Friends is an American television sitcom, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004, which lasted ten seasons. With an ensemble player starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, the show revolves around six 20-30 friends-something living in Manhattan. The series is produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in collaboration with Warner Bros.. Television. The original executive producer is Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane.
Kauffman and Crane started developing Friends with the title Insomnia Cafe between November and December 1993. They presented the idea to Bright, and together they installed seven pages of maintenance from the show. to NBC. After some script rewrites and changes, including title changes to Six from One , and, Friends Like Us , the series is finally named Friends .
The filming of the event takes place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. All ten seasons of Friends ranked in the top ten of last season's television ratings; finally reached no. 1 spot in the eighth season. The last series, aired on May 6, 2004, was watched by some 52.5 million American viewers, making it the fifth most watched series in television history, and the most watched television episode of the 2000s decade.
Friends received praise throughout the journey, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for the eighth season. This event ranks no. 21 in the TV Guide "50 Biggest TV Show of All Time, and No. 7 in Empire Magazine, The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.In 1997, the episode" The One with the Prom Video "ranked 100th in the 100th biggest episode of all time on TV Guide In 2013, Friends ranked number 24 in the Writers Guild of America, 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time, and No. 28 on TV Guide 60 of the Best TV Series of All Time.
Video Friends
Premise
Rachel Green escapes her wedding day and finds her childhood friend Monica Geller, a New York City chef. They became roommates, and Rachel joined Monica's social circle from single people in her mid-20s: struggling actor Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing's professional business, masseuse and musician Phoebe Buffay, and the newly divorced paleontologist Ross Geller, Monica's brother. To support himself, Rachel becomes a waiter at Central Perk, a Manhattan coffee shop where the group often hangs out; when none, six are usually in Monica's apartment and near the West Village, or Joey and Chandler across the hall.
The episode describes the comedy and romantic adventure of friends and career problems, such as Joey auditioned for a role or Rachel looking for a job in the fashion industry. Six characters each have many dates and serious relationships, such as Monica with Richard Burke and Ross with Emily Waltham. Ross's and Rachel's discontinuous relationship is the most recurring storyline; during their ten seasons the show repeatedly dated and broke up, even when Ross briefly married Emily, she and Rachel had a child, Chandler and Monica dating and marrying each other, and Phoebe married Mike Hannigan. Other recurring characters include Ross and Monica's parents on Long Island, Ross's ex-wife and their son, Central Perk barista Gunther, Chandler's former girlfriend, Janice, and Phoebe's twin sister Ursula.
Maps Friends
Transmission and character
In their original contract for the first season, the cast members paid $ 22,500 per episode. The cast members receive different salaries in the second season, ranging from $ 20,000 to $ 40,000 per episode. Prior to their salary negotiations for the third season, the players decided to enter collective negotiations, though Warner Bros.. preferences for individual transactions. The actors were paid the cheapest players, which meant Aniston and Schwimmer reduced their salaries. The stars 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 seven and eight seasons, and $ 1 million in seasons nine and ten, making Aniston , Cox, and Kudrow TV actress with the highest pay of all time. The players also received syndicated royalties starting in 2000 after renegotiation. At that time, the financial gain from the profitable share of the event was only given to the star ownership in a show, such as Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby.
The serial creator, David Crane wants all six actors to be equally outstanding, and this series is hailed as the first true 'ensemble'. " The cast members make an effort to preserve the ensemble format and not allow one member to dominate; they fall into the same acting category for awards, choose collective salary negotiations, and are asked to perform together on the cover photo of the magazine in the first season. The cast also became good friends off-screen, so much so that repeated guest stars Tom Selleck reported that he sometimes felt abandoned.
The players remain good friends after the running series, especially Cox and Aniston, with Aniston being godmother to Cox's daughter and David Arquette, Coco. In the official farewell warning book Friends to the End, each separately acknowledges in the interview that the cast has become their family.
Episode
Season 1
The first season introduces six main characters: Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross. Rachel arrives at Central Perk after escaping from her marriage to her fiancé, Barry and moving into an apartment with her friend, Monica, from high school. Ross, who has a crush on Rachel since they were both in high school, constantly tries to tell how she feels about her. However, many obstacles are blocking his path, like the fact that he is expecting a baby with his lesbian ex-wife, Carol. Joey proved to be a bachelor and struggling actor while Phoebe worked as a masseuse and described a kind of "crazy" attribute to his personality based on his problem as a child after his mother committed suicide. However, other group members still love him. Chandler broke up with Janice's girlfriend (Maggie Wheeler), who often returns in the later seasons. Carol gives a baby boy named Ben. 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's arrival from the trip.
