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149-465: It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Globe Awards and twelve Primetime Emmy Awards . In its final season, the show was dropped from its primetime slot, leading to a sharp decrease in viewership, and subsequently cancelled. On March 6, 2019, a limited season 8 revival was picked up by Spectrum Originals for 12 episodes. Reiser and Hunt reprised their roles. The revival showed

298-498: A barista at Central Perk, in every season of the show, but is only ever credited as a guest star . Gunther has a mostly secret profound love for Rachel throughout the entire series. At one point he becomes the manager of the coffee house. It is revealed that Gunther speaks Dutch in addition to English, as well as being a former soap opera actor. In their original contracts for the first season, cast members were paid $ 22,500 per episode. The cast members received different salaries in

447-425: A "different spin" on the character. He played Joey more simple-minded than intended and gave the character heart. Although Crane and Kauffman did not want LeBlanc for the role at the time, they were told by the network to cast him. Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow were cast based on their auditions. Perry and Aniston, both still under contract to other shows that year, were cast days before shooting of

596-480: A Deal (1963–1968 and 1990–1991, as well as a short-lived prime-time revival in 2003), Jeopardy! (1964–1975 and 1978–1979), The Hollywood Squares (1966–1980), Wheel of Fortune (1975–1989 and 1991), Password Plus/Super Password (1979–1982 and 1984–1989), Sale of the Century (1969–1973 and 1983–1989) and Scrabble (1984–1990 and 1993). The last game show ever to air as part of NBC's daytime schedule

745-833: A Saturday edition of Today . Most of the series featured on the TNBC lineup were executive produced by Peter Engel (such as City Guys , Hang Time , California Dreams , One World and the Saved by the Bell sequel, Saved by the Bell: The New Class ), with the lineup being designed from the start to meet the earliest form of the FCC's educational programming guidelines under the Children's Television Act . NBA Inside Stuff , an analysis and interview program aimed at teens that

894-451: A box as punishment. Chandler's relationship with Kathy ends after he discovers that she cheated on him due to an argument. Phoebe loses her job as a masseuse after making out with one of her clients and she accompanies Monica, who has become a caterer for hire. They soon start a catering business together but Monica, after negatively reviewing a restaurant, Allesandro's, is offered the position of head chef. Despite initially being pressured by

1043-785: A cancellation, he panics; however, Chandler has been planning to propose while pretending he may never want to marry. While dining at a fancy restaurant, Chandler's planned proposal is subverted by Monica's ex-boyfriend Richard Burke, who unexpectedly shows up. Richard later tells Monica he wants to marry her and have children. Monica becomes upset at Chandler, believing his ruse about not wanting to marry. Chandler believes Monica has left him until he comes home to find their apartment decorated with candles and her waiting to propose to him. When she becomes too emotional to continue, Chandler proposes and she accepts. The seventh season mainly follows Monica and Chandler as they plan their wedding amid various problems. Joey's television series, Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E

1192-605: A co-branded version of InfoSpace to deliver minimal portal content. In mid-2007, NBCi.com began to mirror the main NBC.com website; NBCi.com was eventually redirected to the NBC.com domain in 2010. Only one legacy of this direction remains in the website of then-O&O WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio (now owned by Nexstar ), which continues to use the URL "nbc4i.com". NBC has used a number of logos throughout its history; early logos used by

1341-479: A company specializing in search engines that learned from searches initiated by its users, for $ 32 million. The experiment lasted roughly one season; after its failure, NBCi's operations were folded back into NBC. The NBC Television portion of the website reverted to NBC.com. However, the NBCi website continued in operation as a portal for NBC-branded content (NBCi.com would be redirected to NBCi.msnbc.com), using

1490-459: A controlling, abrasive, short-tempered character that she had previously portrayed in showrunner Peter Tolan 's 1998 series. Paul and Jamie attend a weekend team-building workshop that Chelsea hosts, mistakenly thinking that it's the marriage counseling seminar which is being held in a nearby room. Mad About You won a Golden Globe Award , a Peabody Award , a Genesis Award , received five Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, and

1639-472: A corporation is unknown. Rachel arrives at Central Perk, wearing her wedding dress, after leaving her fiancé, Barry, an orthodontist, at the altar. She moves into her high school friend Monica's apartment, and gets a waitress job at Central Perk. Ross, who has had a crush on Rachel since high school, often attempts to declare his feelings for her. However many obstacles stand in his way, including his insecurities, Rachel dating an Italian neighbor named Paolo, and

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1788-409: A crush on her neighbor Danny and they date briefly, until she realizes that he is too close with his sister. Monica and Chandler try to keep their new relationship a secret from their friends. Phoebe gives birth to triplets in the show's 100th episode. She gives birth to a boy, Frank Jr. Jr., and two girls, Leslie and Chandler, the latter of whom was supposed to be a boy, but was later revealed to be

1937-636: A digital subchannel or because a primary feed NBC affiliate has not yet upgraded their transmission equipment to allow content to be presented in HD. NBC's master feed has not fully converted to 1080p or 2160p ultra-high-definition television (UHD). However, some NBC stations have already begun broadcasting at 1080p via ATSC 3.0 multiplex stations. One notable example is WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina (a station that re-joined NBC in February 2016), which

2086-486: A few smaller markets, such as Binghamton, New York ( WBGH-CD ), Jackson, Tennessee ( WNBJ-LD ) and Juneau, Alaska ( KATH-LD ), that do not have enough full-power stations to support a standalone affiliate. In some markets, these stations also maintain digital simulcasts on a subchannel of a co-owned/co-managed full-power television station. Southern New Hampshire receives NBC programming via network-owned WBTS-CD , licensed to serve Nashua ; while nominally licensed as

2235-419: A girl. After weeks of trying to contact her, Emily agrees to reconcile with Ross and move to New York if he breaks off all communication with Rachel. Ross agrees, but later attends a dinner with all his friends, Rachel included. Emily phones Ross, discovers Rachel is there, realizes she does not trust him and ends their marriage. Ross takes out his anger at work, resulting in him being indefinitely suspended from

2384-593: A heavily advertised online venture serving as an attempt to launch a web portal . This move saw NBC partner with Xoom.com (not to be confused with the current money transfer service ), e-mail.com, AllBusiness.com , and Snap.com (eventually acquiring all four companies outright; not to be confused with the current-day parent of Snapchat ) to launch a multi-faceted internet portal with e-mail, web hosting, community, chat and personalization capabilities, and news content. Subsequently, in April 2000, NBC purchased GlobalBrain,

