LOS ANGELES: K-pop band BTS said they improved their English by watching it, soccer player David Beckham says the show makes him smile "almost to the point of crying," and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said a friend got her hooked on the comedy.
"Friends" may have ended its run in 2004 but the appeal of the comedy about six friends living in New York City shows no sign of waning and is reflected in a reunion special on HBO Max on Thursday.
The show's blend of farce, fantasy and aspiration has created a new generation of fans, many of whom, like Yousafzai, weren't born when "Friends" began in 1994 yet have become devotees by watching re-runs.
James Corden, host of "Friends: The Reunion," said the show has been watched more than 100 billion times across all platforms, influencing fashion and hair styles.
Like "Seinfeld," it was one of the first American TV comedies to focus on young adults, rather than families or shows set in workplaces.
The characters "are not all married, or where they want to be in their careers, and so you see a little bit of that uncertainty with which probably a lot of people, regardless of cultural or national context, could identify," said Claire Sisco King, associate professor in the department of communication studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
"Friends" co-creator Marta Kauffman said the writers were themselves trying to make a living in New York City when they came up with the idea for the show.
"We definitely pulled from our lives," Kauffman says in the reunion special.
Despite the lack of diversity on the series - the characters are all white - the reunion features fans from India, Ghana, Mexico and other nations talking about how watching "Friends" has helped them cope with depression, loneliness and family trauma.
Guest star Lady Gaga thanks Lisa Kudrow for her role as the zany Phoebe Buffay and "being the person for all of us on 'Friends' that was the different one."
"Game of Thrones" star Kit Harington praised the show's comic timing. "These six actors are masters of physical comedy," Harington said.
Kauffman recalled how jokes would be rewritten on the set if they didn't get a laugh from the studio audience on a given night, and how audience reaction influenced the development of the romance between Monica and Chandler.
The coronavirus pandemic fueled the popularity of the show in the past year.
"That escapism could be particularly appealing when everyday life was difficult, tedious and terrifying," said Sisco King.
All the success has made it difficult for many of the actors to leave their "Friends" characters behind.
"It was so hard for people to see Matthew Perry as anything but Chandler, or David Schwimmer is anything but Ross. That's the Catch-22 with a show that has that kind of intense fandom," said Sisco King.
Reuters
Thu May 27 2021
![Fun and fantasy fuel staying power of 'Friends' Fun and fantasy fuel staying power of 'Friends'](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-05/81622086176_FRIENDS.jpg)
Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow are seen during the "Friends" reunion. Courtesy of HBO Max. REUTERSpic
![Guna EV di Felda, ladang Guna EV di Felda, ladang](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721091183_GunaEVdiFeldala.jpg)
Guna EV di Felda, ladang
EV itu dijangka digunakan di Felda pada hujung tahun ini secara berperingkat bagi menggantikan kenderaan sedia ada.
AWANI Pagi: Berita tumpuan & menarik di astroawani.com [16 Julai 2024]
[LANGSUNG] Fokus #AWANIpagi 16 Julai 2024 7.30 pagi,
Antara fokus Awani Pagi bersama Afiezy Azaman & Azib Zikry
1. Perkembangan kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini
2. Waspada taktik penipuan gunakan teknologi AI, 'deepfake'
3. Pindaan Akta Antilompat Parti perlu dikaji secara teliti
Antara fokus Awani Pagi bersama Afiezy Azaman & Azib Zikry
1. Perkembangan kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini
2. Waspada taktik penipuan gunakan teknologi AI, 'deepfake'
3. Pindaan Akta Antilompat Parti perlu dikaji secara teliti
![Cadangan guru Bahasa Inggeris dari Singapura antara tumpuan Dewan Rakyat hari ini Cadangan guru Bahasa Inggeris dari Singapura antara tumpuan Dewan Rakyat hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-10/41633311024_parlimentmalaysia.jpg)
Cadangan guru Bahasa Inggeris dari Singapura antara tumpuan Dewan Rakyat hari ini
Kalam minta Menteri Pendidikan nyatakan perancangan khusus berhubung cadangan itu dan langkah memperkasa guru Bahasa Inggeris tempatan.