Season 2
The second season begins with Rachel waiting at Ross's gate to proclaim her love for her. However, he discovers that he is dating Julie (Lauren Tom), someone he knows from graduate school. Rachel's attempts to tell Ross that she likes her reflect her failed efforts in the first season, though the character eventually begins a relationship. Joey played a fictional version of the so-called "Days of Our Lives" soap opera, but his character was killed after a conflict with the show's author, claiming that he wrote many of his own lines. Chandler returns with Janice, his ex-girlfriend since the first season. Monica began dating Richard (Tom Selleck), a family friend who had just divorced and 21 years older than him but they finally broke up.
Season 3
The third season used a significantly larger serial format. Rachel started working at Bloomingdale's, an upscale department store chain, and Ross became jealous of her partner, Mark. Rachel decided to take a break from their relationship; and Ross, getting hurt and drunk asleep with Chloe, the sexy girl from where Xerox, caused Rachel to break up with her. Meanwhile, Chandler has trouble dealing with their separation because it reminds him of his parents' divorce. After believing that she has no family except her twin, Ursula (Lisa Kudrow), Phoebe gets to know her half sister (Giovanni Ribisi) and mother (Teri Garr). Joey develops relationships with his partners Kate (Dina Meyer), and Monica starts a relationship with millionaire Pete Becker (Jon Favreau) who ends up due to differences of opinion between the two.
Season 4
On the fourth season premiere, Ross and Rachel briefly reconciled after Ross pretended to read the long letter Rachel wrote for her, but kept insisting that they were resting so they broke up again. Joey dates Kathy (Paget Brewster), a girl that Chandler has a crush on. Kathy and Chandler then kiss, which led to a drama between Chandler and Joey. Joey forgave Chandler only after he spent a day in the box as punishment. Febe became the surrogate mother for her brother and his wife, Alice (Debra Jo Rupp). Monica and Rachel were forced to move apartments with Joey and Chandler after losing bets during the quiz game, but managed to switch back by bribing them with Knicks season tickets and a one minute (off the screen) kiss between the girls. Ross began dating a British woman named Emily (Helen Baxendale), and the end of the season featured their marriage in London. Chandler and Monica slept together, and Rachel decided to attend Ross and Emily's wedding. Swearing his oath, Ross uses the wrong name on the altar (Rachel's), to startle the bride and the guests.
Season 5
The fifth season starts with Ross and Emily's wedding in London. This season featuring Monica and Chandler trying to keep the secret of their new relationship from their friends. Febe gave birth to triplets in the 100th episode of the show. She gave birth to a son, Frank Jr. Jr., and two girls: Leslie and Chandler. Emily states that the only condition in which she will remain married to Ross is if she stops all communication with Rachel. Ross agrees, but at the last dinner with all six main characters together, Emily calls Ross and, having found Rachel there, realizes she does not believe in her, which ended the marriage. Phoebe starts a relationship with a police officer, Gary (Michael Rapaport), after finding his badge and using it as his own. Monica and Chandler announce their relationship with the public, with the surprise and happiness of their friends. They decided to get married on their way to Las Vegas, but changed their plans after watching Ross and Rachel get drunk out of the wedding chapel.
Season 6
At the sixth-season premiere, Ross and Rachel's marriage was set as an intoxicating mistake. Ross and Rachel try to get a cancellation because she does not want to have three divorces. However, he realizes he can not do it and tries to keep their marriage secret from Rachel. Nevertheless, they divorced some later episodes. Monica and Chandler live together, causing Rachel to move with Phoebe. Joey got a role in a cable television series called Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E. , where he starred alongside the robot. Ross got a college job at New York University and started dating one of his students, Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden). The relationship ended because of their different maturity. Phoebe and Rachel's apartment were on fire, and Rachel moved with Joey, while Phoebe moved with Chandler and Monica. Chandler proposes to Monica, who says yes though his ex-boyfriend Richard confessed his love for him.
Season 7
The seventh season mainly follows the antics of Monica and Chandler, who began planning their marriage and experiencing financial problems that were quickly corrected by Chandler's secret funds. The Joey Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E television series were canceled, but he was offered his job back at the Days of Our Lives . Meanwhile, Ross tries to introduce Ben to Hanukkah with the help of Armadillo costume. Phoebe's apartment had been repaired, but rebuilt with just one big bedroom rather than the original two, so Rachel decided to stay with Joey. The season ended before Monica and Chandler's wedding, with Phoebe and Rachel finding positive pregnancy tests in the bathrooms in Monica and Chandler's apartment.