2533-477: A junior copywriter. Monica and Chandler discover they are physically incompatible to conceive and after considering multiple options, decide to adopt. Phoebe begins dating Mike Hannigan ( Paul Rudd ) for most of the season until Mike says that he never wants to marry again. Phoebe dates her ex-boyfriend from season 1, David ( Hank Azaria ) who plans on proposing to her, but Mike proposes first. Phoebe rejects both proposals but gets back together with Mike, only needing

2682-399: A long letter that Rachel wrote for him. However, Ross continues to insist that the two were on a break when he slept with Chloe, so they break up again. Joey dates Kathy ( Paget Brewster ), a girl that Chandler has a crush on. Kathy and Chandler later kiss, which causes drama between Chandler and Joey. Joey only forgives Chandler and allows him to date Kathy after Chandler spends Thanksgiving in

2831-537: A low-power class A station, it transmits a full-power signal under a channel share with the WGBH Educational Foundation and its secondary Boston station WGBX-TV from Needham, Massachusetts , and serves as the NBC station for the entire Boston market. Until 2019, NBC operated a low-powered station in Boston, WBTS-LD (now WYCN-LD ), which aimed to serve as its station in that market while using

2980-528: A national reach of 88.91% of all households in the United States (or 277,821,345 Americans with at least one television set). Since January 24, 2022, when CBS affiliate WBKB-TV in Alpena, Michigan affiliated its DT2 subchannel with NBC, NBC is, to date, the only major network with an in-market affiliate in every designated market area in the United States. Currently, New Jersey and Delaware are

3129-469: A network of additional full-power stations to cover the market in full (including Merrimack, New Hampshire -licensed Telemundo station WNEU , which transmitted WBTS on a second subchannel); NBC purchased the Nashua station (formerly WYCN-CD) in early 2018 after the FCC spectrum auction , and in 2019 relocated WYCN-LD to Providence, Rhode Island to serve as a Telemundo station for that market. Tegna Media

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3278-523: A new Saturday morning block programmed by Litton Entertainment under the Children's Television Act. It's called The More You Know , inspired by the name of brand extension of The More You Know —a series of public service campaigns first launched by NBC in 1989. The block premiered on October 8, 2016, replacing NBC Kids block (originally October 1, 2016, but postponed due to the NBC network coverage of

3427-480: A new roommate, Eddie ( Adam Goldberg ). However, Eddie is annoying and somewhat deranged. When Joey claims in a soap opera magazine interview that he writes many of his own lines, offending the show's writer, his character is killed off. No longer able to afford his expensive new apartment, Joey moves back in with Chandler, kicking Eddie out in the process. In the season finale, Chandler talks to an anonymous woman in an online chat room. When they agree to meet in person,

3576-560: A part of the series. Auditions for the lead roles took place in New York and Los Angeles. The casting director shortlisted 1,000 actors who had applied for each role down to 75. Those who received a callback read in front of Crane, Kauffman and Bright. At the end of March, the number of potential actors had been reduced to three or four for each part, and these actors were asked to read for Les Moonves , then president of Warner Bros. Television . Having worked with David Schwimmer in

3725-473: A positive pregnancy test in Monica and Chandler's bathroom. They assume Monica is pregnant. Ross and Phoebe find Chandler and convince him to return for the ceremony, though he briefly bolts again after overhearing Phoebe and Rachel discussing the pregnancy test. He quickly returns, embracing the idea of fatherhood. After the ceremony, Monica denies she is pregnant; unbeknown to everyone, the positive pregnancy test

3874-478: A practice imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in which a pay television provider supplants an American station's signal with a feed from a Canadian station/network airing a particular program in the same time slot to protect domestic advertising revenue. Some of these affiliates are also receivable over the air in southern areas of the country located near

4023-508: A psychotherapist. Fran's husband, Mark, does return in the revival, but the character is now remarried. Mad About You has had numerous connections to other NBC sitcoms set in New York City, as well as various other programs. Friends (owned by Warner Bros. Television ): Lisa Kudrow played the recurring role of Ursula , a flaky waitress at Riff's Bar, a local restaurant that Paul and Jamie frequented. Kudrow went on to star in

4172-532: A running joke about George's distaste for his fiancée Susan's fondness for watching Mad About You . In the Mad About You season seven episode "Season Opener", Paul, under the effects of Viagra , ran into Jerry Seinfeld in the street, who tells Paul to go away. At this point in Seinfeld ' s chronology, Jerry Seinfeld was supposed to be in prison . The Dick Van Dyke Show : Carl Reiner reprised

4321-803: A separate digital channel, available on satellite and cable providers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which shut down as a TV station in the end of 2009. NBC programming is available in Mexico through free-to-air affiliates in markets located within proximity to the Mexico–United States border (such as KYMA-DT / Yuma, Arizona ; KGNS-TV / Laredo, Texas ; KTSM / El Paso, Texas ; KVEO / Brownsville, Texas ; and KNSD / San Diego ), whose signals are readily receivable over-the-air in border areas of northern Mexico. Some U.S.-based border affiliates are also available on subscription television providers throughout

4470-539: A supplier, which is against company policy. Needing money, she is forced to take an embarrassing job as a waitress at a 1950s-style diner. She begins dating Richard Burke ( Tom Selleck ), a recently divorced family friend who is 21 years her senior. They eventually break up when Monica realizes that Richard, already a father, does not want more children. Joey is cast in a fictional version of the soap opera, Days of Our Lives as neurosurgeon Dr. Drake Ramoray. He moves out of his and Chandler's apartment, forcing Chandler to get

4619-401: A tearful personal goodbye to everyone except Ross at her going away party, a hurt and angry Ross confronts Rachel, and they end up sleeping together. Rachel leaves, and Ross – realizing how much he loves Rachel – chases her to the airport. When he reaches her, Rachel says she has to go to Paris . Before the plane takes off, Rachel calls Ross's home phone and leaves a voice mail, apologizing for

Mad About You - Misplaced Pages Continue

4768-478: A time when the future was "more of a question mark." They found the concept to be interesting, as they believed "everybody knows that feeling", and because it was also how they felt about their own lives at the time. The team titled the series Insomnia Cafe and pitched the idea as a seven-page treatment to NBC in December 1993. At the same time, Warren Littlefield , the then-president of NBC Entertainment ,

