It’s been 25 years, and Friends is still going strong!
15 years have passed since we said our goodbyes to the beloved sitcom Friends, but September brought about the 25th anniversary of the show and fans around the world are celebrating the milestone anniversary in spectacular fashion. Friends originally aired on September 22, 1994 and went on to become one of the most popular television shows of all time. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer quickly became household names as viewers around the world fell in love with their onscreen portrayals of six Manhattan-based friends: Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross.
25 years later, the Friends mania has yet to die down and we have its move to Netflix to thank in part for that. Friends was the most-binged show of 2018, and though it wasn’t originally slated for renewal, an uproar from fans resulted in the streaming service renewing the series at a reported cost of nearly $100 million. Needless to say, the timeless show has remained a mainstay of television so it should come as no surprise that there were big things in store to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
As part of a series of promotions celebrating the hit comedy’s premiere, 30 replicas of the iconic orange couch—seen at Central Perk and in the show’s opening credits—went on tour last month to diverse locations around the world. From the Grand Canyon and the Empire State Building to Stonehenge and the Eiffel Tower, fabric and waterproof versions of the sofa were placed at key locations around the world surrounding the September 22nd anniversary date. Even Lego got in on the anniversary action by releasing a Central Perk Lego set now available for purchase.
Still, the biggest celebration of them all allowed die-hard fans to relive the ‘90s sitcom on the big screen for the first time ever. In order to celebrate Friends’ 25th premiere anniversary, movie theaters across the country held a special twelve-episode, three-night event. Screenings took place on September 23rd and September 28th, with one more occurring this month on October 2nd. Each night included four different episodes, never-before-seen content, and exclusive interviews all in 4K high definition. Take a look at the iconic episodes that aired and see how many YOU remember!
Sept. 22 episodes: Pilot – ReDo, The One With The Black Out, The One With The Birth, and The One Where Ross Finds Out.
Sept. 28 episodes: The One With The Prom Video, The One Where No One’s Ready, The One With The Morning After, and The One With The Embryos.
Oct. 2 episodes: The One With Chandler In A Box, The One With Ross’s Wedding – Part 2, The One Where Everybody Finds Out, and The One Where Ross Got High
Did you know other titles considered for the show were “Insomnia Cafe,” “Friends Like Us,” “Six of One,” and “Across the Hall”?