Season 8
In the eighth season, it was revealed at Monica and Chandler's wedding reception that a positive pregnancy test was found in the bathroom in Rachel's Monica and Chandler apartment. Rachel takes another pregnancy test, which is where Phoebe's first claim is negative, to find Rachel's real emotion on the realization of pregnancy. Rachel projects a sad feeling when she thinks she's not pregnant, so Phoebe tells the truth. They both and Monica then rejoice in the bathroom. The season revolves around Rachel's pregnancy; Ross was revealed to be a father after an investigation involving a red sweater. Rachel and Ross decide to have a baby but do not continue their romantic relationship. Joey developed romantic feelings for Rachel, but she did not reply. Rachel gave birth to Emma's baby at the end of the season. At the hospital, Ross's mother offers an engagement ring because she wants him to marry Rachel. Ross had no intention of asking Rachel to marry him, but she took the ring and put it in her jacket pocket. Meanwhile, in the post-natal room, Joey searched for some tissues to confuse Rachel, picked up Ross's jacket, and the ring fell to the floor. He knelt down to pick it up and turned to Rachel, still kneeling and still holding the ring. Rachel accepted what she thought of her application.
Season 9
Season nine begins with Ross and Rachel living together as roommates with their daughter Emma. Monica and Chandler try to conceive their own baby but know that they can not, because of health restrictions. Phoebe starts dating Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd), and chooses to be with him over his ex-girlfriend David (Hank Azaria). Rachel and Emma move with Joey in the middle of the season, and Rachel develops her madness, while the rest of the "friends" work hard to get Ross and Rachel back together. The group travels to Barbados at the end to hear Ross deliver a keynote speech at a paleontology conference, where they live in a hotel. Joey and his girlfriend Charlie (Aisha Tyler) broke up, and she started a relationship with Ross. After seeing Ross and Charlie kissing each other, Joey goes to Rachel's hotel room, and the cover ends with them kissing.
Season 10
The tenth season closes some long-running storylines. Charlie broke up with Ross to return with his ex-girlfriend. Joey and Rachel try to defy Ross's feelings about them together and decide that it would be better to remain friends. Phoebe and Mike get married mid-season outside the Perk Perk coffee house. Monica and Chandler apply to adopt a child and chosen by Erica (Anna Faris). In the last series, Erica gave birth to twins, to surprise Monica and Chandler - a boy and a girl. Monica and Chandler prepare to move to the suburbs, and Joey gets irritated with the changes in his life. Rachel was fired from her job and accepted a new offer in Paris. Ross tries to get his job back by secretly meeting his boss but eventually gives up after realizing the job in Paris is his dream job. Rachel said goodbye to everyone except Ross. A wounded and angry Ross confronts Rachel, and they end up sleeping together. Rachel leaves, and Ross, realizing that she loves him, chases him to the airport. Rachel realizes that she also loves her, and canceled her flight to Paris, agreeing to stay with her. The series ended with all the friends plus the new baby Monica and Chandler left the apartment, headed for Central Perk for a last cup of coffee. The last dialog used in this series is by Chandler, making a joke for the last time. The camera's last look is all the character keys to the apartment at the counter, ending with a purple door shadow of the apartment.
Production
Conception
David Crane and Marta Kauffman began developing three new television pilots that will premiere in 1994 after their sitcom Family Album was canceled by CBS in 1993. Kauffman and Crane decided to throw a series on "six 20- an make their way in Manhattan "to NBC, because they thought it would fit there. Crane and Kauffman presented the idea to their production partner, Kevin Bright, who had served as executive producer on their HBO series Dream On . The idea for this series was conceived when Crane and Kauffman started thinking about the time when they had finished college and started living on their own in New York; Kauffman believes they see at a time when the future is "more than a question mark." They find the concept interesting, because they believe "everyone knows the feeling", and therefore how they feel about their own lives at that moment. The team called Insomnia Cafe series, and proposed the idea as a seven-page treatment to NBC in December 1993.
