friends

For other uses, see Friends (disambiguation).''Friends'' was a long-running United StatesAmerican television situation comedysitcom centered on the lives of a group of six Twenty somethingtwenty-somethings (eventually Thirty somethingthirty-somethings) consisting of three men and three women living in Manhattan, New York. The program was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner BrothersWarner Bros. Television for National Broadcasting CompanyNBC in the United StatesUS, first broadcast on that network and followed by other #Broadcastersbroadcast networks in numerous countries throughout the world. In the US, its first episode was aired on September 22, 1994, the last on May 6, 2004.

Overview - ''Friends'' is one of the most successful sitcoms in the US. By the end of the series the six main cast members were each paid US$1,000,000 per episode. Advertisements during the series finale, which List of most-watched television episodesattracted an audience of Friends#Ratingsover 52 million viewers, cost $2,000,000 for a 30-second spot in the United States and CAD$190,000 in Canada. The last episode was released on DVD 5 days after its broadcast.spoiler The show focused on the lives of a group of six friends: spoiled Daddy's girl Rachel Green; compulsively clean chef Monica Geller; wise-cracking, perennially unlucky-in-love, underconfident office drone Chandler Bing; oversexed, clueless actor Joey Tribbiani; divorced paleontologist nerd Ross Geller; and scatterbrained hippie, massagemasseuse, and aspiring folk singer-songwriter Phoebe Buffay. As the pilot begins, Rachel leaves her fiancé Barry at the altar and moves in with her childhood best friend, Monica. The pair lives across the hall from Chandler and Joey. They hang out with Monica's brother, Ross – who recently divorced his lesbian wife – and Phoebe, the "free spirit" of the bunch and Monica's old roommate. The settings for the show include Monica's apartment, Chandler and Joey's apartment and the coffee shop downstairs, Central Perk.After cutting herself off from her father's money, Rachel got her first job as a waitress in the coffee shop and later becomes a personal shopper at Bloomingdale's, then a buyer for Ralph Lauren. Monica struggled for the first several seasons for success, and later became head chef at a well-respected restaurant. Chandler eventually switched to a career in advertising by the last few seasons. After on-and-off success as a soap opera actor Joey's career eventually stabilized with a regular part on a soap opera from which he was initially fired earlier in the series' run. Paleontologist Ross eventually becomes a college professor. Phoebe ekes out a living as a singer-songwriter and a masseuse.A constant story line throughout the series was the on-again/off-again romance between Ross and Rachel, and later in the series, the developing relationship between Chandler and Monica.The show's theme song, "I'll Be There for You (Theme from "Friends")I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts, became a major hit after a Tennessee disc jockey looped it into a full length track and played it on the radio. The band's record label required them to write additional material and re-record the track as a full-length song, which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #17.

Cast members - and Monica GellerMonica share a kiss (episode: The One After Ross Says Rachel)]]

Main characters -

Rachel GreenRachel Karen Green – Jennifer Aniston

Monica GellerMonica E. Geller-Bing – Courteney Cox Arquette

Phoebe BuffayPhoebe Buffay-Hanigan – Lisa Kudrow

Joey TribbianiJoseph Francis Tribbiani – Matt LeBlanc

Chandler BingChandler Muriel Bing – Matthew Perry (actor)Matthew Perry

ProfessorProf. Ross Geller – David Schwimmer

Recurring characters - ''See also: List of significant others of Friends''

Relations -

Jack Geller – Elliott Gould

Judy Geller – Christina Pickles

Frank Buffay Sr. (Phoebe's father) – Bob Balaban

Lily Buffay (Phoebe's adopted mother) – ''Not Credited''

Phoebe Abbott (Phoebe's biological mother)– Teri Garr

Frank Buffay Jr. (Phoebe's half-brother) – Giovanni Ribisi

Ursula Buffay (Phoebe's twin sister) – Lisa Kudrow

Dr. Leonard Green (Rachel's father) – Ron Leibman

Sandra Green (Rachel's mother) – Marlo Thomas

Jill Green (Rachel's sister) – Reese Witherspoon

Amy Green (Rachel's sister) – Christina Applegate

Charles Bing (a.k.a. Helena Handbasket) (Chandler's cross-dressing father) – Kathleen Turner

Nora Tyler Bing (Chandler's mother) – Morgan Fairchild

Joseph Tribbiani Sr. (Joey's father) – Robert Costanzo

Gloria Tribbiani (Joey's mother) – Brenda Vaccaro

Dina Tribbiani (Joey's sister) – Marla Sokoloff

Other -

Gunther (Friends character)Gunther (works at Central Perk) – James Michael Tyler

Janice (Friends character)Janice (dated Chandler on many occasions) – Maggie Wheeler

Estelle Leonard (Joey's agent) – June Gable

Carol Willick (Ross's ex-wife) – Jane Sibbett (played by Anita Barone in episode #2)

Susan Bunch (Carol Willick's lesbian partner) – Jessica Hecht

Ugly Naked Guy (lives across the street) Not Credited

Mr. Heckles (complaining man who lives below Monica's apartment) – Larry Hankin

The Chick and The Duck (Chandler and Joey's pets, who in Season 10, we find out died. However, a new chick and duck come along to live with Joey.)

