Mumbai-based communications professional Shweta Mehrotra has been a F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan for over 24 years now. “Today, I can mouth the dialogues before the characters utter it. That’s how hooked I am,” says Mehrotra, who started it out just watching the show in the early 2000s. “I started slowly realising how people in my college social circle were talking about certain episodes, so I used to catch up with those episodes to make sure I was prepared to participate the next time they spoke about it. This is similar to Joey’s situation when he buys the encyclopedia book volume ‘V’, so he could start participating in his F.R.I.E.N.D.S conversation and appear clever,” she adds.

American television sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S premiered its first episode on September 22, 1994. Over the last three decades, the show has developed a cult following and has gone down in pop-culture history as one of the most popular television shows. Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, its popularity led it to continue for 10 seasons and finally ended on May 6, 2004. While the show ended 20 years ago, it has left a lasting impression on fans, who watch it even though. While millennials like Mehrotra do re-runs, Gen-Z and the generations after that are only introduced to it because of its popularity that has trickled online on social media through posts, reels and meme pages.

Watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S for more than 20 years
Mehrotra shares, “The show is the perfect way to unwind. It is a conversation starter, a means to break the ice with someone or even find a connection on the first date. It’s silly, emotional, funny, comforting and all the things you want in a ‘friend’.” It is no different for Swati Pandit, who has been a fan for more than 25 years now, who started watching it because she enjoyed the humour and characterisation. She says, “It has timeless humour and relatable portrayal of friendships and the ups and downs of navigating life, love, and relationships through your 20s and 30s.”

Just like Mehrotra and Pandit, ask Radhika Banta, another Mumbaikar about her fandom and she is quick to reply, “I have been a fan for 20 years and not counting. Could I be more of a fan?” imitating Chandler Bing, one of the six characters in the series, who was played by the late Matthew Perry, who passed away earlier this year. So, it is no wonder when we ask her who her favourite character is. “It is hard to pick, but if I had to choose, Chandler is my favourite. While sarcasm is legendary, I also definitely identify with his awkward humour.”