Watch the final scene of Friends which first aired 20 years ago on May 6 2004.
It has been 20 years since 52.5 million US viewers watched six friends place their key down on an empty counter before leaving the apartment that had seen them fall in love, lose jobs, get promoted, break up, get married and start families.
The final episode (The Last One) of the 10-year-long sitcom aired in the US on May 6 2024 and was broadcast live on a big screen in Times Square. 3,000 people watched the culmination of the show’s most-engrossing storylines, including Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross’ (David Schwimmer) reunion and Monica (Courtney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) bringing their twins home, from a park overlooking the Hudson River.
Matthew Perry got to deliver the last line of Friends, with Rachel asking if the group had time to grab a coffee and Chandler humorously replying “Sure. Where.” Behind-the-scenes footage shows the cast emotionally embracing each other, taking a final bow to a standing ovation and signing the set after the filming ended. Afterwards, the cast and crew spent time with their family and friends, some of whom had appeared in the final episode as extras, and celebrated the hugely successful show they had made.
Marta Kauffman, who co-created Friends with David Crane, said, “Everybody was growing up. This is part of why the show had to end. This was no longer that time in your life when your friends are your family. You’re starting your own family.”
The six friends, their actors and viewers felt the universal experience of sadness that something had ended, and anticipation for what a new life chapter would bring.
From the crazy and unpredictable funny occurrences to the emotional and meaningful love stories, we’ve rounded up seven of the best moments of Friends.
7. Chandler tries to quit the gym (Season 4, episode 4)
When Chandler wants to quit his gym membership, Ross goes with him for moral support. With Ross’ encouragement, Chandler strongly declares “I want to quit the gym” four times to the desk assistant. However, while he is in the office, Ross is distracted by Maria, dressed in spandex, and joins the gym. Back in Central Perk, a frustrated Chandler moans “They’re going to take 50 bucks a month out of our accounts for the rest of our lives – what are we going to do?” The pair plan to close their bank accounts so the gym can’t charge them, but a similar event happens at the bank, and they come away with not only their existing accounts but a new joint account!
6. Phoebe has difficulty with her fire alarm (Season 7, episode 12)
Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) fire alarm won’t stop beeping during the night. She screams: “How could you be beeping! I just disconnected you! I took out your battery! How could… [beep] Don’t interrupt me!” In a final effort to get the beeping to stop, she breaks the alarm before throwing it down the rubbish chute. A fireman returns the alarm to Phoebe, but she realises she can’t stop the noise as she has broken the reset button.
5. Chandler is Toby (Season 8, episode 5)
Ross visits Chandler’s office, and overhears a colleague Bob calling him Toby, Chandler reveals he has been answering to the wrong name for five years. When Chandler’s boss asks him about the possibility of moving Bob to his team, Chandler advises against it. When Bob discovers it was Chandler who stopped him from getting a promotion, he moans to Chandler about it, who he believes is called Toby. When Bob finds Chandler’s office, he starts destroying the contents. After Bob encourages Chandler to join in, he obliges, and helps to ruin his own office.
4. Rachel’s interview with Gucci (Season 10, episode 14)
Rachel gets a job interview for Gucci, but at the restaurant where her interview is due to take place, she sees her current boss Mr Zelner. With Mr Zelner sat at the next table, Rachel tries to act as though she is on a date, rather than a job interview. She says: “My resume? I wouldn’t call my online dating profile my resume?” The interviewer rejects her for the role. Mr Zelner finds out about her going for an interview and fires her from Ralph Lauren.
3. The chair fight (Season 3, episode 2)
Ross is frustrated to find that Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler and Rachel aren’t ready for an event they are attending that evening. Joey sits on the chair that Chandler was sitting in before he went to the bathroom. When Chandler comes back and finds Joey sitting in the chair, they argue over who should get to sit in it. During their disagreement, they spill hummus on Phoebe’s dress. Chandler hides Joey’s underwear, so Joey puts on all of Chandler’s clothes and says “Could I BE wearing any more clothes?”
2. PIVOT! (Season 5, episode 16)
Ross buys a new couch from a furniture store, but doesn’t want to pay delivery costs. He and Rachel carry it back to his apartment, where he draws a plan of how they can get it up the stairs. Rachel brings Chandler along to help, but when they try and execute Ross’ plan, things don’t work out. With Ross leading the way up the stairs with the couch, they listen to his instructions but Chandler gets trapped between the handrail and the bottom of the couch. Determined to get the couch up the stairs, Ross shouts “PIVOT!” six times. Chandler gets annoyed and shouts back “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”, before the couch becomes stuck on the stairs.
1. Phoebe marries Mike (Season 10, episode 12)
When a blizzard hits on Phoebe and Mike’s (Paul Rudd) wedding day, the pair decide to get married on the snowy street outside Central Perk. All of the friends take part in the wedding, with Monica as wedding planner, Rachel as a bridesmaid, Ross taking care of Mike’s smelly dog, Chandler walking Phoebe down the aisle and Joey officiating the ceremony. With Phoebe’s best friends, who have become family, by their side, the couple say their vows and are declared husband and wife.
