Friends is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004, following six twenty-something friends living in Manhattan.

Where did Friends come from?

The show premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994 and wrapped its final episode on May 6, 2004.

What does Friends mean?

In meme context, Friends refers to the sitcom's catchphrases and character bits, like Phoebe's 'Smelly Cat' or Ross yelling 'PIVOT,' that got pulled off the show for online use.

How do you use Friends?

Fans typically quote lines like 'we were on a break' or 'How you doin'?' in comments and captions, or pull screenshots of Chandler's exasperated faces as reactions.

Is Friends still popular?

Yes, Nick at Nite picked up reruns in 2011, and Jennifer Aniston's 2020 announcement of the HBO Max reunion cleared 10 million likes within two days.

Friends

1994TV sitcomclassic

Published August 20, 2026

Friends is the NBC sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004, following six twenty-something friends in Manhattan. Catchphrases like 'Smelly Cat,' 'PIVOT,' and 'we were on a break' turned into permanent internet shorthand, and reaction screenshots of Chandler, Joey, and Ross are still pulled into memes decades after the finale.

tv show memes catchphrase memes reaction memes 90s nostalgia memes friend group memes

Overview

Friends is the American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004, tracking six twenty-somethings sharing coffee, apartments, and dating drama in Manhattan1. Its ensemble, Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross, played by Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, hung around a fictional coffee shop called Central Perk for 236 episodes across ten seasons1.

Phoebe's oddball 'Smelly Cat' song, Ross yelling 'PIVOT' during a couch move, Joey's 'How you doin'?' pickup line, and 'we were on a break' with Rachel turned into permanent internet shorthand for the show's biggest comedic moments3.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

NBC (broadcast television)

Creator

David Crane and Marta Kauffman

Date

1994

Friends premiered on NBC on September 22, 19941. The show wrapped ten seasons later with a series finale that aired on May 6, 20041. Its Metacritic score sits at 59 based on mixed critical reception, while fans handed the show a 9 on IMDB2. A short-lived spinoff, Joey, followed Matt LeBlanc's character to Los Angeles starting September 9, 2004 and was canceled after two seasons4.

How It Spread

Friends outlived its original broadcast through wall-to-wall syndication. Nick at Nite began airing reruns in 2011, Warner Bros. put all 236 episodes on its YouTube channel at $1.99 apiece, and by 2014 Fanfiction.net hosted over 4,000 Friends stories; Phoebe's 'Smelly Cat' music video uploaded to YouTube by user lpss on March 16, 2007 pulled more than 2.4 million views over the same span3.

Fansites predate the show's own web presence. Friends-TV.org launched on a Dartmouth server in Fall 1994, before Warner Bros. or NBC had built any official page for the series5.

On February 21, 2020, Jennifer Aniston announced an HBO Max reunion with a Rolling Stone cover shot of the cast captioned 'It's happening,' and the post cleared 10 million likes within two days3.

How to Use This Meme

Friends memes typically lean on catchphrase quoting or cast reaction screenshots. Common conventions include dropping 'PIVOT,' 'We were on a break,' or 'How you doin'?' into a comment to punctuate a joke about moving furniture, dating fights, or clumsy flirting. Reaction posts often pair a still of Chandler's exasperated face or Ross's meltdown with an unrelated caption about mundane life.