4917-407: A trip to Las Vegas, but change their plans after witnessing Ross and Rachel drunkenly stumbling out of the wedding chapel. In the season 6 premiere, Ross and Rachel's marriage turns out to be a drunken mistake that neither remembers until the other friends mention it. Ross promises Rachel he will get them an annulment, then secretly does nothing because he cannot face having three failed marriages. By

5066-502: A young assistant, Tag Jones ( Eddie Cahill ), based on his looks, passing over a more qualified woman. Tag discovers her feelings about him at Thanksgiving dinner, and they begin dating, hiding it from co-workers. However, on her 30th birthday, Rachel ends their relationship, realizing Tag is too young and immature, particularly if she intends to follow her marriage schedule. Hours before Monica and Chandler's wedding ceremony, Chandler panics and goes into hiding just as Phoebe and Rachel find

5215-505: Is Monica's co-worker from Allesandro's. Joey takes Rachel out to quell her fears about motherhood, and realizes he has romantic feelings for her. While suppressing his feelings, he encourages Rachel to stay at Ross's apartment so he can be involved in the pregnancy. The arrangement is too much for Mona, and she breaks up with Ross. Joey tells Ross about his feelings for Rachel. Ross initially is angry, then gives his blessing. Joey tells Rachel that he loves her, but she realizes she does not feel

5364-575: Is Rachel's. Season 8 begins at Monica and Chandler's wedding reception. Phoebe and Monica discover Rachel's pregnancy and persuade her to take another test to confirm it. Phoebe initially claims the test is negative, badly disappointing Rachel, then reveals it is positive, saying Rachel now knows how she really feels about having a baby. Ross is eventually revealed to be the father, and the season revolves around Rachel's pregnancy. Rachel and Ross agree to be co-parents without resuming their romantic relationship; Ross begins dating Mona ( Bonnie Somerville ), who

5513-427: Is a part-owner of Hulu (along with majority owner The Walt Disney Company , owner of ABC), and has offered full-length episodes of most of NBC's programming through the streaming service (which are available for viewing on Hulu's website and mobile app ) since Hulu launched in private beta testing on October 29, 2007. The most recent episodes of the network's shows are usually made available on NBC.com and Hulu

5662-825: Is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal , a subsidiary of Comcast . The headquarters of NBC is in New York City at the Comcast Building . NBC also has offices in Chicago at the NBC Tower . Founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America , NBC is the oldest of the traditional "Big Three" American television networks and

5811-676: Is available in a traditional manner in Canada , with its episodes airing on the CTV Comedy Channel . Many of the main and recurring cast members reprised their roles for the revival, which ignored the events of the season 7 finale (a flash-forward story that told how the Buchmans would fare over the next 20+ years). The most notable former main cast member not to reprise her role was Leila Kenzle , who played Jamie's best friend, Fran Devanow. Kenzle retired from acting in 2003 and became

5960-405: Is canceled, but he is offered his old role on Days of Our Lives ; the show is retconned with the revelation that Dr. Drake Ramoray has been in a four-year coma and is revived with a brain transplant from another character. Phoebe's repaired apartment now has one large bedroom instead of the original two, so Rachel permanently stays at Joey's. Rachel is promoted at Ralph Lauren and impulsively hires

6109-514: Is currently also broadcasting at 1080p via WNGT-CD , which is also serving as an ATSC 3.0 multiplex for the Raleigh area. While the equipment would allow the transmission of 2160p UHD, this was previously done through a secondary experimental station (WRAL-EX) where it transmitted limited NBC programming in UHD. The experimental station went off-air in 2018 as part of the FCC's repacking process. Meet

Mad About You - Misplaced Pages Continue

6258-549: Is demoted to personal shopping and meets and later dates a customer named Joshua ( Tate Donovan ). Ross begins dating an English woman named Emily ( Helen Baxendale ), and they quickly get engaged. Rachel struggles to cope and hastily suggests to Joshua that they marry, after which he rejects her. In the season finale , the group, apart from a heavily pregnant Phoebe and Rachel, travel to Ross and Emily's wedding in London. Chandler and Monica sleep together, and Rachel, realizing that she

6407-562: Is sometimes referred to as the " Peacock Network " in reference to its stylized peacock logo , which was introduced in 1956 to promote the company's innovations in early color broadcasting . NBC has twelve owned-and-operated stations and has affiliates in every TV market in the United States . Some of the stations are also available in Canada , the Caribbean, and Mexico via pay-television providers or in border areas over

6556-457: Is still in love with Ross, rushes to London to stop Ross and Emily's wedding, but changes her mind when she sees them happy together. While saying his vows, Ross accidentally says Rachel's name at the altar, shocking his bride and the guests. Ross and Emily marry, but an angry and humiliated Emily flees the reception. Rachel soon admits her love for Ross, but realizing how ridiculous this is, advises him to work on his marriage to Emily. She develops

6705-404: Is the largest operator of NBC stations in terms of overall market reach, owning or providing services to 20 NBC affiliates (including those in larger markets such as Atlanta , Denver , St. Louis , Seattle and Cleveland ); Gray Television is the largest operator of NBC stations by numerical total, owning 28 NBC-affiliated stations. NBC provides video on demand access for delayed viewing of

6854-524: Is tired of his constant jealousy and insecurity, and decides they need a relationship break. Ross, hurt and somewhat drunk, immediately sleeps with Chloe, "the hot girl from the Xerox place," causing Rachel to break up with him completely. Although Phoebe initially believes she has no family except her twin sister Ursula ( Lisa Kudrow ), she learns she has a half-brother, Frank Jr. ( Giovanni Ribisi ) and discovers her birth mother, Phoebe Abbott ( Teri Garr ) over

7003-425: Is too immature for Ross, and previously reserved Paul opens up emotionally and is more than Rachel can handle. Phoebe and Rachel's apartment catches fire, and Rachel moves in with Joey, while Phoebe stays with Chandler and Monica, though they later switch. While at a museum that has a two-year wait for weddings, Monica puts her name on the reservation list as a joke. When Chandler intercepts the museum's phone call about

7152-559: Is too weird, Rachel and Emma move in with Joey. Rachel develops a crush on him, only to be disheartened when he starts dating Charlie ( Aisha Tyler ), a new palaeontology professor to whom Ross is attracted. In the finale, the group travels to Barbados for Ross's keynote speech at a conference. Joey and Charlie break up upon realizing they have nothing in common. Joey then learns about Rachel's feelings for him, but says they cannot pursue this because of Ross. However, upon seeing Ross and Charlie kiss each other, he goes to Rachel's hotel room, and