Mike Hanigan (marries Phoebe in Season 10) – Paul Rudd

Mr. Treeger (superintendent in the apartment building where Monica, Chandler, Joey and Rachel live) – Michael G. Hagerty

Guest stars - The show has had many well-known celebrities as guest stars, including Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Tom Selleck, Brad Pitt, Ian Thorpe (as an extra), Elle MacPherson, and Charlie Sheen.''See: List of guest stars on Friends''

Pre-broadcast audience research - After the finale was broadcast, The Smoking Gun made available the May 27, 1994 "Program Test Report" summarizing the audience reaction to a version of what became the pilot episode. Overall reactions to the pilot were "not very favorable"; most viewers felt the show was "not very entertaining, clever, or original". The report recommended:

Broadening the show to include some older characters

Adding more humor

Changing the pilot so that the audience could become more involved emotionally with the show's characters

Toning down the sexual situations, at least at the beginning of the series

Having Chandler talk about his dreams on a recurring basis

Incorporating Phoebe more into the stories

Make the coffee shop less "funky"

Running gags - ''Friends'' had many running gags throughout the span of the show. Some of the most famous include:

The One With episode - name : Almost every episode name starts with these three words. In reference to the fact that most sitcoms don't display the title of their episodes, so fans must discuss the main plot points with each other when referring to specific episodes.

Fat Monica: Monica, now slim and attractive, was obese as a child. She and the other characters would often refer to her "fat past" and several flashbacks throughout the series allowed us to see just how she looked then. She is also known to have "fat clown feet" as mentioned by Rachel.

Gay Chandler: Chandler was often painted with the possibility of being homosexualitygay, despite his determination to prove himself as the heterosexual he actually was. Various characters on the show had assumed that he was gay when they first met him, and describe him as having a certain gay "quality." In addition, Chandler's father was a transvestite, which may have been the cause of some of Chandler's feminine behavioral traits.

Ugly Naked Guy: An obese, nude hermit who engaged in odd habits in the "privacy" of his apartment across the street from Monica's. One of the gang would often notice something going on in his apartment and cry out "eww, eww, Ugly Naked Guy is..." and would describe the usually strange act to the others, who would then crowd around the window to a chorus of "ewwwww". During a flashback in one episode that was set a year before the pilot, Phoebe comments to Ross, "Aww, cute naked guy is really starting to put on weight." Ugly Naked Guy decides to sublet his apartment in Season 5, and Ross rents it to live across the street from his sister.

Joey & Chandler as a couple: One of the more frequent recurring jokes of the early episodes paralleled the interactions of Joey and Chandler to the interactions of a married couple. The gag was usually used to enhance the aforementioned "Gay Chandler" joke, as Chandler would often assume the "wife" role, but was often funny on its own. This gag even appears in the first episode of the spinoff, Joey (sitcom)''Joey''.

Gunther likes Rachel: When Gunther appeared in an episode it usually involved his anything-but-secret crush on Rachel, who however remains oblivious to his feelings throughout most of the show's run. That he virtually obsesses about Rachel is evident in the episode where Chandler breaks up with Janice so she can give her marriage another try. When Gunther sees Chandler with Janice's gold-coloured shoe in his hand, he observes,"Rachel has those in burgundy".

'''Phoebe's previous way of life: It is often mentioned that Phoebe once lived on the street, and her strange former friends often come up. Various random facts from her childhood are revealed throughout the show, such as that she "stabbed a cop", had a pimp spit in her mouth, has lived in Prague, and even mugged Ross when they were 14.

Ross' tendency to marry: Ross marries a total of three times throughout the course of the show, all of which end in divorce. Many gags from the sixth season on run along the line that Ross is wont to marry any girl he hooks up with and is equally as likely to break up after marriage. as Phoebe Buffay in Friends. In this picture she is playing a guitar in a New York CityNew York coffee shop named Central Perk.]]

Phoebe's music: Phoebe was often a musician at Central Perk and was known for her rather unusual, original songs. Some include: "Jingle Bitch Screwed Me Over", "Ode to a pubic hair", "Sometimes Men Love Women, Sometimes Men Love Men...", "The Barnyard Song" in which she graphically describes farm animals being turned into meat products to a group of elementary schoolers, and her most famous, "Smelly Cat."

Oh. My. God!''': Janice's catchphrase; used as her introductory line in her later guest appearances.

We were on a break!: A highlight of the third season was Rachel and Ross, a couple at the time, having a major fight and subsequently deciding to go on a break in their relationship. Around this point, the depressed Ross sleeps with another woman; his resulting guilt and Rachel's resulting resentment resonated for many seasons to come.

Dr. Regina Phalange: Phoebe's alter ego, which she regularly makes references to (similar to George CostanzaArt Vandelay on ''Seinfeld''). In the last episode she stops Rachel's plane by getting her to ask whether the plane had something wrong with its left phalange.

Mr. Heckles: A slighty off-kilter man who lived below Monica and Rachel's apartment and continually complained about the noise. Usually claims he could have something you know he doesn't. For eg, "I could have a cat", or "I could play the oboe". Died during the second season. In his will, he leaves all his possessions to the "noisy girls upstairs".

'''Chandler's speech''': Chandler has a strange way of speaking, in which he emphasizes the wrong word in his sentences. One exaggerated example, where Ross was mocking Chandler's speech pattern: "The hills are alive with the sound (pause) OF music". His particular brand of sarcasm is also often based on the phrase "Could this object (pause) BE any more description."

'''How ''You'' Doin'?''': This is Joey's pick-up line. It was first seen in "The One with Rachel's Crush," and Joey continues using it for the rest of the series, sometimes on Phoebe, Rachel, Monica, and even humorously on Chandler.

