generation Xers. They both spotlighted unique and humorous characters (although the traits and idiosyncrasies of those on Seinfeld were exaggerated for effect) hanging around their New York apartments discussing their personal lives, but the latter appealed to a younger audience. There were significant differences. Seinfeld billed itself as a show about nothing. Friends was about something—relationships, relationships, and more relationships. The humor revolved around the personalities in the tight-knit group. The mix of three women and three men allowed cocreators and writers Marta Kauffman and David Crane to explore both platonic and more advanced relationships between them.

Kauffman and Crane had teamed up as writers for such moderately successful shows as Veronica’s Closet and Dream On before striking it rich with Friends, one of the most popular sitcoms of its era. It seemed that the six extremely attractive twenty-somethings were paired in every imaginable combination that precluded homosexuality and were, more or less, just out to make the most of their social lives in The Big Apple, although the more down-to-earth assistant chef Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) sought to keep the others in line and did seek out Mr. Right. The obsessive-compulsive “den mother” for her Friends friends later eventually realized that “Mr. Right” was fellow regular Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), whom she married at the end of season seven after having dated an older man, dentist Richard Burke (Tom Selleck). The rather sarcastic Chandler proved he was motivated more by striving for inner peace and happiness than greed by quitting his corporate job as a statistical analyst for work as a junior copywriter at an ad agency, which allowed him to maximize his sense of humor.

By the time Monica and Chandler tied the knot, paleontologist and paleontology professor Ross Geller (Monica’s brother, played by David Schwimmer) and fashion designer wannabe Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) had already been married and divorced. The two had ended an earlier affair, after which Ross married British grouch Emily, but disaster struck at the wedding when he accidentally blurted out Rachel’s name during the ceremony. With that relationship doomed, Ross and Rachel set out to reinvent theirs. Their wedding at the conclusion of the 1998–1999 season was the result of a wild, drunken weekend in Vegas, and soon thereafter they were divorced by mutual consent. But their relationship was far from over. She began cohabitating after she gave birth to his baby, a girl named Emma whom they decided to raise together as single parents. The comedic soap opera just went on and on.

The ditzy blonde role in the show was embraced in unique fashion by masseuse and musician Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), whose attempts at singing her one folk song creation (“Smelly Cat”) at the coffee shop in which she and her friends spent countless hours (Central Perk) proved historically bad. The friendly Phoebe maintained her good nature and optimism throughout the show despite the fact that her professional outlook remained more bleak than that of the others. Even dopey soap opera actor Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), who greeted one and all with his signature line, “How you doin’?,” landed a gig on Days of Our Lives, where the manly man, ironically, played the part of a guy with a woman’s brain.

Phoebe finally found personal happiness in the final season of the show, when the group began to break apart. She married pianist Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd), while Chandler and Monica, who realized much to their dismay that they could not conceive, adopted twins Erica and Jack and planned a move to the suburbs. Rachel nearly wrecked her marriage by embarking on an affair. On the verge of taking off for Paris (where she had landed a job) without her husband, she decided against leaving and stayed with Ross. Joey was also on the move—to Hollywood for his own sitcom.

Friends has been criticized by some for its narcissistic characters with whom it was difficult to empathize. Fans of the show claim that the writers never asked for empathy from their characters, just laughs, and they earned enough laughs to maintain Nielsen ratings that hovered in the top eight throughout its ten-year run and peaked at number one in season eight. The show was also destined for tremendous success in syndication.

The Rembrandts’ Brush with Fame

The iconic Friends theme song entitled “I’ll Be There for You” was recorded by a California band called The Rembrandts. It brought them more fame and fortune than they could have imagined, but it also tore them apart. American radio stations were flooded with requests for the song, but its forty-second length precluded it from being released as a single. Their record company sent the group to Los Angeles to record a full-length version, which soared to number one on the charts for eleven straight weeks. It was placed on an album, which sold 2 million copies.

The band, however, was far from thrilled with the ride to the top. Singer Danny Wilde explained that the jingle-jangle upbeat tune bucked against the more serious, alternative music they pursued on the album. He added that the band’s split in 1997 was the result of the frustration associated with “I’ll Be There for You” being their only recognized song.

One Spin-Off, One Flop

Friends spawned one spin-off, but it didn’t last long. Joey featured Matt LeBlanc as an actor trying to make it in Hollywood. The show debuted on NBC in the fall of 2004 and lasted until December 2005. NBC gave it another shot in March 2006, but cancelled it after one episode. The sitcom featured several hot blondes and Joey dating actresses and producers while landing work on an action show about skiing called Deep Powder.

Did You Know?

Courteney Cox appeared in the 1984 music video that showed Bruce Springsteen in concert singing “Dancing in the Dark.” Springsteen pulled the short-haired Cox out of the audience to dance with him onstage.

