It’s been 30 years since Friends premiered on NBC, and it’s arguably one of the best sitcoms of all time, even after all these years. The beloved sitcom is still a favorite among many, whether people are watching reruns on TV or rewatching the entire series with a Max subscription, because there’s just something about Friends that makes it one of the most rewatchable TV shows ever. Now, Courteney Cox is looking back at her time on the series and its popularity, and she also explained the magic reason why fans are still watching.
When Friends premiered on September 22, 1994, it’s likely no one knew just how big the series would become. Fast forward 30 years, and people still can’t get enough of it, heck there’s even a Friends-themed game show in the works for the anniversary. Honestly, it’s hard to believe that it’s been three decades since the show premiered, but Cox didn't even realize just how fast time has flown by as she told People:
It's just insane to me because it feels like time, it goes so fast and I don't realize it. We used to say, 'Oh, I can't wait for this month' or 'god, it feels like forever.' I would never say that line anymore.
It seems like each year goes by faster than the last, and hearing that Friends is celebrating 30 years puts time in a whole new perspective for me.
However, despite the three decades, the series has remained consistently popular thanks to streaming, as so many people have discovered and rewatched it time and time again. Cox has an inkling of why the show is still so popular today, and it’s simply because the series really is like no other:
That show is incredible. Every joke holds up, all the characters are just so amazing, and we [had] the best writers in the world. I'm lucky that it continues on through all the generations. And that's very fortunate.
While there have certainly been some great sitcoms to come after Friends, it’s hard to match the energy the series had (and still has). Even Jennifer Aniston admitted she wouldn’t do another sitcom unless the environment was the same as Friends, which would be hard to match. The show was special in so many ways, and there’s a reason why it's still being constantly talked about three decades after its premiere.
Even though not everything on Friends was perfect, such as the lack of diversity, the show still holds up. Of course, like many series that came out a while ago, some of the storylines didn't age well. However, that's only a minor blemish, because Friends continues to be popular thanks to streaming, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that continued for decades to come.
It's very likely when the 40th and 50th anniversaries of Friends roll around, the show will still be popular and loved by so many. It is definitely one of those comedies that will be around for a very long time, even though the finale aired 20 years ago, because as Cox said, there's a magic to it.