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A little over two decades ago, writers Marta Kauffman and David Arquette decided to write a script for a family friendly sitcom, tentatively titled “Insomnia Cafe”. Following a series of events through mutliple rewrites and changes, the two, in association with Warner Brothers, finally introduced the world to Ross, Rachel, Joey, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica in one of the most popular shows of all time -- 'Friends' that first aired 20 years ago yesterday.
Across 10 seasons and 236 episodes, the show went on to win a Golden Globe and earn 62 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002. Along the way, it became a touchstone of American pop culture.
The show acquired a cult following like no other, soaring to new peaks of popularity with each season. What's more, each character of the show was as popular as the next. Catchphrases such as "How you Doing?" and "We were on a break!" became legendary, as did Central Perk, the imaginary coffee-shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The series finale, which aired on May 6, 2004, was the most watched episode of the decade with 52.5 million American viewers.
20 years ago...
— Lisa Kudrow (@LisaKudrow) September 22, 2014
Friends premiered 20 years ago today. How time does fly!
— Courteney Cox (@CourteneyCox) September 22, 2014
@LisaKudrow 20 years ago, one of the best sitcoms EVER premiered, and has made millions laugh ever since. :)
— Brandon Moore (@indigo_15) September 22, 2014
@LisaKudrow Watched the show like 5 times, and I still laugh like It’s the first time I watch #Friends
— Hicham Ouazi (@HichamOuazi) September 22, 2014
Even after 20 years, #Friends is still one of your most searched TV shows on Google! http://t.co/yIJyTsYJTA pic.twitter.com/RAX6dRlK2O
— Google Play (@GooglePlay) September 23, 2014
20 years ago today, “Friends" premiered. Amazing. I’m sending love to the cast. I hope they’re all well. Has anyone heard from Gunther?
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) September 23, 2014The entire cast made the same amount per show from start to finish. During the the third season, during negotiations the cast decided to enter collective negotiations and recieve the same amount . For the last season, each of the six main actors received $ 1million for each of the 22 episodes, making Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox-Arquette and Lisa Kudrow the highest paid TV actresses ever.
“Exactly twenty years ago today, six friends came into our lives for the first time and changed it forever. To celebrate, we're bringing you the original Pilot Episode - airing across the country TODAY!”, the show's official Facebook page announced.
To mark its 20th anniversary, a pop-up replica of Central Perk was set up in at 199 Lafayette Street in Manhattan, NY, which was inaugurated by James Michael Tyler, who played the coffee shop's owner Gunther on the show.
In honor of the 20th anniversary Warner Bros. also released a video "The One With 236 Seconds," comprising the greatest snippets from each of the 236 episodes of the show.
“To celebrate 20 years of FRIENDS (TV Show), we’ve hand-picked some of our favourite moments from the 236 episodes to bring you…. The One With 236 Seconds!”, the studio said on Facebook.