7301-502: Is under the umbrella branding of The More You Know , based on the network's long-time strand of internally-produced public service announcements of the same name . It premiered on October 8, 2016, giving Litton control of all but Fox's Weekend morning E/I programming among the five major broadcast networks. Live sports programming is also provided on weekends at any time between 7:00 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time, but most commonly between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern. Due to

7450-497: The 2002–03 season , with select shows among that season's slate of freshmen scripted series being broadcast in HD from their debuts. The network completed its conversion to high definition in September 2012, with the launch of NBC Kids, a new Saturday morning children's block programmed by new partial sister network PBS Kids Sprout , which also became the second Saturday morning children's block with an entirely HD schedule (after

7599-723: The 2016 Ryder Cup ). NBC holds the broadcast rights to several annual specials and award show telecasts, including the Golden Globe Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards (which are rotated across all four major networks each year). Since 1953, NBC has served as the official U.S. broadcaster of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade . CBS also carries unauthorized coverage of the Macy's parade as part of The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS ; however, as NBC holds rights to

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7748-969: The Canada–United States border (signal coverage was somewhat reduced after the digital television transition in 2009 due to the lower radiated power required to transmit digital signals). NBC no longer exists outside the Americas as a channel in its own right. However, NBC News and MSNBC programs are broadcast for a few hours a day on OSN News, formerly known as Orbit News in Africa and the Middle East. Sister network CNBC Europe also broadcasts occasional breaking news coverage from MSNBC as well as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . CNBC Europe also broadcast daily airings of NBC Nightly News at 00:30 CET Monday to Fridays. In 1993, then-NBC parent General Electric acquired Super Channel, relaunching

7897-576: The LXTV -produced 1st Look and Open House NYC air after Saturday Night Live (replays of the previous week's 1st Look also air on Friday late nights on most stations), with a Meet the Press encore a part of its Sunday overnight schedule. The network's weekend morning children's programming time slot is programmed by Litton Entertainment under a time-lease agreement. The three-hour block of programming designed mainly for 14-16-year-old teenage viewers

8046-668: The Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants (NBC also held rights to the Miss Teen USA pageant from 2003, when NBC also assumed rights to the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants as part of a deal brokered by Miss Universe Organization owner Donald Trump that gave the network half-ownership of the pageants, until 2007, when NBC declined to renew its contract to carry Miss Teen USA, effectively discontinuing televised broadcasts of that event until 2023). NBCUniversal relinquished

8195-531: The TLC series Trading Spaces ); the Emmy-nominated reality game show Endurance , hosted and produced by J. D. Roth (whose production company, 3-Ball Productions, would also produce reality series The Biggest Loser for NBC beginning in 2003); and scripted series such as Strange Days at Blake Holsey High and Scout's Safari . The block later expanded to include some animated series such as Kenny

8344-578: The Ultimate Fighting Champion and refuses to quit. Phoebe sets Ross up on a date with her friend, Bonnie ( Christine Taylor ), inciting Rachel's jealousy. She tries sabotaging the relationship by coercing Bonnie to shave her head bald, and eventually admits to Ross that she still has feelings for him. The season closes with Ross having to choose between Rachel and Bonnie. In the season 4 premiere, after Ross breaks up with Bonnie, he and Rachel briefly reconcile after Ross pretends to read

8493-459: The working title Insomnia Cafe between November and December 1993. They presented the idea to Bright, and together they pitched a seven-page treatment of the show to NBC. After several script rewrites and changes, including title changes to Six of One and Friends Like Us , the series was finally named Friends . Filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California . The series

8642-538: The 2002 games. Coverage of the Olympics on NBC has included pre-empting regularly scheduled programs during daytime, prime time, and late night. In July 2022, NBC announced that the Olympic Channel will be shut down on September 30. NBC stated they will be announcing the plans for Olympic content in the fall of 2022. News coverage has long been an important part of NBC's operations and public image, dating to

8791-491: The 2003 live-action film Elf ). Since 2013, the network has aired live musical adaptations with major stars in lead roles. Originally dismissed as a gimmick, they have proven to be rating successes, as well as a nostalgic tribute to the early days of television. Past adaptations include: From 2003 to 2014, NBC also held rights to two of the three pageants organized by the Miss Universe Organization :

8940-480: The 2018 season allowed games to be streamed through network websites and apps. NBC's master feed is transmitted in 1080i high definition , the native resolution format for NBCUniversal's television properties. However, 19 of its affiliates transmit the network's programming in 720p HD, while four others carry the network feed in 480i standard definition either due to technical considerations for affiliates of other major networks that carry NBC programming on

9089-579: The ABC-syndicated Litton's Weekend Adventure ). All the network's programming has been presented in full HD since then (except for certain holiday specials produced prior to 2005 – such as its annual broadcast of It's a Wonderful Life – which continues to be presented in 4:3 SD, although some have been remastered for HD broadcast). The network's high-definition programming is broadcast in 5.1 surround sound . In 1999, NBC launched NBCi (briefly changing its web address to "www.nbci.com"),

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9238-412: The Bell , a live-action teen sitcom which originated on The Disney Channel the previous year as Good Morning, Miss Bliss (which served as a starring vehicle for Hayley Mills ; four cast members from that show were cast in the NBC series as the characters they originally played on Miss Bliss ). Saved by the Bell , despite being given bad reviews from television critics, would become one of

9387-476: The Central Perk coffee house after a snow storm paralyzes the city, preventing them and guests getting to the wedding venue. Monica and Chandler are chosen by a pregnant woman named Erica ( Anna Faris ) to adopt her baby. Following this, Monica and Chandler prepare to move to a house in the suburbs to raise their family, saddening everyone, particularly Joey, who is coping with all the changes in his life. In

9536-531: The NBC Sports Group, which became an NBC property through Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal ) carries sports news content alongside sports event telecasts. Key anchors from NBC News are also used during NBC Sports coverage of the Olympic Games . While NBC has aired a variety of soap operas on its daytime schedule over its history, Days of Our Lives (1965–2022) was the last soap opera on

9685-542: The NBC network until May 2, 2010, when it became the last NBC News program to convert to HD). NBC officially began its conversion to high definition with the launch of its simulcast feed, NBC HD, on April 26, 1999, when The Tonight Show became the first HD program to air on the NBC network as well as the first regularly scheduled American network program to be produced and transmitted in high definition. The network gradually converted much of its existing programming from standard-definition to high definition beginning with

