The cult series Friends was first broadcast on September 22, 1994 on NBC. 30 years later, its aura is more intact than ever. But it is also a mixed anniversary, as the producers of the series remind us.
In ten years, ten seasons and a counter proudly displaying its 236 episodes, Friends is THE series of an entire generation, which communed in unison this evening of May 6, 2004 in front of its television set, with the broadcast of the last episode. A final bow in the form of an apotheosis, which had gathered more than 52 million viewers. The most watched episode of all the series of the 2000s on American television.
It’s already been 30 years since the unforgettable Chandler, Monica, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and Joey landed on the NBC channel on September 22, 1994. While the Max platform has announced the upcoming arrival of a game show called Fast Friendswhere candidates supposed to be “knowledgeable” about Friends will compete with eliminatory questions about their favorite series, the producers and creators of the series are celebrating a mixed anniversary. Because the tragic disappearance of Matthew Perry looms.
“It’s a huge loss…”
“It’s a huge loss, which makes this 30th anniversary a little more difficult”said Martha Kauffman, co-creator of the series, on the Today show, relayed by the Hollywood Reporter. “He made us laugh every day” says Kevin Bright, one of the producers.
“He fought for so long and we really felt like from the cast reunion onwards he had finally found peace.” Regularly caught up by his inner demons, Matthew Perry nevertheless appeared physically changed and fragile during the Friends reunion episode, broadcast at the start of summer 2021.
Matthew Perry died on October 28, 2023, at just 54 years old, from a Ketamine overdose. A shockwave for fans who became inconsolable, and also for his partners, who had paid a vibrant tribute to their friend.
“Two things come to mind” commente Martha Kaufman. “One is to donate to drug treatment centers […]. The second is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that, but as a man who was incredibly funny, and who brought joy to everyone.”