'''Phoebe's dead mother''': Phoebe often references her mother's suicide to various situations on the show, usually as an excuse. For example, when Ross questions her on why she's never tried taffy, "I think my mother was too busy planning her suicide to provide saltwater treats."

'''Monica's obsessive-compulsive behavior''': Monica has continuously exhibited various traits of an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, including obsession with cleanliness, refusal to relinquish control over anything, excessive categorization and organization, intense competitiveness, and the need to get people to like her. Her competitiveness could be observed when playing tennis with Chandler's boss, where Chandler suggests that they should let him win, to which she replies "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you just said." In another instance, Rachel, who is moving out of the apartment, offers Monica a chance to pack her belongings for her, presenting the offer as a goodbye present, which Monica gladly accepts. In addition, the show has innumerable references to Monica cleaning her apartment, or any other location she's in.

'''Chandler's pornography addiction''': Chandler has often exhibited signs of a pornography addiction, watching porn with Monica's knowledge.

'''Joey's obsession with lesbians''': At several points throughout the series Joey (and Ross and Chandler to some extent) has expressed an obsession with lesbianlesbians, even "keeping seeing the good side" of Carol's homosexuality.

Trivia -

The character of Ursula (Phoebe's twin sister) first appeared in the sitcom ''Mad About You'' as a not-so-quick-witted waitress. Lisa Kudrow played Ursula on both ''Mad About You'' and ''Friends''. Phoebe was not originally supposed to have a twin, but the show's creators added the fact to explain why Kudrow was appearing on two different shows, at one point on the same night. Ursula would go on to make several appearances on ''Friends,'' played simultaneously by Kudrow. Producers used split-screen photography and doubles to create the illusion the two both appeared in a scene at the same time. Later, Helen Hunt appeared on an episode of ''Friends'' and her character mistakenly thought Phoebe was Ursula.

James Michael Tyler's character (Gunther) came into the series by accident. He can be seen as an extra throughout the first season, and when given a line in the second, the directors were adequately impressed that they created him a full-time part: ''Gunther''. Additionally, it's been reported that Tyler got the job because he was the only extra who knew how to operate the espresso machine, having been working at an actual coffee shop at the time. In addition to playing Gunther, Tyler remained an actual coffee shop employee for the first four seasons of the show.

Central Perk, the coffee shop on the show, is based on Chomondley's (pronounced Chumley's), a coffee shop/lounge in Usen Castle at Brandeis University, the alma mater of the show's creators.

Katie, who played Marcel, Ross' pet White-headed Capuchin monkey, would become even more famous than the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's Rally Monkey.

Although the show was filmed in California, it took place in the Greenwich VillageWest Village in Manhattan, New York City. The exterior shot of the Friends' apartment building is actually located at Grove and Bedford streets in the Village.

The picture frame around the peep hole in Monica and Rachel's apartment originally was a framed mirror, but a crew member accidentally broke it. The producers liked the look and decided not to replace the mirror.

55 people were paid to come to the studio and watch the first four episodes of "The Six of Us"; this show's title was changed to "Friends"

Not all episodes were filmed in front of a studio audience. Most episodes were filmed with a laugh track, like the episode of Ursula and Phoebe together.

Alternate titles were "Six Of One", "Across The Hall", "Insomnia Cafe" and "Friends Like Us".

Ross and Chandler are presumably the oldest, with Joey after them and the girls after Joey. In real life, Lisa Kudrow is the oldest cast member, followed by Courtney Cox, who is actually two years older than David Schwimmer, who played her older brother, and five years older than Matthew Perry, while Matt LeBlanc is a year younger than Schwimmer but a year older than Perry, with Jennifer Aniston being the youngest of the three girls, having been born in 1969, the same year as Matthew Perry. Cox and Kudrow were actually both over 30 when the show began, and both were clearly over 40 by the time the show finished its run.

Jennifer Aniston did her own nudity in "The One In Vegas, Part 1". Further trivia can be found uk.imdb.com - in the series' IMDb entry.

Season synopsis - spoiler

Season one - We are introduced to Phoebe, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Ross, shortly after Ross's wife Carol has become a lesbian and divorced him. At this point, Monica, Phoebe and Ross all live alone, while Chandler and Joey live together. Monica's old school friend Rachel enters Central Perk wearing a wedding dress, having just run away from her wedding to Barry Farber and needing somewhere to go. She moves in with Monica, gets a job as a waitress at Central Perk, and struggles to work for a living, having previously lived a rich life.Ross finds his ex-wife Carol is pregnant with his child. In the penultimate episode of the season, she gives birth to a boy, named Ben, who is subsequently raised by Carol and her lover, Susan.In the pilot, Ross reveals he had a crush on Rachel in high school, and we see (unbeknownst to Rachel) that he still has feelings for her. Throughout the season, he fails to make his feelings known to her, and eventually Chandler and Joey persuade him to move on. In the last episode, on Rachel's birthday, Ross leaves for a paleontological trip to China - while he is gone, Chandler accidentally reveals to Rachel that Ross is in love with her. Rachel eventually decides she would like to start a romantic relationship with Ross, and goes to meet him at the airport when he returns from China, unaware that he is getting off the plane with another woman.