9834-519: The NBC sitcom Friends , playing the also somewhat flaky character of Phoebe Buffay , and for a time both series shared the same Thursday night line-up. While not originally intended, the characters of Ursula and Phoebe were later found to be identical twin sisters. In a Friends episode ("The One With The Two Parts", 1st Season), as part of a night of NBC sitcom crossovers, Jamie and Fran walk into Central Perk and mistake Phoebe for Ursula. Hunt and Kenzle were not identified on screen as Jamie and Fran. In

9983-605: The Pan-European cable network as NBC Super Channel. In 1996, the channel was renamed NBC Europe , but was, from then on, almost always referred to on-air as simply "NBC". Most of NBC Europe's prime time programming was produced in Europe due to rights restrictions associated with U.S. prime time shows; the channel's weekday late-night schedule after 11:00 p.m. Central European Time , however, featured The Tonight Show , Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Later , which

10132-785: The Prairie , Las Vegas , Crossing Jordan , the Law & Order franchise (begun independently by Universal Television, and became in-house programming after the NBCUniversal deal), The Office and the Chicago franchise . NBC has twelve owned-and-operated stations and current and pending affiliation agreements with 223 additional television stations encompassing 50 states, the District of Columbia, six U.S. possessions and two non-U.S. territories ( Aruba and Bermuda ). The network has

10281-497: The Press was the first regular series on a major television network to produce a high-definition broadcast on February 2, 1997, which aired in the format over WHD-TV in Washington, D.C., an experimental television station owned by a consortium of industry groups and stations which launched to allow testing of HD broadcasts and operated until 2002 (the program itself continued to be transmitted in 480i standard definition over

10430-462: The Press , weekday early-morning news program Early Today and primetime newsmagazine Dateline NBC on Friday nights . Late nights feature the weeknight talk shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , Late Night with Seth Meyers , and an overnight replay of Today with Hoda & Jenna . NBC affiliates carrying it in syndication also have the option to substitute a same-day encore of The Kelly Clarkson Show on weekdays. On Saturdays,

10579-553: The Qubo venture also encompassed weekly blocks on Telemundo and Ion Television , a 24-hour digital multicast network on Ion's owned-and-operated and affiliated stations, as well as video on demand services and a branded website. Qubo launched on NBC on September 9, 2006, with six programs ( VeggieTales , Dragon , VeggieTales Presents: 3-2-1 Penguins! , Babar , Jane and the Dragon and Jacob Two-Two ). On March 28, 2012, it

10728-508: The Shark , Tutenstein and Time Warp Trio . In May 2006, NBC announced plans to launch a new Saturday morning children's block under the Qubo brand in September 2006. An endeavor originally operated as a joint venture between NBCUniversal , Ion Media Networks , Scholastic Press , Classic Media and Corus Entertainment 's Nelvana unit (Ion acquired the other partners' shares in 2013),

10877-645: The air. NBC also maintains brand licensing agreements for international channels in South Korea and Germany . The first and oldest major broadcast network in the United States, NBC was formed in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), then owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse , AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Company . In 1932, the US Government forced GE to sell RCA and NBC due to antitrust violations. In late 1986, GE regained control of RCA through its $ 6.4 billion purchase of

11026-436: The apartment's purple door. It's about sex, love, relationships, careers, a time in your life when everything's possible. And it's about friendship because when you're single and in the city, your friends are your family. David Crane and Marta Kauffman began developing three new television pilots that would premiere in 1994 after their sitcom Family Album was cancelled by CBS in 1993. Kauffman and Crane decided to pitch

11175-449: The blackout premise. Seinfeld : In one episode ("The Apartment", 1st Season), Paul, pressured by Jamie, decides to sign over the lease of his old "bachelor pad" to the current tenant who is subleasing. When the tenant is revealed to be Cosmo Kramer ( Michael Richards ) of Seinfeld , Paul asks Kramer "What ever happened to that Jerry guy who used to live there?" Seinfeld , however, twice contradicted this connection, once even featuring

11324-561: The channel's slogan "Where the Stars Come Out at Night" was based around. Many NBC News programs were broadcast on NBC Europe, including Dateline NBC , Meet the Press and NBC Nightly News , the latter of which was broadcast simultaneously with the initial U.S. telecast. Today was also initially aired live in the afternoons, but was later broadcast instead the following morning on a more than half-day delay. In 1999, NBC Europe ceased broadcasting in most of Europe outside of Germany;

11473-448: The company. Although it retained NBC, GE immediately closed or sold off most of RCA's other divisions and assets. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, forming NBCUniversal . Comcast purchased a controlling interest in NBCUniversal in 2011 and acquired GE's remaining stake in 2013. NBC is the home broadcaster of some of the longest continuously running American television series , including

11622-453: The complete series on a 14-DVD set on May 3, 2016. As of August 1, 2019, the entire series has been available to Spectrum subscribers as part of the run-up to the premiere of the revival series. On December 8, 2020, the revival season, alongside the original series, was added to Amazon Prime Video . A Chilean adaptation under the title Loco por ti (translated as Crazy About You ) aired on TVN during 2004. An Argentine adaptation under

11771-753: The country, including in the Mexico City area. Central Perk Friends is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman , which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons . With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston , Courteney Cox , Lisa Kudrow , Matt LeBlanc , Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer , the show revolves around six friends in their 20s and early 30s who live in Manhattan , New York City. The original executive producers were Kevin S. Bright , Kauffman, and David Crane. Kauffman and Crane began developing Friends under

11920-451: The couple as new empty nesters whose daughter was starting college at NYU. The events of the original series' finale, which showed the events of the next twenty years of the couple's lives, were retconned for the revival. The series focuses mainly on newlyweds Paul Buchman, a documentary filmmaker, and Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist, as they deal with everything from humorous daily minutiae to major struggles. Near

12069-476: The course of the season. Joey falls in love with his acting partner Kate ( Dina Meyer ), but is jealous of her dating the director of their play. They begin a brief relationship that ends when she takes an acting job in Los Angeles. Monica dates millionaire Pete Becker ( Jon Favreau ), despite her initially not being attracted to him. However, she breaks up with Pete after he is seriously hurt trying to become

12218-659: The day after their original broadcast. In addition, NBC.com and certain other partner websites (including Hulu) provide complete back catalogs of most of its current series as well as a limited selection of episodes of classic series from the NBCUniversal Television Distribution program library – including shows not broadcast by NBC during their original runs (including the complete or partial episode catalogs of shows like 30 Rock , The A-Team , Charles in Charge , Emergency! , Knight Rider (both

