25 Facts About ‘Friends’ That The Show’s Fans May Have Never Heard Of Before

For those unaware, Friends was a sitcom about 6 friends (two of them were siblings, but you get the point) and their day-to-day lives in the hustle and bustle of New York City. The show ran from 1994 through to 2004, spanning 234 episodes across 10 seasons. Over this time and for years to come, the show was awarded 79 various awards, while being nominated for 231 and is rated #51 in the Top 250 TV shows on IMDB.

Friends had quite an impact on, actually, a lot of stuff. From a cultural standpoint, it helped shape fashion trends and influence the way people talked. If such iconic catchphrases like “how you doin’?”, “we were on a break!” and “PIVOT!” sound familiar to you, then you know just how popular and relatable the show was.

While the show taught many life lessons (including how to properly bring a couch up a building staircase), its biggest lesson was exactly what its name stood for: friendship. No matter what life threw at the characters, they were always supportive of each other, making each other laugh, showing forgiveness in times of conflict and showing how much stronger the bond was.

Heck, a number of people also remember the show fondly as it was their introduction to and journey through learning English. Many noted that Chandler was probably the most quoted character among them because of the words, the accents, the slang, the idioms (and the sarcasm) provided throughout the show.

The show was a hit among Millennials and Gen Xers, though later generations seem to have had an experience with the show as well. Back in 2018, one study showed that 81% of those aged 35 to 54 have watched at least some episodes, with 17% being the ones who watched them all. In contrast, it was a total of 64% among ages 18 to 34, but the hardcore watchers were at 19%.

A piece by Jonathon Van Maren also showed a bit of a dark side of its legacy. While many remember it as a comedy series that struck the perfect balance between being lighthearted and real, the author of the article explains how the show was a Hollywood experiment that tested the moral limits of Americans and desensitized them to harmful sexual behaviors with jokes about casual sex and hookups consequence-free.