At the same time, Warren Littlefield, then president of NBC Entertainment, is looking for comedies involving young people who live together and share costs. Littlefield wants the group to share a memorable period of their lives with friends, who have become "new family members, substitutes." However, Littlefield found it difficult to bring the concept to life, and found the script developed by NBC to be terrible. When Kauffman, Crane and Bright pitched the Insomnia Cafe Littlefield impressed that they knew who their characters were. NBC bought the idea as a pilot, meaning they risked financial punishment if the pilot was not filmed. Kauffman and Crane needed three days to write a pilot script for the show they titled Friends Like Us. Littlefield wants this series to "represent Generation X and explore new types of tribal ties," but others disagree. Crane argues that it is not a series for a generation, and wants to produce a series that everyone enjoys. NBC liked the script and ordered the series. They turn titles into Six of One , especially since they feel Friends Like Us is similar to ABC's Friends of Mine sitcom. Casting
After it became clear that this series was the preferred project on NBC, Littlefield reported that he got a call from every agent in town, wanting their clients to be part of the series. Auditions for the lead roles took place in New York and Los Angeles. The casting director selects 1,000 actors who have signed up for each role up to 75. Those who receive the call back read again in front of Crane, Kauffman and Bright. By the end of March, the number of potential actors has been reduced to three or four for each section, and asked to read for Les Moonves, then president of Warner Bros.. Television.
After working with David Schwimmer in the past, the series creators wrote Ross's character with him in mind, and he is the first actor actor. Cox wanted to play the role of Monica, but the producers reminded him to play with Rachel for "cheerful, cheerful energy", which is not how they imagined Monica; after the Cox audition, though, Kauffman agrees with Cox, and he gets the role. When Matt LeBlanc auditioned for Joey, he put "different rotations" on the characters. He plays Joey much simpler than intended and gives a heart character. Although Crane and Kauffman did not want LeBlanc for the role at the time, they were told by the network to dispose of it. Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, and Lisa Kudrow were casted based on their auditions.
More changes occur in the series storyline during the casting process. The authors found that they had to adjust the characters they had written to fit the actors, and the process of character discovery occurred throughout the first season. Kauffman admits that Joey's character became "this new creature", and that "it's not until we do the first Thanksgiving episode, we realize how much fun Monica neurosis is."
Write
In the weeks after NBC took Friends , Crane, Kauffman and Bright reviewed the script that originally prepared the author for other series, especially episodes that were not produced Seinfeld . Kauffman and Crane hired a team of seven young writers because "When you are 40 years old, you can not do it anymore, networks and studios are looking for young people coming from college." The creators feel that using the same six characters, rather than emphasizing one or two, will allow for "a myriad of storylines and give the feet a show." Most of the storyline ideas come from the authors, though the actors add ideas. Although the authors originally planned a great love story to be between Joey and Monica, the notion of romantic interest between Ross and Rachel emerged during the period when Kauffman and Crane wrote the script of the pilot.
During the pilot's production, NBC requested that the manuscript be changed to display a dominant storyline and some small ones, but the authors refused, wanting to keep three storylines with equal weight. NBC also wants writers to include older characters to keep up with young people. Crane and Kauffman were forced to obey and write a draft of an early episode featuring "Pat the Cop." who will be used to advise other characters. Crane found the story going horribly, and Kauffman joked, "You know the children's books,
Every summer (June, July, and August in the US), the producers will outline the storyline for the next season. Before an episode begins to be produced, Kauffman and Crane will revise a script written by another author, especially if something involving a series or character feels unfamiliar. Unlike other story lines, the idea for a relationship between Joey and Rachel was decided in the middle of the eighth season. The creators did not want Ross and Rachel back together so fast, and when looking for a romantic barrier, a writer suggested Joey's romantic interest in Rachel. The storyline is put into the season; However, when the actors fear that the storyline will make their characters unpopular, the storyline is wrapped, until it reappears at the end of the season. For the ninth season, the authors were not sure about the number of storylines to give to Rachel's babies, because they wanted the show not to spin around the baby or pretend it did not exist. Crane said that it took them a while to accept the idea of ​​the tenth season, which they decided to do because they had enough stories left to tell to justify this season. Kauffman and Crane will not sign a contract for the eleventh season, even if all the players want to continue.
The episode title format - "The One..." - was created when the producers realized that the episode title would not be featured in the opening credits, and therefore would not be known to most viewers. The official episode title begins with "The One..." except the title of the pilot episode and the final series "The Last One."
Filming
The first season was shot at Stage 5 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. NBC executives were concerned that the coffee shop setting was too narrow and demanded that the circuit be set in the restaurant, but eventually approved the concept of a coffee shop. The opening title sequence was filmed at the fountain at Warner Bros Ranch at 4:00 am, while it was very cold for the morning in Burbank. At the start of the second season, production moved to the larger Stage 24, named "The Friends Stage" after the series ended. The filming for the series began during the summer (June, July, and August in the US) in 1994 in front of a live audience, which was given a series summary to familiarize themselves with the six main characters; a hired comedian entertained the audience in the studio. Each 22 minute episode takes six hours to film - twice the length of most sitcom tapings - mainly because of some retakes and rewrites.