12367-519: The delivery room, Rachel gives birth to baby Emma. She is left saddened and afraid after Janice later says that Ross may not always be there for her and the baby. When Joey comforts Rachel, the ring falls from Ross's jacket to the floor. Joey kneels to pick it up, and Rachel, believing he is proposing, impulsively says yes. Meanwhile, Ross intends to ask Rachel if she wants to resume their relationship. Season nine begins with Ross and Rachel cohabitating with their daughter Emma, after Joey and Rachel clear up

12516-477: The distribution rights to the remaining seasons of Mad About You on DVD. They subsequently released seasons 4 and 5 on DVD. On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including Mad About You . They subsequently re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on August 5, 2014. Mill Creek released

12665-581: The end of the show's run, they have a baby daughter, whom they name Mabel. They live in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan . The 2019 limited series focuses on Paul and Jamie as empty nesters as Mabel starts college at New York University , five blocks away. Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser were paid $ 1 million per episode for the last season (with their contracts calling for them to be paid equally). However, ratings fell sharply that year as

12814-608: The episode " The One with the Prom Video " was ranked no. 100 on TV Guide ' s 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time . In 2013, Friends ranked no. 24 on the Writers Guild of America 's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time, and no. 28 on TV Guide ' s 60 Best TV Series of All Time. The sitcom's cast members returned for Friends: The Reunion , a reunion special which was released on HBO Max on May 27, 2021. James Michael Tyler appears as Gunther ,

12963-492: The fact that he is expecting a baby with his lesbian ex-wife, Carol, who gives birth to Ben later in the season. Joey never has a steady girlfriend and constantly sleeps with a variety of women. Phoebe is rather odd and complex, mostly due to her mother's suicide when she was a child and having lived on the streets for a time. However, the gang loves her regardless. Chandler breaks up with his girlfriend, Janice ( Maggie Wheeler ), only to find himself reconnecting with her throughout

13112-634: The final 4 1 ⁄ 2 years of Search for Tomorrow (1982–1986) after that series was initially cancelled by CBS, although many NBC affiliates did not clear the show during its tenure on the network. NBC has also aired numerous short-lived soap operas, including Generations (1989–1991), Sunset Beach (1997–1999), and the two Another World spin-offs, Somerset (1970–1976) and Texas (1980–1982). Notable daytime game shows that once aired on NBC include The Price Is Right (1956–1963), Concentration (1958–1973; and 1987–1991 as Classic Concentration ), The Match Game (1962–1969), Let's Make

13261-401: The finale ends with them kissing. The tenth season brings several long-running story lines to a close. Joey and Rachel try to contend with Ross's feelings about their relationship, and after disastrous attempts to consummate, decide it is best they remain friends. Charlie breaks up with Ross to get back together with her ex-boyfriend. Mid-season, Joey officiates Phoebe and Mike's wedding outside

13410-497: The first season. After he breaks up with Julie for Rachel, friction between them develops when Rachel discovers Ross's list of the cons of dating her. They eventually begin a relationship after Rachel sees an old home video from her and Monica's prom night and realizes Ross was going to stand in for her prom date who nearly stood her up. Monica is promoted to head chef at the Iridium restaurant, then gets fired for accepting gifts from

13559-407: The first stations to offer streams of their programming on NBC's website and mobile app, and new affiliation agreements have made a majority of the network's affiliates available through the network's website and app based on a viewer's location. The network's NFL game telecasts were not permitted to be streamed on the service for several years until a change to the league's mobile rights agreement in

13708-412: The highest-paid TV actresses of all time . The cast also received syndication royalties beginning in 2000 after renegotiations. At the time, that financial benefit of a piece of the show's lucrative back-end profits had only been given out to stars who had ownership rights in a show, like Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby . Series creator David Crane wanted all six actors to be equally prominent, and

13857-560: The kids [ sic ] book, Pat the Bunny ? We had Pat the Cop." NBC eventually relented and dropped the idea. Each summer, the producers would outline the storylines for the subsequent season. Before an episode went into production, Kauffman and Crane would revise the script written by another writer, mainly if something concerning either the series or a character felt foreign. The hardest episodes to write were always "the first one and

14006-470: The last one of each season." Unlike other storylines, the idea for a relationship between Joey and Rachel was decided on halfway through the eighth season. The creators did not want Ross and Rachel to get back together so soon, and while looking for a romantic impediment, a writer suggested Joey's romantic interest in Rachel. The storyline was incorporated into the season; however, when the actors feared that

14155-665: The milestones of the couple's relationship. The album is bookended by the two versions of Paul Reiser's song "Final Frontier"—the first track is the classic version used in the show's opening, and the last track is Anita Baker's jazzy, full-length rendition, with Reiser on keyboard. The 21 tracks are as follows: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released the first three seasons of Mad About You on DVD in Region 1 and 4. The first two seasons were also made available in Region 2. No subsequent seasons were released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. In February 2010, Shout! Factory acquired

14304-462: The morning news/interview program Today from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00a.m. weekdays, 7:00a.m.–8:30 a.m. / 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 7:00 a.m.–8:00 a.m. / 8:00 a.m. -9:00 a.m. on Sundays, it also airs NBC News Daily at 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. on weekdays, it includes nightly editions of NBC Nightly News , the Sunday political talk show Meet

14453-453: The most popular teen series in television history as well as the top-rated series on Saturday mornings, dethroning ABC's The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show in its first season. The success of Saved by the Bell led NBC to remove animated series from its Saturday morning lineup in August 1992 in favor of additional live-action series as part of a new block called TNBC , along with the debut of

14602-770: The most-watched television episode of the 2000s. Friends received acclaim throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. It is also one of the most successful and highest-grossing television shows of all time, having grossed an estimated 1.4 billion since its debut. The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards , winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for its eighth season. The show ranked no. 21 on TV Guide ' s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time , no. 29 on Variety magazine's The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, and no. 5 on Empire magazine's The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 1997,

14751-423: The museum, and he moves in with Chandler and Joey until eventually getting a new apartment across the street from them. Rachel gets a new job at Ralph Lauren. Phoebe has a brief relationship with a police officer, Gary ( Michael Rapaport ), after finding his badge and using it as her own. Monica and Chandler go public with their relationship, to the surprise and delight of their friends. They decide to get married on

