Debuting on NBC on this day in 1994, the television sitcom Friends follows six young adults navigating life in New York City. Featuring a largely unknown cast, the show became a monumental success, running for 10 seasons. It also catapulted the actors—Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer—into varying levels of stardom and achievement in Hollywood.
Among the six main cast members, Jennifer Aniston arguably became the most recognized. Portraying the fashion-obsessed Rachel Green, who starts as a waitress at Central Perk—a coffee shop central to the group’s gatherings—Aniston’s layered, blonde hairstyle from the first season became widely known as “The Rachel,” inspiring women globally to mimic it. In her off-screen life, Aniston, who starred in films like The Good Girl (2002), Bruce Almighty (2003), Rumor Has It (2005), and The Break-Up (2006), also became a fixture in tabloid headlines due to her high-profile relationship with actor Brad Pitt. The pair tied the knot in a lavish Malibu ceremony in 2000 but announced their split in early 2005 amid escalating rumors about Pitt’s involvement with actress Angelina Jolie.
Courteney Cox was already the most recognized among the cast when Friends premiered, taking on the role of Monica Geller, a neurotic and hyper-organized chef. Gaining initial fame from her appearance in Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 music video “Dancing in the Dark,” Cox previously acted in the beloved sitcom Family Ties and starred alongside Jim Carrey in the popular comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). She later appeared in the successful Scream franchise and the television series Dirt. Since 1999, she has been married to actor David Arquette and is professionally known as Courteney Cox Arquette. The third female cast member from Friends is Lisa Kudrow, who portrayed the eccentric masseuse-musician Phoebe Buffay. Kudrow’s filmography includes Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion (1997), The Opposite of Sex (1998), Analyze This (1999) and its sequel Analyze That (2002), as well as P.S. I Love You (2007). In 2005, she starred in the critically acclaimed but short-lived HBO comedy series The Comeback.
The male cast included Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, a dashing yet dim-witted aspiring actor. He starred in the spinoff TV series Joey from 2004 to 2006.
David Schwimmer took on the role of Ross Geller, a sensitive paleontologist and Monica’s elder sibling. A significant storyline in Friends revolved around Ross’s tumultuous relationship with Aniston’s Rachel. Schwimmer also appeared in the 2001 TV mini-series Band of Brothers. Completing the ensemble was Matthew Perry, portraying Chandler Bing, the witty businessman. Perry’s film appearances include Fools Rush In (1997), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), and The Whole Ten Yards (2004). More recently, he co-starred in the NBC comedy-drama series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which was short-lived.
On May 6, 2004, over 50 million viewers tuned in to watch the final episode of Friends, marking it as one of the most-watched series finales in television history.