Although the producers always wanted to find the right story to take advantage of being on site, Friends were never shot in New York. Bright feels that filming outside the studio makes the episodes less funny, even when shooting outside, and that the live audience is an integral part of the series. When the series was criticized for misrepresenting New York, with a group of financially difficult friends able to afford large apartments, Bright noted that sets should be large enough for cameras, lighting, and "for viewers to see what's going on"; apartments also need to provide a place for actors to execute funny scripts. The end of the fourth season was shot at a location in London as the producers realized the popularity of the series in England. The scenes were taken in a studio with three spectators each consisting of 500 people. It was the biggest audience on the show along the way. The fifth season finale, in Las Vegas, was filmed at Warner Bros. Studios, though Bright met people who thought it was filmed on location.
Final serial
The creator of this series completed the first draft of an hour-long suffix in January 2004, four months before its original broadcast. Crane, Kauffman and Bright watched the final of another sitcom to prepare the episode outline, paying attention to what worked and what did not. They liked who remained loyal to the series, citing the end of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as the gold standard. Crane, Kauffman, and Bright had trouble writing the cover. They do not want to do "something high concept, or take the show out of the show." The most important part of the end is shot without an audience, and with a minimum number of crew members. The main cast enjoys the final and is confident that fans will react the same:
Just like I was expecting. We all end up feeling a new beginning and the audience has the feeling that this is a new chapter in the lives of all these characters.
NBC strongly promotes the final series, which is preceded by weeks of media hype. Local NBC affiliates organize party viewing around the US, including events at Universal CityWalk featuring final special broadcast on Astrovision outdoor screen. The end is the subject of two episodes of Dateline NBC , a weekly television magazine, one of which lasts for two hours. A one-hour retrospection of the clip from the previous episode was shown earlier for episode broadcast. After the final, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was filmed on the location of the Friends 'coffee house Central Perk, featuring the serial actor as a guest. The advertising rate for the average finale averages $ 2 million for 30 seconds of commercial time, breaking the record held by Seinfeld finale at $ 1.7 million.
In the US, 52.5 million viewers watched the final on May 6, 2004, making it the most watched entertainment show ever since the end of Seinfeld in 1998. Although it was not the most-watched episode of the series. , the final is the fourth most watched series in television history, just behind the final M * A * S * H ​​â € <, Cheers and Seinfeld i>, each of which was watched by 105, 80.4 and 76.2 million viewers. Retrospective episodes are watched by less than 36 million viewers, and the end is the second most watched television show of the year, just behind the Super Bowl. Following the final Friends and Frasier , media critics speculated about the fate of the sitcom genre. Opinions expressed vary between the ending marks of the sitcom genre, a small drop in the great history of the genre, and a general reduction of television written to support reality shows.
Reception
Critical reception
The initial reviews of this series are diverse; and it holds a Metacritic score of 59 out of 100, based on 20 sample reviews, showing "a mix for average reviews." Tom Feran of The Plain Dealer wrote that the series was traded "vaguely and less successfully on the Seinfeld style of hang-out ", while Ann Hodges of Houston Chronicle i> call it "new Seinfeld wannabe, but it will never be as funny as Seinfeld ." In the Los Angeles Daily News Ray Richmond calls this series "one of the brighter comedies of the new season", and the Los Angeles Times calls it a "flat-out" comedy series best in the new season. "
Ginny Holbert found the characteristics of Joey and Rachel not growing, while Richmond praised the performers as "happy young ensembles" with "good chemistry." Robert Bianco from USA Today is part of Schwimmer, calling it "great." He also praised the female cast, but worried about Perry's role as Chandler "undefined" and LeBlanc "relies too heavily on the same dead brain stud routine that's been tired twice the last time he tried it." Writers of Friends Like Us: The Official Guide to Friends thinks players are "trying too hard", in particular, Perry and Schwimmer.
