Friends is an iconic sitcom which tracks the lives of six, close-knit, New York twentysomethings as they navigate the ups and downs of life, finding love, and establishing their careers.

Whether they’re grabbing coffee at Central Perk or hanging out at Monica’s apartment, the gang are seen each episode dealing with whatever strange scenario life throws at them.

First launching in 1994, the series ran for 10 years before ending in 2004 – during which time the group are seen handling marriages, divorces, career setbacks and dating disasters.

The final episode became the fifth most viewed finale in US TV history, with 52.4million people tuning in to watch it. (It’s beaten only by M*A*S*H, Cheers, The Fugitive and Seinfeld.)

Even 20 years later, Friends has remained a constant fan favourite for people across the world, often ranking as one of the best sitcoms of all time.

Friends ran for 10 seasons, coming to a total of 236 episodes.

Every season ran for 24 or 25 episodes, apart from the final season, which ran for 18.

18 years after the show ended in 2004, the gang reunited for a one-off special about the series, Friends: The Reunion.

Airing as part of HBO Max’s launch in 2021, the special saw the group reminisce about their time on the series, visit the sets they worked on for over a decade, and reflect on the global impact the show has had.

The central six cast members of Friends are:

• Jennifer Aniston (We’re the Millers, The Morning Show) as Rachel Green

• Courteney Cox (Scream, Cougar Town) as Monica Geller

• Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback, Time Bandits) as Phoebe Buffay

• Matt LeBlanc (Man with a Plan, Episodes) as Joey Tribianni

• Matthew Perry (The Whole Nine Yards, 17 Again) as Chandler Bing

• David Schwimmer (Intelligence, Goosebumps) as Ross Geller

All six stars appeared in all 236 episodes of the show.

Across the series, we grew to know their family, friends and romantic interests – many of whom would come to make regular appearances on the show.

Most notable of these are:

• James Michael Tyler (Modern Music, Nobody’s Watching) as Gunther

• Elliott Gould (The Lincoln Lawyer, Carrier) as Jack Geller

• Christina Pickles (St. Elsewhere, Romeo + Juliet) as Judy Geller

• Maggie Wheeler (Californication, Everybody Loves Raymond) as Janice

• Jane Sibbett (Herman’s Head, Santa Barbara) as Carol Willick

• Paul Rudd (Ant-Man, Only Murders in The Building) as Mike Hannigan

• Jessica Hecht (Special, The Sinner) as Susan Bunch

• Helen Baxendale (Cold Feet, Cuckoo) as Emily Waltham

Across the show’s run, Friends was nominated for 231 awards, winning 79.

This includes:

• 5x Primetime Emmys

• 1x Golden Globe

• 1x BAFTA

• 2x Actors Awards (previously known as SAG Awards)

Due to its staying power, the series has been consistently ranked by outlets and fans as one of the greatest TV shows of all time.

These include:

• 21 Best Shows of All Time by Entertainment Weekly

• 29 Greatest Shows of All Time by Variety

• 8 Best Shows of All Time by ScreenRant

• 49 Best Shows of All Time by Rolling Stone

• 21 Best TV Shows of All Time by Reader’s Digest

Friends official rating in the UK is PG for the complete run, with some episodes being rated 12. That means it has been considered generally suitable for young children but recommends parental guidance before doing so.

The show contains:

• Jokes with sexual innuendo

• Discussions around sex, sexuality and relationships

• No visible nudity - though has talks of a naked man in the apartment building across

• No swearing

• Mild violence for comedic effect

• Mild injury for comedic effect

• Some emotional scenes and themes

Will I still be able to watch Friends on Sky with HBO Max launching?

If you have Sky Ultimate TV or Sky Q with an eligible package, you will be able to watch Friends from 26 March 2026 with access to HBO Max Basic with Ads included as part of your Sky subscription.

So not only will you still have a full back catalogue of your favourite series – including Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and Friends – but you’ll also get brand new HBO Max Original titles like the Emmy Award-winning The Pitt. Sky+ customers will also be able to watch HBO Max Basic with Ads content through their home page.

Sky Atlantic will continue to air upcoming seasons of much-loved HBO shows that have previously aired on Sky, including House of the Dragon, The Last of Us and The White Lotus, alongside homegrown Sky Originals and exclusive Peacock Originals straight from the US.

But we’re not stopping there. From March 2026, Sky is bringing together HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and (from July 2026) Hayu all under a single subscription. That means millions of existing customers will get unrivalled access to unmissable entertainment as part of their Sky TV subscription!

For more information on how Sky TV is getting even better – click here!

This March, existing NOW Entertainment customers will get HBO Max Basic with Ads included in their membership at no extra cost and fully integrated into the NOW platform, bringing even more must-see series from HBO Max alongside Sky Originals and exclusive US shows. HBO Max Basic with Ads will drop into your membership automatically, so you don’t need to do a thing.