![Penyasaran subsidi bukan untuk menyusahkan rakyat - Rafizi Penyasaran subsidi bukan untuk menyusahkan rakyat - Rafizi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721091161_subsidi.jpg)
Penyasaran subsidi bukan untuk menyusahkan rakyat - Rafizi
Rafizi mengakui jika penyasaran subsidi tidak dibuat segera kadar unjuran ekonomi negara akan menjadi lebih teruk.
![Usah tertipu tawaran kontrak bekalan makanan di balai bomba Usah tertipu tawaran kontrak bekalan makanan di balai bomba](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721091171_scammer.jpg)
Usah tertipu tawaran kontrak bekalan makanan di balai bomba
JBPM Johor menerima beberapa laporan daripada pengusaha makanan mengenai penipuan tawaran tersebut.
![Kerajaan jimat RM10.5 bilion tenaga kumulatif dalam Pelan Tindakan Kecekapan Tenaga Negara - PETRA Kerajaan jimat RM10.5 bilion tenaga kumulatif dalam Pelan Tindakan Kecekapan Tenaga Negara - PETRA](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/61713155982_KementerianPeraliha.jpg)
Kerajaan jimat RM10.5 bilion tenaga kumulatif dalam Pelan Tindakan Kecekapan Tenaga Negara - PETRA
Sehingga Dis 2023, kadar penjimatan tenaga tahunan yang dicapai adalah 5.9 peratus atau 8,667 GWj, bernilai lebih daripada RM2.1 bilion.
![Konvensyen Dunia Fujian Ke-11 bakal lonjak pertumbuhan dagang, pelaburan dengan negara luar Konvensyen Dunia Fujian Ke-11 bakal lonjak pertumbuhan dagang, pelaburan dengan negara luar](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721052525_Fujianconvention.jpg)
Konvensyen Dunia Fujian Ke-11 bakal lonjak pertumbuhan dagang, pelaburan dengan negara luar
Penganjuran Konvensyen Dunia Fujian Ke-11 akan meningkatkan pemahaman pertukaran budaya dalam kalangan masyarakat Fujian dari luar negara.
![Enam kerusi Bersatu: Parlimen perlu dipertanggungjawabkan - Penganalisis Enam kerusi Bersatu: Parlimen perlu dipertanggungjawabkan - Penganalisis](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721087087_AgendaAWANI.jpg)
Enam kerusi Bersatu: Parlimen perlu dipertanggungjawabkan - Penganalisis
Manimaran berkata, Parlimen perlu dipertanggungjawabkan kerana menggubal undang-undang yang lompang dan lemah untuk dicabar mana-mana pihak.
Jenayah: Suspek dikait penemuan mayat Nur Farah Kartini direman hari ini
Seorang penjawat awam yang ditahan bagi membantu siasatan berhubung penemuan mayat Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah, 25 tahun, akan direman, pada pagi, hari ini.
![Kerajaan komited kekal trajektori konsolidasi fiskal - Kementerian Kewangan Kerajaan komited kekal trajektori konsolidasi fiskal - Kementerian Kewangan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-11/61635915618_economylaptop.jpg)
Kerajaan komited kekal trajektori konsolidasi fiskal - Kementerian Kewangan
Menurut MOF, defisit fiskal pada 2024 diunjur untuk terus berkurang kepada 4.3 peratus KDNK iaitu RM85.4 bilion.
![Enam sahabat 'gila-gila' dari Manhattan kembali hari ini dalam 'Friends: The Reunion' Enam sahabat 'gila-gila' dari Manhattan kembali hari ini dalam 'Friends: The Reunion'](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-05/71622091233_friend.jpg)
Enam sahabat 'gila-gila' dari Manhattan kembali hari ini dalam 'Friends: The Reunion'
'Friends: The Reunion' dapat ditonton menerusi On Demand di Ultra Box, Astro GO dan HBO GO pada 27 Mei jam 3.01 petang.