Season two - Ross is unaware that Rachel now has feelings for him, and has started a relationship with a paleontologist named Julie whom he knew at grad school and has met again while in China. Rachel is very unhappy about this and makes attempts to sabotage the relationship, eg: when Ross wants to consummate his relationship with Julie, Rachel tells him women find nothing sexier than a man who doesn't want to have sex. Rachel later goes on a date with another man, where she gets very drunk and leaves a message on Ross's answer machine saying she is over him. Next morning, Ross comes to Monica and Rachel's apartment and plays back the message with their phone. Rachel is forced to admit that she likes Ross, causing Ross to get very confused over his own feelings. He later comes to Rachel at Central Perk and angrily tells her she shouldn't have told him, and he is now over her, but after leaving, he comes back and they kiss passionately. Ross is unable to choose between Rachel and Julie - in the process of making a list of pros and cons for both women, he decides he really loves Rachel, and breaks up with Julie. Unfortunately, Rachel discovers the list of pros and cons he made, becomes angry with Ross and rejects him.However, later in the season, the group watches a video of Monica and Rachel getting ready for their high school prom. In the video, it looks like Rachel's date isn't going to show, so Ross's parents persuade him to take her instead. But just as Ross is about to, Rachel's date arrives and they leave together. Rachel is touched by this, and decides to start dating Ross after all.Joey gets a high profile acting job as Dr Drake Ramoray on the soap Days Of Our Lives, and earns enough money to move into his own apartment. Left on his own, Chandler gets a new roommate called Eddie, who turns out to be insane. When Joey states in an interview that he writes his own lines on Days Of Our Lives, the show's writers are offended and kill off his character. With no income for his lavish spending, Joey moves back into Chandler's apartment. Chandler had been struggling to get Eddie to move out since due to his mental problems, Eddie continuously forgot that Chandler had asked him to leave. Chandler and Joey solve the problem by moving out Eddie's things, changing the locks, and pretending they don't know Eddie when he comes to the door - Eddie assumes he has the wrong apartment and leaves.Phoebe finds she has a half brother called Frank, from her father's side.For a period, Monica goes out with Richard Burke, a friend of her parents' who is significantly older than her. They become very close, but break up in the last episode when Richard tells her he doesn't want to have children with her, having already had them with his ex-wife.

Season three - Rachel quits her job at Central Perk and tries to get one in the fashion industry. She meets a man named Mark who gets her a job in Bloomingdale's, but Ross becomes convinced Mark has ulterior motives, and becomes increasingly jealous. Tension between Ross and Rachel culminates on their anniversary, when Rachel is too busy at work to go to dinner with Ross. Instead, Ross brings some food to her work, but gets in the way and she orders him to leave. Back home, the two have an argument which ends in Rachel suggesting they take a break.Afterward, Ross goes for a drink with Chandler and Joey. Both he and Rachel independently decide to resolve their differences, but when Ross calls Rachel, Mark is there to check if Rachel is all right. Having heard him over the phone, Ross assumes the worst and hangs up. Feeling depressed, he ends up sleeping with a woman named Chloe. He tries to resume his relationship with Rachel without telling her, but she finds out, and after a prolonged argument, they break up.However, towards the end of the season, Rachel becomes upset when Ross starts dating a woman named Bonnie. In the final episode, the group goes on a beach trip, so Phoebe can meet up with a woman (also named Phoebe) who has information about her family. While at the beach, Bonnie unexpectedly turns up. Rachel is unhappy and persuades Bonnie to shave her head so Ross will be less attracted to her. Ross and Rachel argue about this and start to feel like they still love each other. The episode ends with Ross standing between Rachel and Bonnie's bedrooms, picking one, and going in.

Season four - The season begins with Ross entering one room and finding both Rachel and Bonnie. Ross decides to get back together with Rachel, and breaks up with Bonnie. Rachel writes Ross a letter of her feelings about them getting back together. It turns out to be a request that Ross take full responsibility for everything that went wrong last time, which he finds he cannot do, and they quickly break up again.While still at the beach, Phoebe learns the older Phoebe is actually her real mother. Phoebe tells Ursula, who makes it sound like she knew all along. Ursula produces their mother's "suicide note" (which she really wrote herself) which says "Dear Phoebe and Ursula, I love you both very much. P.S. Your birth mother lives in Montauk."Phoebe agrees to be a surrogate mother for her half brother Frank and his infertile wife Alice. Frank and Alice's embryos, conceived by in vitro fertilization, are implanted in Phoebe's uterus and she becomes pregnant with triplets.Chandler & Joey and Monica & Rachel compete in a quiz about each other, put together by Ross, to decide which of them knows more about the other two. The two teams make a bet – if Monica and Rachel win, Chandler and Joey will give up their pet chick and duck, but if Chandler and Joey win, they get Monica and Rachel's apartment. In the end, Chandler and Joey win, and swap apartments with Monica and Rachel. They live like this for a few episodes, then Monica and Rachel try to trade New York Knicks tickets to the boys in exchange for their apartment. Chandler doesn't think it's a fair trade, and they draw cards, with the winner getting the apartment and the tickets. Chandler and Joey win again, but when they get back after the Knicks game, they find the girls have moved all the guys' things back into their original apartment, and moved back into theirs. The boys agree to let living arrangements return to normal when, in exchange, Monica and Rachel kiss each other for one minute in front of them.Ross meets a British woman named Emily and starts dating her. When it is time for Emily to go back to England, she and Ross don't want to leave each other and they decide to get married. In the last episode, the group travels to London for the wedding - except Phoebe, who is too pregnant, and Rachel, who doesn't want to see Ross get married. At the wedding rehearsal dinner, Monica becomes depressed because she's not married, and a drunken man thinks she's Ross' mother. Chandler comforts her and they end up sleeping together.Rachel realizes she still loves Ross and decides to go to London and tell him. When she gets there, she sees him with Emily and decides it wouldn't be right to mess things up for him. The wedding goes ahead, but comes to an abrupt halt when Ross says "I take thee, Rachel" instead of "I take thee, Emily".

