Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC

from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in the
borough of Manhattan, New York City. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane
Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The original executive producers were
Crane, Kauffman and Kevin S. Bright, with numerous others being promoted in later seasons.

Kauffman and Crane began developing Friends under the title Insomnia Cafe in November/December
1993. They presented the idea to Bright, with whom they had previously worked, and together they
pitched a seven-page treatment of the series to NBC. After several script rewrites and changes,
including a second title change to Friends Like Us, the series was finally named Friends and
premiered on NBC's coveted Thursday 8:30 pm timeslot. Filming for the series took place at Warner
Bros. Studios in Burbank, California in front of a live studio audience. After ten seasons on the
network, the series finale was promoted by NBC, and viewing parties were organized around the
U.S. The series finale (the 236th episode), airing on May 6, 2004, was watched by 52.5 million
American viewers,[1] making it the fourth most-watched series finale in television history [2][3] and the
most watched episode of the decade.[4]

Friends received positive reviews throughout most of its run, becoming one of the most popular
sitcoms of all time. The series won many awards and was nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy
Awards. The series, an instant hit from its debut, was also very successful in the ratings, consistently
ranking in the top ten in the final primetime ratings. It is now often regarded by critics to be one of
the finest shows in television history.[5][6][7] The series made a large cultural impact, which continues
today. The Central Perk coffee house that was featured prominently in the series has inspired
various imitations throughout the world. The series continues in syndication worldwide. All 10
seasons are available on DVD. The spin-off series Joey was created to follow up with the series after
the finale.