They Said It

Ross: What are you doing?

Chandler: Making chocolate milk. You want some?

Ross: No, thanks. I’m 29.

Joey: I hate Pottery Barn, too! They kicked me out of there just because I sat on a bed.

Chandler: You took off your pants and climbed under the sheets!

Monica: Oh my god. How cute is the new eye doctor.

Rachel: So cute I’m thinking about jamming this pen in my eye.

Ross: What are you doing tonight?

Chandler: Why, do you have a lecture?

Ross: No.

Chandler: Free as a bird, what’s up?

Major Awards

Emmy Award Wins (6)

1996 (1): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Comedy Series (Michael Lembeck for “The One after the Super Bowl”)

1998 (1): Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Lisa Kudrow)

2000 (1): Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Bruce Willis)

2002 (2): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jennifer Aniston)

2003 (1): Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Christina Applegate for “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister”)

Emmy Award Nominations, in addition to wins (56)

1995 (9): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (David Schwimmer); Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Lisa Kudrow); Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Christina Pickles for “The One Where Nana Dies Twice”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Comedy Series (Jeff Greenstein and Jeff Strauss for “The One Where Underdog Gets Away”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Comedy Series (James Burrows for “The One with the Blackout”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Series (John Shaffner and Greg J. Grande for “The One Where Rachel Finds Out”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series, Multi-Camera Production (Andy Zall for “The One with Two Parts: Part Two”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music (Allee Willis and Michael Skloff)

1996 (2): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Marlo Thomas for “The One with the Lesbian Wedding”)

1997 (1): Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Lisa Kudrow)

1999 (6): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Lisa Kudrow); Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Alexa Junge for “The One Where Everybody Finds Out”); Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Michael Lembeck for “The One Where Everyone Finds Out”); Outstanding Costume Design for a Series (Debra McGuire for “The One with All the Thanksgivings”); Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Dana Mark McClure, Charlie McDaniel, Kathy Oldham, and John Bickelhaupt for “The One with All the Thanksgivings”)

2000 (7): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Jennifer Aniston); Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Lisa Kudrow); Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Tom Selleck); Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Michael Lembeck for “The One That Could Have Been”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series (Stephen Prime for “The One with the Proposal”); Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Dana Mark McClure, Charlie McDaniel, Kathy Oldham, and John Bickelhaupt for “The One with Chandler and Monica’s Wedding”)

2001 (5): Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Jennifer Aniston); Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Lisa Kudrow); Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Gary Oldman); Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Susan Sarandon for “The One with Joey’s New Brain”); Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series (John Shaffner, Joe Stewart, and Greg J. Grande for “The One Where Rachel Finds Out”)

2002 (8): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Matt LeBlanc); Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Matthew Perry); Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Brad Pitt for “The One with the Rumor”); Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series (John Shaffner, Joe Stewart, and Greg J. Grande for “The One Where Rachel Has a Baby”); Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (Leslie Litt and Barbara Miller); Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series (Nick McLean for “The One with the Rumor”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series (Kenny Tintorri for “The One with the Halloween Party”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or a Special (Dana Mark McClure, Charlie McDaniel, Kathy Oldham, and John Bickelhaupt for “The One Where Rachel Has a Baby”)

2003 (10): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Matt LeBlanc); Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jennifer Aniston); Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Hank Azaria); Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series (John Shaffner, Joe Stewart, and Greg J. Grande for “The One in Barbados”); Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (Leslie Litt and Barbara Miller); Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series (Nick McLean for “The One in Barbados”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series (Stephen Prime for “The One in Barbados”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series (Kenny Tintorri for “The One with Ross’s Inappropriate Song”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or a Special (Dana Mark McClure, Charlie McDaniel, and John Bickelhaupt for “The One in Barbados”)

2004 (8): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Matt LeBlanc); Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jennifer Aniston); Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Danny DeVito); Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Christina Applegate); Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series (Nick McLean for “The One with Phoebe’s Wedding”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, a Movie, or a Special (Sven Nilsson, Stephen Prime, Todd Felker, and Kenny Tintorri for “Friends: The One before the Last One—10 Years of Friends”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series (Stephen Prime for :The Last One”); Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or a Special (Dana Mark McClure, Charlie McDaniel, and John Bickelhaupt for “The Last One”)

Golden Globe Win (1)

2003 (1): Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Musical/Comedy (Jennifer Aniston)

Golden Globe Nominations, in addition to win (9)

1996 (2): Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy; Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for TV (Lisa Kudrow)

1997 (1): Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy

1998 (1): Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy

2002 (2): Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy; Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television (Jennifer Aniston)

2003 (2): Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy; Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Musical/Comedy (Matt LeBlanc)

2004 (1): Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Musical/Comedy (Matt LeBlanc)