Season five - Ross and Emily's wedding continues after Ross' faux pas and they are married, but at the reception, Emily argues angrily with Ross and disappears. After everyone has returned to New York, Rachel tells Ross she still loves him and then starts laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, since he is now married. They both decide to forget it. Emily eventually calls Ross from England and tells him that she will only give the marriage a chance if he promises he will never see Rachel again. Ross agrees, but Emily continues to make unreasonable demands to keep him away from Rachel, such as moving to another apartment. Eventually, he decides the marriage won't work if Emily doesn't trust him and they divorce.Ross has already sold his old apartment at this point and can't get it back since the subletter is Emily's cousin, so he lives with Chandler and Joey for a period until he gets a new apartment for himself. He later loses his job at a museum when he gets angry at his boss for eating his Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich.In the 100th episode (third of the season), Phoebe gives birth to triplets - a boy named Frank Jr. Jr., and two girls named Leslie and Chandler (they had originally thought it would be two boys and a girl, and Phoebe was going to name one boy after Chandler). Phoebe tries to keep one after becoming attached to them, but finds out that Frank and Alice are unwilling to give up a child.After sleeping together in London, Chandler and Monica feel attracted to each other and continue an intimate relationship in secret. Joey finds out about it, but keeps it a secret for them. Rachel then finds out, but after she tells Monica and Monica denies it, Rachel pretends to be oblivious. Phoebe is the next to find out. However, rather than keeping it a secret or pretending to be oblivious, she plays mind games with Chandler by pretending she is attracted to him. When Chandler and Monica realize she knows about them, Chandler pretends he is attracted to Phoebe, but eventually confesses he is in love with Monica. Ross finds out shortly afterwards, and Chandler and Monica's relationship becomes public.Rachel gets a new job at Ralph Lauren.Towards the end of the season, Joey gets the lead in a movie, but travels to Las Vegas to find production has shut down due to lack of money. In the last episode, Chandler, Monica and Phoebe travel to Las Vegas to see him (he has stayed there waiting for production to restart, but has been lying to them, telling them he is filming for the movie), with Ross and Rachel following them later. They find Joey working as a Roman guard in the Caesar's Palace hotel lobby. On the plane there, Ross draws on Rachel's face with a felt tip pen - Rachel can't get it off and doesn't want to leave her hotel room, so Ross stays with her. They both get very drunk and Rachel draws on his face in return.Chandler and Monica decide to get married in a Las Vegas chapel, but just before they do, they encounter Ross and Rachel, still drunk, who have just wed at the same chapel.

Season six - After finding out that they are now married, Ross and Rachel agree to get an annulment, but Ross doesn't want to have been divorced three times and lies to Rachel, telling her he has had the marriage annulled when he actually hasn't. Rachel eventually learns the truth and forces Ross to go ahead with the annulment, but they are unable to get one as Rachel has added humiliating misinformation about Ross on the form, and they are forced to file for divorce. Ross gets a new job teaching paleontology at New York University (NYU).Chandler and Monica decide it's too soon for them to get married, and decide to move in together instead. Chandler moves into Monica's apartment, Rachel moves in with Phoebe, and Joey is left on his own. Later in the season, a fire wrecks Phoebe and Rachel's apartment. It is assumed that Phoebe's candles started the fire, so while Rachel moves in with Chandler and Monica, Phoebe moves into the less savory conditions of Joey's apartment. However, when the firemen find the fire was actually started by Rachel leaving a hair straightener switched on in the bathroom, Phoebe and Rachel swap. Rachel finds living with Joey quite enjoyable, while Phoebe is annoyed by Monica's constant attention and obsession with cleanliness.Towards the end of the season, Chandler plans to propose to Monica. In the final episode, he fails to propose at a restaurant when Richard, Monica's ex-boyfriend, appears. Later, Richard meets Monica at her workplace and tells her he still loves her. She considers going back to Richard when Chandler pretends he isn't interested in marriage (so she'll be surprised when he proposes) but Joey explains the situation to her. She decides to surprise him with a proposal and he says yes.

Season seven - Phoebe and Rachel's apartment is restored after the fire. Phoebe moves back in on her own, while Rachel continues living with Joey.Joey resumes his role on Days Of Our Lives.In the final episode, it is time for Chandler and Monica's wedding, but the night before, Chandler gets cold feet and disappears. While he is gone, Phoebe finds a positive pregnancy test in Monica's bathroom, and assumes Monica is pregnant. Phoebe and Ross find Chandler at his office and persuade him to come back, but Chandler overhears Phoebe and Rachel talking about Monica's "pregnancy" and disappears again. He quickly returns on his own, however, deciding that a baby wouldn't be so bad. Chandler and Monica get married, but when Chandler tells Monica he knows about the baby, she says she isn't pregnant, and it wasn't her pregnancy test that Phoebe found. As the episode ends, it is hinted that it is actually Rachel who is pregnant.