As the series progressed, the reviews became more positive, and Friends became one of the most popular sitcoms of its time. It is now often ranked among the best TV shows of all time. Critics praised this series for having consistently sharp writing and chemistry between main actors. Noel Holston of Newsday , who had dismissed the pilot as "Seinfeld wannabe" in 1994, refused previous reviews after repeating the episode, and felt like writing an apology to the authors. Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com thought that the series hit her stride in the second season. Havrilesky finds jokes and special situations of characters "can make you laugh out loud a few times each episode", and the quality of writing allows the story to be "original and innovative." Bill Carter of The New York Times called the eighth season "a truly amazing comeback." Carter discovered that by "generating a new, warm storyline and high decibel laughter", the series made its way "back to the hearts of his fans." However, Liane Bonin from Entertainment Weekly felt that the direction of the ninth season was a "disappointing buzzkill", criticized her for a non-stop celebrity guest spot and went to the shark's jumping territory. Despite his disappointment with the season, Bonin noted that "his writing is still sharp." Havrilesky thinks that the tenth season is "very worrying, much worse than you ever imagined about a show that once was so good." Friends are featured in the Time ' list of "100 Best TV Shows of All Time", saying, "the hidden secret of this show is that he calls himself Friends , and is really family. "
The reviews of the final series are mixed. USA Today ' s Robert Bianco described the end as entertaining and rewarding, and praised him for deftly blending emotions and humor while highlighting each star. Sarah Rodman of Boston Herald praises Aniston and Schwimmer for their acting, but feels that their character reunion is "a bit too neat, even if that's what most of the show fans want." Roger Catlin of Hartford Courant feels that the newcomers in this series will be "shocked at how grateful the affair is, and how nearly every tense joke depends on the stupidity of his character." Ken Parish Perkins, writing for < i> Fort Worth Star-Telegram , indicating that the end is "more touching than funny, more fulfilling in terms of closure than knee-jerk."
Awards
To maintain the ensemble format of the series, the main players decided to fall into the same acting category for the award. Beginning with the eighth season of the series, the actors decided to surrender themselves in the lead actor, rather than in the field of supporting actors. The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning six. Aniston and Kudrow are the only lead actors to win the Emmy, while Cox is the only non-nominated actor. The series won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002, receiving nominations in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, and 2003. The series also won the American Comedy Award, a GLAAD Media Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Logie Awards , six People Choice Awards, one Satellite Award, and one Screen Actor Award Winner.
Ratings
The table below shows the ranking of Friends in the United States, where it is consistently ranked in the top ten of last season's television ratings. "Ratings" refers to how well Friends rated compared to other television series aired during primetime hours of the television season. This is shown in relation to the total number of series aired on six major English-language networks during a particular season. "Audience" refers to the average number of viewers for all original episodes, broadcast over the television season in regular series time slots. The "premiere season" is the date of the first episode of the season aired, and the "end of the season" is the date of the last episode of the season aired. So far, Friends has become the last sitcom to achieve no. 1 spot on television, as the successor is CSI: Investigation of crime scene. , American Idol , NBC Sunday Night Football and NCIS .
Syndication
Due to syndicated revenue, Friends continues to earn about $ 1 billion annually for Warner Bros.. That means about $ 20 million in annual residuals each for Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, each getting 2% of the syndicated revenue for Friends . The series has syndication agreements through multiple networks including Nickelodeon, TBS, and Paramount (formerly known as Spike).
Cultural impact
Although producers consider Friends to be "TV shows only," many psychologists investigate the impact of the Friends culture during the series. Aniston's hairstyle was nicknamed "The Rachel", and copied all over the world. Joey's slogan, "How do you do it?", Became a popular part of Western English, often used as a pick-up line or when greeting friends. The series also affects English, according to a study by the University of Toronto that found that characters use the word emphasized " so " to change adjectives more often than other intensive experts. Although the preference has already entered into the American language, use in this series may have accelerated the change. Chandler's habit of ending unfinished sentences because sarcasm also affects audience speech. After the September 11 attacks, the ratings increased 17% over the previous season.
Friends are parodied in the twelfth episode Murder, She Wrote the episode of "Murder in Between Friends." In that episode, amateur detective Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) investigates the murder a writer for Buds , a fictitious television series about the daily life of a group of city friends. This episode was made after CBS moved the Killing, She Wrote from its regular Sunday night to Thursday night the calendar was directly opposite to Friends on NBC; Angela Lansbury was quoted by Bruce Lansbury, her brother and Murder, She Wrote ' s supervising producer, had "little attitude" about moving to Thursday, but she saw the plot it was "a friendly arrangement, no evil intentions." Jerry Ludwig, episode writer, examines the "taste" of Tunas by watching episodes Friends .