14900-424: The network was concurrently relaunched as a German-language technology channel aimed at a younger demographic, with the new series NBC GIGA as its flagship program. In 2005, the channel was relaunched again as the free-to-air movie channel Das Vierte which eventually shut down end of 2013 (acquired by Disney, which replaced it with a German version of Disney Channel). GIGA Television was subsequently spun off as

15049-514: The network when it was taken off the air in 2022 (and moved to the Peacock streaming service). Currently the network only offers NBC News Daily on its afternoon schedule, with affiliates using the rest of the afternoon for syndicated or local programming. Long-running daytime dramas seen on NBC in the past include The Doctors (1963–1982), Another World (1964–1999), Santa Barbara (1984–1993), and Passions (1999–2007). NBC also aired

15198-484: The network's programming through various means, including via its website at NBC.com, a traditional VOD service called NBC on Demand available on most traditional cable and IPTV providers, and through content deals with Hulu and Netflix (the latter of which carries only cataloged episodes of NBC programs, after losing the right to carry newer episodes of its programs during their current seasons in July 2011). NBCUniversal

15347-427: The network's radio days. Notable NBC News productions past and present include Today , NBC Nightly News (and its immediate predecessor, The Huntley–Brinkley Report ), Meet the Press (which has the distinction of the longest continuously running program in the history of American television), Dateline NBC , Early Today , NBC News at Sunrise , NBC Nightside and Rock Center with Brian Williams . In 1989,

15496-547: The news division began its expansion to cable with the launch of the business news channel CNBC . The company eventually formed other cable news services including MSNBC (created in 1996 originally as a joint venture with Microsoft , which now features a mix of general news and political discussion programs with a liberal stance), and the 2008 acquisition of The Weather Channel in conjunction with Blackstone Group and Bain Capital . In addition, NBCSN (operated as part of

15645-963: The news program Meet the Press (debuted 1947); Today (debuted 1952); The Tonight Show (debuted nationally 1954); and Saturday Night Live (debuted 1975). The drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , which debuted in 1999, began its 26th season in October 2024 and is currently the longest-running live-action series in American prime-time television history. As of 2022 , NBC provides 87 hours of regularly scheduled network programming each week. The network provides 22 hours of prime-time programming to affiliated stations Monday through Saturdays from 8:00p.m. to 11:00p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (7:00p.m.–10:00p.m. in all other U.S. time zones) and Sundays from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (6:00p.m.–10:00p.m. in all other time zones). Daytime NBC News programming includes

15794-497: The only U.S. states where NBC does not have a locally licensed affiliate. New Jersey is served by New York City O&O WNBC-TV and Philadelphia O&O WCAU; New Jersey formerly had an in-state affiliate in Atlantic City -based WMGM-TV , which was affiliated with the network from 1955 to 2014. Delaware is served by Salisbury affiliate WRDE-LD and Philadelphia-based WCAU . NBC maintains affiliations with low-power stations in

15943-525: The original broadcasts of Gumby , The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show , Underdog , The Smurfs , Alvin and the Chipmunks and Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears . From 1984 to 1989, the network aired a series of public service announcements called One to Grow On , which aired after the end credits of every program or every other children's program. In 1989, NBC premiered Saved by

16092-450: The original series and the short-lived 2008 reboot ), Kojak , Miami Vice , The Office , Quantum Leap and Simon & Simon ). On February 18, 2015, NBC began providing live programming streams of local NBC stations in select markets, which are only available to authenticated subscribers of participating pay television providers . All eleven NBC-owned-and-operated stations owned by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations' were

16241-489: The parade, it has exclusivity over the broadcast of Broadway and music performances appearing in the parade (CBS airs live performances separate from those seen in the parade as a result), and Macy's chose to reroute the parade in 2012 out of the view of CBS' cameras, although it continues to cover the parade. NBC began airing a same-day rebroadcast of the parade telecast in 2009 (replacing its annual Thanksgiving afternoon airing of Miracle on 34th Street ). In 2007, NBC acquired

16390-447: The past, the series creators wrote the character of Ross with him in mind, and he was the first actor cast. Cox wanted to play the role of Monica because she liked the "strong" character, but the producers had her in mind to play Rachel because of her "cheery, upbeat energy", which was not how they envisioned Monica; after Cox's audition, though, Kauffman agreed with Cox, and she got the role. When Matt LeBlanc auditioned for Joey, he put

16539-471: The pilot began. More changes occurred to the series's storylines during the casting process. The writers found that they had to adjust the characters they had written to suit the actors, and the discovery process of the characters occurred throughout the first season. Kauffman acknowledged that Joey's character became "this whole new being", and that "it wasn't until we did the first Thanksgiving episode that we realized how much fun Monica's neuroses are." In

16688-473: The premise of the movie while developing the show. ) Crane and Kauffman presented the idea to their production partner Kevin Bright , who had served as executive producer on their HBO series Dream On . The idea for the series was conceived when Crane and Kauffman began thinking about the time when they had finished college and started living by themselves in New York; Kauffman believed they were looking at

16837-500: The proposal misunderstanding. Monica and Chandler run into obstacles as they try for a baby: Chandler unknowingly agrees to a work transfer to Tulsa just as Monica is offered a head chef job at a new restaurant, Javu, resulting in Chandler commuting back and forth. After being apart from Monica during Christmas, Chandler quits to pursue a new career in advertising, starting as an unpaid intern at an ad agency, and eventually being hired as

16986-473: The reassurance that they have a future together. Rachel, believing that her co-worker Gavin ( Dermot Mulroney ) is trying to steal her job while she is on maternity leave, returns to Ralph Lauren early. She discovers at her birthday party that Gavin has feelings for her. They kiss but do not pursue a relationship due to her history with Ross. Meanwhile, Ross, having seen the kiss, retaliates by dating other women. After realizing that her and Ross's living situation

17135-525: The relationship. After Janine moves out, Joey struggles with paying his bills so he takes a job at Central Perk. He soon lands a role on a cable TV series called Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E. , starring alongside a crime-fighting robot. Ross gets a teaching job at New York University . He dates Elizabeth ( Alexandra Holden ), a student, despite it being against university policy. Elizabeth's father, Paul ( Bruce Willis ), disapproves of Ross but falls for Rachel, and they start dating. Both relationships soon end: Elizabeth

