Lisa Kudrow recently spoke to Page Six about the series ‘Friends’. She explained why the show’s remains popular even 30 years after its debut.
Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay on the show, said she believes the series, which aired from 1994 to 2004, holds a “subconscious nostalgia” for younger fans who grew up with cell phones and social media.
“For something they don’t have, which is in-person connections and relations,” she explained. “And that’s always been at the heart of every successful show.”
She added, “That’s why people get attached to them and then if it’s funny, there [are] good performances, good jokes, that’s a bonus and ‘Friends’ had all that.”
Jennifer Aniston has also spoken about ‘Friends’ in the past. Aniston noted that the series aired before the rise of social media and the internet, and reflected: ““It was in the ‘90s and early ‘00s, and we had the luxury of there not being social media or the internet. So we were so isolated and protected. We weren’t faced with what people were commenting and ripping you apart. It was a dreamy time, and I know I sound nostalgic but we were really about the work. We were about the show. It wasn’t about who was the best, it was just an innocent time where we could roam about the world a lot easier. Even though it became a big thing a year into it, we were really able to be together and support each other.”
The series finale aired in May 2004 and was watched by more than 52 million people, making it the fifth most-watched series finale in US television history.