Perk Perk coffee house, one of the main settings of the series, has inspired imitation around the world. In 2006, Iranian businessman Mojtaba Asadian started the Central Perk franchise, registering his name in 32 countries. The coffee house decoration is inspired by Friends , featuring a replica sofa, counters, neon signage and bricks. The coffee houses also contain paintings of various characters from the series, and the television plays episode Friends . James Michael Tyler, who plays Perk Central manager in the series, Gunther, attends the opening of Dubai cafe, where he works as a waitress. Central Perk was rebuilt as part of the museum exhibition at Warner Bros. Studios, and was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2008. Jennifer Aniston revisited the set for the first time since the last series in 2004. From September 24 to October 7, 2009, a replica based Perk Perk on Broadwick Street, Soho, London. The coffee house sells native coffee to customers and displays the appearance of Friends memorabilia and props, such as Geller Cup from the three episode season "The One with the Football." In Beijing, business owner Du Xin opened a coffee shop called Central Perk in March 2010. In India, there are six themed cafes Friends , located in Chandigarh (named Central Perk), Kolkata (named FRIENDS Cafe) featuring many icons from the original TV series, for example, the ugly statue of the Chandler and Joey dogs, the orange sofa, Monica's purple doors and Rachel's apartment and the Phoebe pink bike. The other three cafes are located in Delhi, Gurgaon, Bhubaneswar and Pune. There are two themed cafes in Pakistan as well - one in Lahore known as "Friends Cafe" and the other in Peshawar called "Central Perk". Both cafes have iconic sofas, guitar tables and ping pong tables, excerpts from performances on the wall and even re-episodes on a projector. They also plan to have their own Gunther in the bar.
Friends have also developed an alternative family lifestyle by representing young people living unconventional domestic life. It presents the idea that "everything you need is a good friend" and can build a family through choice. Viewers can identify with the program through problems seen on weekly episodes. It describes new ways of living and developing relationships that are not usually seen in conventional societies. According to a pop culture expert at the University at Buffalo, Friends is "one of those rare shows that marks a change in American culture." Images of teenagers and the roles they describe are better defined and represent lifestyles centered around creating and maintaining relationships among friends running their own lives and seeking help from each other.
The Guardian ' s TV and blog radio stated that Friends has had an impact on the creation of other television shows such as How I Met Your Mother The similarities between the two are sitcoms in Manhattan, a group of cute white adults with similar characters.
The TV Guide readers voted Friends player of the Best Comedy of all time, ranked 29% of the vote, beating the 18% Seinfeld . The poll conducted by 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair named the third largest sitcom sitcom of all time. In 2014, the series is ranked by Mundo Estranho Best TV Series of All Time.
Distribution
Broadcast
United States
After the pilot produced lived up to NBC's expectations, the series was aired under the name Friends on September 22, 1994, on the coveted Thursday of 8:30 pm. timeslot. The pilots aired between Mad About You and Seinfeld , and watched by nearly 22 million American viewers. The series was a huge success throughout its journey, and was a staple of NBC's evening series late Thursday, dubbed by the network as Must See TV. When Crane told reporters in 2001 that the ninth season was a possibility, critics believed that he was posing, and that at least two members of the player would not go in for the following season. When confirmed that Friends will return for the ninth season, the news is mainly about the amount of money - $ 7 million per episode - needed to bring the series back for another season.
After a year-long hope that the ninth season will be the last series, NBC signed a deal in late December 2002 to bring the series back for the last tenth season. The series' creative team did not want to extend the negotiations to the next year, and wanted to start writing the rest of the ninth season episode and the potential final series. NBC agreed to pay $ 10 million for Warner Bros. for the production of every tenth season episode, the highest price in television history for the 30-minute series. Although NBC can not bring enough advertising revenue from advertising to cover costs, this series is an integral part of Thursday night schedule, which brings high ratings and profits to other television series. The players demanded that the tenth season be reduced from 24 regular episodes to 18 episodes to enable them to work on external projects.
In the fall of 2001, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable. made a deal with TBS's brother network (both owned by Time Warner) to broadcast the series in syndication again. Warner Bros. Domestic Cable. announced that they had sold Nick's additional cable rights to Friends on Nite that began airing in the fall of 2011 (unlike TBS and broadcasting syndication, Nick at Nite broadcast this series), which began airing as a part from the seven night marathon on September 5, 2011, replacing the final credit tag scene with a marginal credit featuring promotions for Nick's series and other Nite programs). Warner Bros. is expected to generate $ 200 million in license fees and advertising of deals. Nick at Nite paid $ 500,000 per episode to broadcast the episode after 6pm. ET for six years until autumn 2017. In syndication until 2005, Friends have received $ 4 million per episode in cash license fees for a total of $ 944 million.
Beginning March 5, 2012, a high-definition version of all 236 episodes of Friends was made available to local broadcast stations, starting with the pilot episode. For remastered episodes, Warner Bros. restores previously truncated images on the left and right sides of the screen, using original 35mm film source, to use the overall 16: 9 widescreen frame. This master has been aired in New Zealand on TV2 since January 2011. Netflix added all ten season Friends in high definition to their streaming service in the United States on January 1, 2015.
