Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

Matthew Perry’s meteoric rise to fame resulted from the cultural phenomenon of Friends. One of the most successful television series of all time, the American sitcom ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. The show revolved around six twenty-something single friends living in New York City: Chandler (Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Monica (Courtney Cox), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and Ross (David Schwimmer). Relative unknowns when the show started, the cast quickly became famous. They were also close friends off-screen. Praised for its witty scripts and the chemistry of its cast members, Friends was nominated for numerous comedy awards. The show’s finale received the highest viewing figures of any television episode in the 2000s. A reunion special with the cast members aired on HBO Max in 2021.

Friends is often credited as the forerunner of many modern sitcoms. The show’s iconic status was due to a combination of distinctive features. Created as an ensemble piece, the show featured no starring role: an unusual format at the time. Its popularity attracted many famous guest stars, including Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, Kathleen Turner, and Bruce Willis. A running joke was that all episode titles began with “The One …”, e.