The real reason why NBC cancelled 'Friends' after 10 years
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: "So no one told you life was gonna be this way?"- when this line of The Rembrandts' song, 'I'll be there for you' - came on, millions of people gathered in front of their television to see the happening life of Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe played by Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer. Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, 'Friends' made its debut on NBC in 1994 and became quite popular very quickly thanks to its tone and how relatable its characters were. 'Friends' followed the many ups and downs of a group of six friends living in New York City and doing their best to navigate through adulthood and everything that came with it. Monica, Phoebe, Rachel, Joey, Chandler, and Ross, along with many of their one-liners, are now a big part of pop culture, and the series was also very important for its behind-the-scenes achievements, becoming the first TV cast to negotiate as a group so they all earned equal salaries. By the time season, 10 arrived, each main cast member was earning 1 million dollars per episode, making Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Courteney Cox the highest-paid TV actresses.
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Why did 'Friends' get canceled?
As it turns out, the series could have ended a whole lot earlier than it did. "We had several years where we thought this was going to be the last year," co-creator Marta Kauffman explained during a 2014 interview with EW. Fellow creator David Crane put this down to "the actors' contract negotiations", and said that when they decided that season 10 really would be the last it was because they couldn't "keep stopping and starting and rethinking everything". While contemplating the direction that the finale episode would take, and how the story would wrap, Kauffman also noted that "one of the things was: Everybody was growing up."
Will there be another 'Friends' reunion?
The 'Friends' special was a massive event that brought back Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc, who played the legendary Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey, six friends living in New York during their mid-20s to their late 30s, experiencing love, workplace conflicts and more. While promoting her latest film, 'Murder Mystery 2,' Aniston appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show (via Daily Mail) and was asked about a new potential 'Friends' reunion:
She said, "I don’t think so. I think that was it, I think that was the swan song. But you do never know... Everybody stays in touch. We’ll never shake each other. Family forever!"