Friends is an American sitcom created by
David Crane and
Marta Kauffman, which ran on
NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in the area of
Manhattan, New York City. The series was produced by
Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with
Warner Bros. Television. The original executive producers were Crane, Kauffman and
Kevin Bright, with numerous others being promoted in later seasons.
Kauffman and Crane began developing
Friends under the title
Insomnia Cafe in November 1993. 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. After several script rewrites and changes, the series was finally named
Friends and premiered on NBC's coveted
Thursday 8:30 pm timeslot. Filming for the series took place at
Warner Bros. Studios in
Burbank, California in front of a live audience. After ten seasons on the network, the series finale was promoted by NBC, and viewing parties were organized around the US. The series finale (airing on May 6, 2004) was watched by 52.5 million American viewers, making it the fourth most-watched series finale in television history.
Friends received positive reviews throughout its run; becoming one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. The series won many awards and was nominated for 63
Primetime Emmy Awards. The series was also very successful in the ratings, consistently ranking in the top ten in the final primetime ratings. The series has made a large cultural impact. The Central Perk coffee house that had featured prominently in the series has inspired various imitations throughout the world. The series continues in syndication worldwide. All 10 seasons are also available on DVD. The spin-off series
Joey was created to follow up with the series after the finale.