Season eight - It is confirmed that Rachel is pregnant, and in the second episode, the group finds out that Ross is the father (we learn they secretly slept together before Chandler and Monica's wedding). As Rachel and Joey continue living together, Joey starts to develop feelings for her. Feeling that Ross is missing out on his fatherly duties, Joey reluctantly suggests that Rachel move in with Ross, and she does so. Joey later reveals his feelings to Rachel, who politely rejects him.In the last episode, Rachel goes into labor, and while she's in the hospital Ross's mother approaches him with a ring to give to Rachel. Ross demures, saying it's far too complicated, but keeps the ring in his coat pocket. After Rachel gives birth to their daughter, Emma, Joey goes in to see how Rachel is doing and accidentally knocks over Ross's coat. The engagement ring falls out, and Joey bends down to pick it up. Rachel, seeing Joey on one knee with an engagement ring, thinks that he's proposing to her, and says that she'll marry him.

Season nine - Ross, Rachel and Emma continue living together until they have a argument about their current relationship. Feeling it may not be right that she is living with Ross, and they have a baby together, but they are not in a relationship, Rachel decides to move back in with Joey, taking Emma with her.Chandler's job starts requiring him to spend the better part of the week in Tulsa. He puts up with this for a while, but when he finds himself working in Tulsa over Christmas, and a female associate comes on to him, he quits his job, and later gets one in advertising.Chandler and Monica try to conceive a baby of their own, but fail to do so. They go to a fertility clinic and find they are both infertile, so decide to adopt a baby.Phoebe starts dating a man named Mike Hanigan. They become close and decide to move in together, but when Phoebe asks about the future of their relationship, Mike tells her that since he has already been through a failed marriage, he doesn't want to get married again. Phoebe does want to get married, so they break up.Towards the end of the season, Rachel begins to develop feelings for Joey.In the final episode, the group goes to Barbados, where Ross is giving a paleontological talk. Phoebe takes her boyfriend David (whom she first met in the first season and got back together with in the previous episode) and Joey takes his girlfriend Charlie (another professor of paleontology whom Ross had welcomed to the city). Monica learns David is planning to top Mike by proposing to Phoebe, and calls Mike to tell him to get back together with Phoebe. Mike originally doesn't want to intervene, but later comes to Barbados and tells Phoebe he loves her and wants to marry her. Phoebe rejects Mike's proposal, but still resumes her relationship with him, letting David down gently.Joey and Charlie break up when they decide they have too little in common, and Joey subsequently learns Rachel fancies him. He originally decides not to act on it. Meanwhile, Charlie feels she still likes Ross, and they kiss. Joey sees them doing so, changes his mind about Rachel, and goes to her room and kisses her.

Season ten - Joey and Rachel's intimate relationship only lasts for the first three episodes of the season, at which point they find that since their relationship has been platonic for so long, they are too uncomfortable getting physical with each other, and decide to be just friends again.As the season goes on, Mike proposes to Phoebe again, and they get married in a later episode.Chandler and Monica apply to adopt the baby of a pregnant woman named Erica and also decide to move out of their apartment into a house in the suburbs. In the final episode, Erica gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, who are named Jack (after Monica's dad) and Erica (after Erica).Rachel goes for an interview for Gucci, but her Ralph Lauren boss is at the same restaurant where the interview takes place, and fires her. While moving out her things, she runs into Mark (from the third season) who gets her a new job – in Paris. The other friends hold a going-away party for Rachel and she says goodbye to each of them in turn, except Ross. He is upset about this until Rachel tells him it was too hard to say goodbye to him. They then sleep together.In the final episode, Ross realizes he still loves Rachel, and after she leaves for the airport to go to Paris, he goes after her to tell her. When he catches up with her and lets her know, she originally rejects him. Ross gets back to his apartment and finds a message from Rachel on his answering machine, telling him she does still love him and is trying to get off the plane. As the message ends, she arrives at Ross' apartment, and they kiss.The final episode ends with Chandler and Monica moving out of their apartment, and everyone going for one last coffee at Central Perk.

Ratings - The 66-minute series finale was named by Entertainment Tonight as the biggest United StatesUS TV moment of the year 2004, and was the second highest rated show in 2004 beaten only by Super Bowl XXXVIIIthe Super Bowl, however it did not surpass the ratings received by season finales for ''M*A*S*H (TV series)M*A*S*H'' (106m), ''Cheers'' (80.4m) or ''Seinfeld'' (76.3m), nor was it the most watched episode of ''Friends''—that accolade remains with the season two episode ''The One After the Superbowl'', which aired on January 28 1996 and drew 52.9m viewers. During the 2001–2002 season, ''Friends'' was the highest rated show in America according to the Nielsen Ratings.Ratings by country for the finale:

United States: 55.25m (56m peak) Nielsen - Ratings!Nielsen

Canada: 5.159m BBM - !Canada

United Kingdom: 8.6m (8.9m peak) !BARB

Australia: 2.54m !(http://www.smh.com.au/article s/2004/04/25/1080544476965.htm l)!OZTAM

Region 1 DVD Releases -

Best of Releases -

Individual Episode Releases -

Season Releases -

Cultural legacy - ''Friends'' has, in some areas, made a notable contribution to language, fashion, and (to a lesser extent) women's attitudes. The use of "so" to mean "very" was not invented by any ''Friends'' writer, but it is quite arguable that the extensive use of the phrase in the series encouraged its use in everyday life. Also commonly said by the characters, particularly Monica, was the loud and drawn-out "I know." The series has also been noted for its impact on everyday-fashion and Haircuthair-styles–Jennifer Aniston, in particular, had her hair-style copied by many women. Along with this, Joey Tribbiani's catchphrase, "How you doin'?" has become a popular part of American slang, often used as a pick-up line or when greeting friends.But like any long running series, fans of "Friends" have debated when the show jumped the shark. Some insist that it was brilliant from start to finish, or only got better as it went along, often pointing to the ten year run as proof of its quality. Other fans, however, feel that "Friends" ran too long and went into decline when Chandler moved in with Monica, and profess that they were turned off as the characters became progressively more neurotic (particularly Ross) and the situations extremely sillier; these fans feel that the series was at its best during the early seasons.

