The first successful television series to address the Generation X phenomenon, Friends chronicles the loves and lives of six cool, quirky 20-somethings living in New York City and spending an inordinate amount of time hanging out in their local coffeehouse, Central Perk: nerdy paleontologist Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), his obsessive-compulsive chef sister Monica Geller (Courteney Cox-Arquette), wisecracking, hapless number cruncher Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), hunky Italian-American actor Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), spoiled ex-prom queen Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), and spacey massage therapist Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow, who garnered the 1998 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series). In the wake of Nirvana and Reality Bites (1994), the Friends ensemble depicted and hailed this desirable demographic while simultaneously eliminating the alienation, apathy, despair, and cynicism often associated with the group. With Chandler and Joey liv­ ing across the hall from Monica and Rachel, their apartments often served as a site for the group to meet and bond as the characters developed into a strong family unit, helping one another through the trials faced by young adults at the end of the 20th century (romance, careers, family, etc.).

Though the creators transformed the grunge aesthetic associated with Generation X into one of unrealistic conspicuous consumption (their spacious and well-decorated apartments would not be viable options for people sliding in and out of marginally lucrative jobs), each character was a charming combination of glamorous movie star and everyman. Episodes largely dealt with light topics such as finding Ross's lost monkey, discovering that urine is the only cure for a jellyfish sting, or deciding what to do when you realize you have free porn. Titles such as "The One With Chan­ dler's Work Laugh," "The One With the Racecar Bed," and "The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS" illustrate the levity of each individual episode.

However, the lasting popularity of the show, which aired for ten seasons, can partially be attributed to the show's efficient combination of long-term and short­-term stakes. While each episode effectively stands alone as a piece of entertainment, the show also followed the lead of earlier series such as Cheers and Murphy Brown by developing recurring plotlines. Ross's pregnant wife left him for another woman prior to the first episode, and consequently the first several seasons dealt with his neurosis regarding his wife's lesbianism (including television's first lesbian wedding), the birth of their son, Ben, and attempts to raise him in an unconventional family. In addition, anticipation mounted as the characters became more than just platonic friends. Several seasons engaged the "will they or won't they" quandary regarding Ross and Rachel's on­ again, off-again romance (which continued into the show's final seasons, when Rachel and Ross, after an alcohol-induced night together, had a baby) and Monica eventually cured Chandler's recurring fear of commitment as season six climaxed in a candlelit marriage proposal. These ever-changing relationships converted the traditional amnesic plotlines of the situation comedy into ones akin to episodic drama. With seasonal cliff-hangers, Friends maintained its audience from one season to the next by providing escapist comedy alongside exciting soap-operatic romantic developments.

As the seasons carried on and recurring plotlines surfaced and abated, the show's creators integrated various techniques to keep the show fresh. The common inclusion of guest stars provided the network grounds for dubbing episodes "special." Elliot Gould and Christina Pickles frequently resurfaced as Ross and Monica's parents, while television's That Girl, Marlo Thomas, played Rachel's mother. Along with celebrities such as Tom Selleck, Susan Sarandon, and Bruce Willis (who took home a 2000 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series), Cox­ Arquette's and Aniston's real-life husband's David Ar­quette and Brad Pitt made appearances, and fellow NBC contemporaries Noah Wiley and George Clooney of ER appeared as versions of their prime-time alter egos. Additionally, when the "reality television" craze began to threaten the show's Nielsen position, a practice of occasionally " supersizing" episodes was im­ plemented. During February of 2001, at the height of the ratings battle with the popular show Survivor, NBC aired four 40-minute Friends episodes followed by mini episodes of Saturday Night Live, Friends out­ takes, and other supersized NBC sitcoms. The practice was occasionally revived in the following seasons.

Not only was America obsessively watching the show (it continuously ranked in the top ten, seldom dropping below number four), but also they were wearing it, drinking out of it, and dancing to it. Within a couple of seasons, American women fully embraced Rachel and Monica's "shag" haircuts, and the cast's wardrobes represented various factions of cool youth. In addition, the production company hawked a successful line of Friends merchandise (hats, T-shirts, oversized coffee mugs, etc.) in its chain of Warner Brothers mall shops. Number 35 in sales and 1 in airplay, the show's theme "I'll Be There For You" rock­eted the heretofore-obscure band The Rembrandts into overexposure, as MTV and VH l showed the cast members goofing off in the music video.

The show's popular and critical success translated into both a financial jackpot and hailstorm. Following Seinfeld's and Mad About You's immense salary nego­tiations, the young, previously little-known Friends actors fought Warner Brothers for escalating salaries. Initially earning around $22,000 per episode, the cast successfully held out for $75,000 in 1997, eventually earning as much as $750,000 per episode in 2002. However, while the show brought Warner Brothers headaches, it also proved to be a syndication bonanza. Expected to eventually surpass Seinfeld's projected 2 billion dollars, Friends grossed approximately 1.5 billion in its first six-year syndication cycle. Its second run is expected to push the numbers over three billion. This sweeping success brought about an immediate wave of Friends clones. In an attempt to capitalize on the Generation X craze and marketing boom, the networks scrambled to present young Americans with varying incarnations of everyone's favorite Friends. Shows such as Dweebs, Partners, Can't Hurry Love, and Coupling (originally a British show, which was successful, although a U.S. version failed) flooded in and out of the network schedules, while select shows such as The Drew Carey Show and Caroline in the City successfully hailed their desired youth audience and lasted past their freshman season. Regardless, Friends successfully takes its place as the show that best personified popular notions of Generation X and contributed to the changing face of situation comedy narrative.