Courteney Cox Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of Friends Series Finale
Friends star Courteney Cox shares a new post on social media celebrating 20 years since the airing of the series finale. First airing in 1994, the sitcom, which was created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, chronicles the lives of six 20-somethings living in New York City and quickly became a massive hit. The Friends cast features Cox as Monica, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc as Joey, David Schwimmer as Ross, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe, and the late Matthew Perry as Chandler. The hit sitcom came to an end in 2004 after 10 popular seasons.
In a new post on Instagram, Cox commemorates the 20-year anniversary of the Friends series finale. The actor shares a clip of the show’s final scene and some behind-the-scenes footage, adding in the caption that she’s “forever grateful.”. “It’s been 20 years since the series finale of Friends,” Cox writes in the caption. “I don’t know how we were able to act through all the tears. Forever grateful.”
It’s not often that sitcoms stand the test of time as effectively as Friends has. The show was a massive hit during its 10 years on the air, but it has since been introduced to new generations of audiences. Part of this, during the early and mid-2000s, was due to re-runs on cable TV, but it has since also found success with the rise of streaming.
The show was available for a long time on Netflix (it’s now streaming on Max), consistently ranking as one of the streamer’s most popular offerings up there with The Office. This availability of all 10 seasons on Netflix meant those unfamiliar with the show were constantly being introduced to the lovable Friends cast of characters and their romantic, professional, and social exploits. Friends’ streaming home also allowed those who watched it while it aired in the ’90s and early 2000s to experience it all over again.
Speaking to Friends’ continued popularity, Friends: The Reunion aired in 2021, and it was a big viewership hit for Max. Perry’s sudden death at age 54 last year also resulted in an outpouring of love both for him, specifically, but also for the show at large, and this was reflected in a boost in streaming viewership after the tragic event. It’s now been 20 years since Friends ended its successful run, but the sitcom continues to be as popular and beloved as ever.