Spinoff - mainJoey (sitcom) ''Joey'' premiered September 9, 2004 on NBC. It centers around the ''Friends'' character, actor Joey Tribbiani, still played by LeBlanc. Past ''Friends'' cast members are expected to have cameo appearances on the show from time to time, though as of April 7 2005, none have."Tribbiani in this comedy spin-off that continues the beloved ''Friends'' tradition. Joey, an aspiring actor, is off to Los Angeles to pursue his dream and begin a new chapter in his life. In this new town he's sure to face new challenges, both professional and personal. After reuniting with his sister, Gina, Joey moves in with his 20-year-old genius nephew, Michael, who is literally a rocket scientist. What Joey lacks in book smarts, however, he makes up for with people smarts, making him the best new friend his nephew could ask for. Cast: Matt LeBlanc, Drea deMatteo, Paulo Costanzo, Ashley Scott, Jennifer Coolidge".'':-Quoted From the NBC homepageAshley Scott would later be replaced by Andrea Anders, and the scenes involving the character in the Pilot were reshot.

"Friends" in other countries -

Argentina - Friends

Austria - Friends

Australia - Friends

Belgium (Flanders) - Friends

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Prijatelji

Brazil - Friends

Bulgaria - Приятели (Priyateli)

Croatia - Prijatelji

Czech Republic - Přátelé

Denmark - Venner

Finland - Frendit

France - Friends

Germany - Friends

Greece - Τα φιλαρακια (Ta filarakia)

Hong Kong - 老友記

Hungary - Jóbarátok (English: Good Friends)

Iceland - Vinir

India - Friends

Iran - دوستان

Israel - Haverrim (Hebrew languageHebrew)

Italy - Friends

Japan - フレンズ

Latin America - Friends

Latvia - Draugi

Lithuania - Draugai

The Netherlands - Friends

Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia - Пријатели (Priyateli)

Mexico - Amigos

Norway - Venner for livet

Philippines - F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Poland - Przyjaciele

Romania - Prietenii Tǎi

Russia - Друзья (Druzya)

Saudi Arabia - الأصدقاء

Serbia and Montenegro - Prijatelji (Пријатељи)

Slovakia - Priatelia

Slovenia - Prijatelji

South Africa - Friends

South Korea - 프렌드

Spain - Friends

Sweden - Vänner

Taiwan - 六人行

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago - Friends

Turkey - Sıkı Dostlar (Close Friends) in 1990's and Friends as of today

Ukraine - Друзi

Broadcasters -

First-run -

NBC (United States)

M-NET (South Africa)

Channel 4 (United Kingdom; seasons 1-2 and season 10 finale only)

Sky One (United Kingdom; pay-tv service, seasons 3-6 only)

E4 (channel)E4 (United Kingdom; Pay-tv service , seasons 7-10)

Global Television NetworkGlobal (Canada)

RTÉ Two (Republic of IrelandIreland); seasons 1 -10. Ireland was the first European country to screen Friends

ORF (Austria)

Sat 1 (Season 1-5)/ProSieben (Season 5-10) (Germany)

WOWOW (Japan)

MTV3 (Finland)

TVNZ (New Zealand)

RAI (Italy)

Sony Entertainment TelevisionSony (Latin America; seasons 1-7)

Warner Channel (Latin America)

TV 2 (Denmark)TV 2 (Denmark)

TVB (Hong Kong; season 10)

Seven Network (Season 1) Nine Network (Seasons 2-10) (Australia)

TV 2 (Norway)TV 2 (Norway)

Canal PlusCanal + (Spain)

France 2 (France

TelevisaTelevisa cinco (Mexico)

TTT (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) (Seasons 1-9)

1+1 (Ukraine)

MBC 4 (Middle East)

Star - World] (Asia)

Veronica (Netherlands) (Season 1-7)

Yorin (Netherlands) (Season 8-10; channel now called: RTL5).

Reruns/syndication -

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (United States)

*Note: In the United States, ''Friends'' is Television syndicationsyndicated on local affiliates and/or independent stations, not throughout any one broadcast network (such as WB, FOX or ABC).

Nick at Nite (United States)

TBS Superstation (United States)

Channel 4 (United Kingdom)

E4 (channel)E4 (United Kingdom)

Subtv (Finland)

Star World (India)

Zee English (India)

Sony Entertainment TelevisionSony (Latin America; until 2001)

Croatian RadiotelevisionHRT (Croatia)

Warner Channel (Latin America; since 2001)

SBT (Brazil)

ProSieben (Germany)

Star Channel (Greece)

TV 2 Zulu (Denmark)

RTÉ Two (Republic of IrelandIreland)

CityTV (Canada)

TV 2 (Hungary).

RTV Pink (Serbia & Montenegro)

NET 5 (Netherlands)

TV2 (Malaysia)China is said to be the next country to syndicate ''Friends''.