International
Friends have been aired on different channels in the UK in their unedited original version before they are re-edited for US broadcast and syndication. This version, with additional footage not seen in the country, has been aired on stations such as Channel 4, Sky1, E4, and Comedy Central UK. On September 4, 2011, Friends officially ended on E4 after the channel re-runs the series since 2004. Comedy Central took over the rights to broadcast the program from October 2011. In the Republic of Ireland, each Season of this show made its European debut at RTÃÆ' â € ° 2. After 2004 RT â € ° 2 began repeating the series from the beginning before moving to TV3 and its digital channel 3e in 2010. In February 2015, the repetition of the show has returned to RTÃÆ' â € ° 2 while also broadcasting in Comedy Central Ireland.
Friends have aired in Australia on Seven Network (season 1 only), Nine Network (season 2-10), Network Ten (2007-09, repeats), on GEM (sub-channel of Nine Network), and on Pay TV, Hits TV previously aired on Arena, 111 Hits. The show is broadcast on TV2 in New Zealand.
In Canada, this series is broadcast on Global. In subsequent years, it was syndicated on some of his brother's cable networks, including Slice, DTour, and TVTropolis, his previous incarnation.
In India, the show is broadcast by Comedy Central at various times. This is the most watched English event in the country.
In the Philippines, "She's aired on ABC-5 (now TV5)
In Greece, the show was broadcast on the Star Channel. In Cyprus, Friends are live on CyBC 2 while repeating the broadcast on TVOne.
Streaming
In October 2014, Warner Brothers CEO Kevin Tsujihara announced that the company had licensed the North American streaming rights of all ten Seasons Friends to Netflix, in a deal said to be worth around $ 500,000 per episode, or about $ 120 million in total. The show is available on Netflix from January 1, 2015. Netflix's view is in a version as aired on NBC rather than the longer international version, as discussed below.
DVD
Ten seasons have been released on DVD individually and as a set of boxes. Each season 1 Region release contains special features and is presented in the original international versions mentioned above, although the release of Region 2 as it is aired domestically. For the first season, each episode is updated with color correction and sound enhancement. Various items Friends have been produced by various companies. In September 1995, WEA Records released the first music album of Friend , Original Friends Soundtrack , containing the music featured in previous and next episodes. The soundtrack debuted on Billboard 200 on 46, and sold 500,000 copies in November 1995. In 1999, the second soundtrack album entitled Friends Again was released. Other merchandise includes the Friends version of the "Scene It?" DVD game, and a quiz video game for PlayStation 2 and PC titled Friends: The One with All the Trivia . On September 28, 2009, a box set was released in the UK to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the series. The box set contains additional episodes, episode guides, and original custom features.
Warner Home Video released a complete series collection on Blu-ray on November 13, 2012. This collection does not feature the additional deleted scenes and jokes that were included on previous DVD releases, and therefore presented in their NBC broadcast version.
Spin-off
Joey
After the last series in 2004, LeBlanc signed a contract for the spin-off series, Joey , following Joey's move to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. Kauffman and Crane are not interested in spin-offs, although Bright agrees to executives producing the series with Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan. NBC strongly promotes Joey and gives it Friends â € "Thursday 8:00, pm timeslot. The pilot is watched by 18.60 million American viewers, but the ratings continue to fall throughout the two seasons of the series, averaging 10.20 million viewers in the first season and 7.10 million in the second. The last broadcast episode on 7 March 2006, watched by 7.09 million viewers; NBC canceled the series on May 15, 2006, after two seasons. Bright blames the collaboration between NBC executives, studios, and other producers to quickly ruin the series:
In Friends , Joey is an eye basket, but we enjoy his exploits. He is a solid friend, the man you know you can count on. Joey was deconstructed into a man who could not get a job, could not ask a girl out. She became a sad, mopey character. I felt he was moving in the wrong direction, but I was not heard.
References
Further reading
Article on the cultural influences of the program:
- Allen, Samantha (2014). The Best Reason to Love 'Friends' is What We Never Realized at the Time. Mic. United States of America.
- Ihnat, Gwen (2014). How Friend Changes Sitcom Landscape . AV Club. United States of America.
- Harrison, Andrew (2014). The Hunting Of The Snark . New statesman. United Kingdom.
External links
- Friends on IMDb
- Friends on TV.com
- Friends at Rotten Tomatoes
- Friends in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
- Oral history from Vanity Fair
- http://friendsfest.co.uk/
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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