Caveats - In the United KingdomUK, seasons 7 to 10 were first aired on the (then) pay-tv channel E4 (channel)E4, except for the season 10 finale which was broadcast on its sister Free-to-airFTA channel Channel 4 first, then aired an hour later on E4. This was the first time Channel 4 had broadcast an episode of ''Friends'' before the pay-tv channels since 1996.

See also -

List of Friends episodes

List of Friends directors

External links - wikiquote

www2.warnerbros.com - Official ''Friends'' site

0108778title=Friends

71title=Friends

? absurdtrivia.com - Friends Trivia Many trivia quizzes on the sitcom Friends

thesmokinggun.com - Negative 1994 NBC research report about the pilot

friends-tv.org - Popular unofficial "Friends" website

friendspeich.com - Unofficial Friends Site

chandlerinabox.com - Frienatic, unofficial Friends fan websiteFriends Category:1990s TV shows in the United StatesCategory:2000s TV shows in the United StatesCategory:Citytv network showsCategory:NBC network showsCategory:Televisa network !showsCategory:SitcomsCategory: Friendsbg:Приятелиbs:F riends? !(serija)da:Vennerde:Friendses: Friendsfa:دوستان(مجم� �عه? ی !تلویزیونی)fr:Friendsk o:프렌즈id:Friendsit:Friend she:חבריםlt:Draugai? (TV !serialas)hu:Jóbarátoknl:Frie ndsja:フレンズ? (シットコム)no:Venner for livetpt:Friendsro:Prietenii Tăiru:Друзья !(сериал)simple:Friendssk :Priatelia? (TV seriál)fi:Frenditsv:Vänner (TV-serie)zh:老友记

Friends & Heroes
Friends and Heroes is the epic animated tale of two young people in the First Century - Macky and Portia - whose idealism and friendship leads them across the ancient world, from the fabled Egyptian port of Alexandria, to the besieged city of Jerusalem and finally, to the very heart of the Empire: Rome. As they fight for justice and even survival against the might of the Roman Empire, they become friends and then, in turn, heroes.
http://www.friendsandheroes.com/

A great dating site for LDS & Mormon friends and singles!
LDSRomances is designed to help members of the LDS community find new friends and meet like-minded singles. Also, we offer the place for people to build their faith and interacting with others, where people can talk about religion or just spirituality, meditation or just mentality, or more.
http://www.ldsromances.com

Kashmir Web Portal,KashmirOnline,Jammu & Kashmir,Kashmir Chat, Qazi Tauqeer, Kashmir Travel, Kashmir houseboats, Kashmir Discussion Forum, Kashmir Tour, Srinagar,Kashmir Bazaar, SMS, All about kashmir, Kashmir Gifts, Kashmir Websites, Great Kashmiris, Jodi No 1, Fame Jodi Album, Qazi Tauqeer forum, Fame Gurukul, sex and status forum post, websites on kashmir
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http://www.kashmironline.net/

Southern Stars UK Fellowship
We are a group of Scouting orientated people who get together to help at Scouting events in the UK and abroad.
http://www.ssukf.org/.

Thinkin' Outside The Barn
Dan Ohler is a relationship, change, and happiness specialist. Through Dan’s insights & humour you learn to apply the basics of human psychology – the natural laws that create life-long flourishing relationships, and abounding success. Visit www.ThinkinOutsideTheBarn.com to subscribe to Dan’s FREE e-zine, “Soaring Insights”, and see Dan in action while you’re there!
http://www.thinkinoutsidethebarn.com/

Casa Guatemala - Orphan Children´s Village in Guatemala
Orphanage located on the banks of the Rio Dulce in Guatemala, Central America committed to help orphaned, abandoned, abused, and malnourished children in need. Volunteer program with volunteers from all over the world.
http://www.casa-guatemala.org/

PREDONI DELLA NEVE italian snowboard community
a crazy community of snowboard. You can chat,use forum, insert pics, watch videos, and find a lot of informations of the world of the snow
http://www.predoni.com/

Batidora
Batidora it's a Chillean website where you can get in touch with people of diferent countrys or cities in Chile, it's free, you can have your own profile, pictures, chat, forum, etc. This site has been developed by Eduardo Silva (info@batidora.cl)
http://www.batidora.cl/

C u t e f u n p a g e s . c o m
Free Animated & Musical Greeting Cards, Fun Pages, Jokes, Games!
http://www.cutefunpages.com

Jewish Dating Site for Jewish Singles. Love & friends on JewishClub.com
Online Jewish Dating Service for English-Russian speaking Jewish Singles. JewishClub.com - Dating Site for Jewish Personals seeking for love, romance, friendship, matchmaking & relationships
http://www.jewishclub.com/

NBC.com
Official site of NBC television network. Includes celebrity chat events and original interactive programming.
http://www.nbc.com/

Friends of the Earth UK
FOE UK. Provide information on campaigns.
http://www.foe.co.uk/

Friends of the Earth US
FOE is a national environmental organization dedicated to preserving the health and diversity of the planet for future generations. Provide information on campaigns and issues.
http://www.foe.org/

Friends Reunited
Database to help trace old school friends and organise reunions. Registration details, success stories, FAQs and school memories message board.
http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/

The Compassionate Friends
A national self-help support organization, which assists families in the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child, and provides information to help others be supportive.
http://www.compassionatefriends.org/

American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace, and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.
http://www.afsc.org/