17284-774: The rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA on June 29, 2015, as part of its decision to cut business ties with Donald Trump and the Miss Universe Organization (which was half-owned by corporate parent NBCUniversal) in response to controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants made by Trump during the launch of his 2016 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination . Through the years, NBC has produced many in-house programs, in addition to airing content from other producers such as Revue Studios and its successor Universal Television . Notable in-house productions by NBC have included Bonanza , Little House on

17433-549: The rights to the National Dog Show , which airs following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade each year. The network also broadcasts several live-action and animated specials during the Christmas holiday season , including the 2014 debuts How Murray Saved Christmas (an animated musical adaptation of the children's book of the same name) and Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas (a stop-motion animated special based on

17582-482: The role of Alan Brady from the 1960s sitcom. The episode made several references to the older show, such as Jamie at one point crying and whining "Oh, Paul!" – a take on Mary Tyler Moore 's character Laura Petrie's frequent refrain "Oh, Rob!" – Ten episodes earlier, Paul almost trips over a box and says, "Get me, I'm Dick Van Dyke ." Style & Substance : In the 2019 revival ("Real Estate for Beginners", 8th Season), Jean Smart appeared as Chelsea Stevens-Kobolakis,

17731-474: The same way, and they remain friends. When Rachel goes into labor, Ross's mother gives him a family heirloom ring and encourages him to propose to Rachel. Ross hesitates, and puts the ring in his jacket, which he later leaves in Rachel's room. After Monica jokes about having kids, she and Chandler decide to have a baby, starting while they are still at the hospital. After a prolonged labor, during which numerous other expectant mothers, including Janice, are taken to

17880-664: The season three episode "Pandora's Box", Jamie causes a citywide power blackout in New York City, and the effects of the blackout are seen in the Friends episode, "The One with the Blackout", and there was also a blackout in the episode "Birthday in the Big House" of the NBC sitcom Madman of the People . All three episodes originally aired during the evening of November 3, 1994, alongside a Seinfeld episode which did not incorporate

18029-552: The second season, beginning from the $ 20,000 range to $ 40,000 per episode. Before their salary negotiations for the third season, the cast decided to enter collective negotiations, despite Warner Bros.' preference for individual deals. The actors were given the salary of the least paid cast member. The stars were each paid $ 75,000 per episode in season three, $ 85,000 in season four, $ 100,000 in season five, $ 125,000 in season six, $ 750,000 in seasons seven and eight, and $ 1 million in seasons nine and ten, making Aniston, Cox, and Kudrow

18178-502: The series about "six people in their 20s making their way in Manhattan" to NBC since they thought it would fit best there. (Film director and screenwriter Cameron Crowe has asserted that the concept originated with Warner Bros. Television wanting him to make his 1992 movie Singles into a television show. Crowe alleges that when he refused permission, the idea was then taken over by Crane and Kaufman, who changed some details from

18327-492: The series finale, Erica gives birth to fraternal twins, much to Monica and Chandler's surprise. Rachel is fired from Ralph Lauren after her boss overhears her interviewing for a job at Gucci. She encounters her former Bloomingdale co-worker Mark, who offers her a new job at Louis Vuitton in Paris. Ross, believing Rachel wants to stay, tries bribing Mr. Zelner to rehire her until he realizes Rachel wants to go to Paris. When Rachel says

18476-739: The series run, most notably Cox and Aniston, with Aniston being godmother to Cox and David Arquette 's daughter, Coco. In the official farewell commemorative book Friends 'Til the End , each separately acknowledged in interviews that the cast had become their family. The first season introduces the six main characters who live in New York City: Rachel Green , a waitress; professional chef Monica Geller ; her paleontologist brother, Ross Geller ; free-spirited masseuse Phoebe Buffay ; struggling actor Joey Tribbiani ; and Ross's college friend, Chandler Bing , whose precise occupation at

18625-538: The series was lauded as being "the first true ' ensemble ' show." The cast members made efforts to keep the ensemble format and not allow one member to dominate; they entered themselves in the same acting categories for awards, opted for collective salary negotiations, and asked to appear together on magazine cover photos in the first season. The cast members also became best friends off-screen, so much so that recurring guest star Tom Selleck reported that he sometimes felt left out. The cast remained good friends after

18774-483: The series was shuffled away from its Tuesday slot to prop up a fledgling Monday night line-up of comedies on NBC . The show's theme song, "Final Frontier", was composed by Reiser and Don Was . It was originally performed by Andrew Gold , with a later version covered by Anita Baker , and finally Lyle Lovett and Kecia Lewis , who both had minor acting roles in the series. Exterior views of buildings were filmed in Manhattan . Paul and Jamie's New York City Apartment

18923-559: The series. Near the end of the season, while Ross is at a paleontology dig in China, Chandler accidentally lets slip that Ross loves Rachel, who then realizes that she also cares for him. The season ends with Rachel waiting at the airport for Ross, who is returning from China. Rachel greets Ross at the airport only to discover that he has returned with Julie ( Lauren Tom ), someone he knew from graduate school. Rachel's attempts to tell Ross that she loves him initially mirror his failed attempts in

19072-473: The show legs." The majority of the storyline ideas came from the writers, although the actors added ideas. Although the writers originally planned the big love story to be between Joey and Monica, the idea of a romantic interest between Ross and Rachel emerged during the period when Kauffman and Crane wrote the pilot script. During the production of the pilot, NBC requested that the script be changed to feature one dominant storyline and several minor ones, but

19221-478: The storyline would make their characters unlikable, the storyline was wrapped up, until it again resurfaced in the season's finale. For the ninth season, the writers were unsure about the amount of storyline to give to Rachel's baby, as they wanted the show neither to revolve around a baby nor pretend there to be none. Crane said that it took them a while to accept the idea of a tenth season, which they decided to do because they had enough stories left to tell to justify

19370-460: The table, but that "the studio needs to figure out if they know how to do it." On March 6, 2019, the series was revived for an eighth season by Spectrum Originals , described as a 12-episode limited series, with Reiser and Hunt confirmed to reprise their roles. On September 5, 2019, it was announced that the first six episodes of the revival would premiere on November 20, 2019, and another six episodes would be released on December 18, 2019. The series

19519-849: The television and radio networks were similar to the logo of its then-parent company, RCA. Logos used later in NBC's existence incorporated stylized peacock designs, including the current version that has been in use since 1986. NBC network programs can be received throughout most of Canada on cable, satellite and IPTV providers through certain U.S.-based affiliates of the network (such as WBTS-CD in Boston, KING-TV in Seattle, KBJR-TV in Duluth, Minnesota , WGRZ in Buffalo, New York and WHEC-TV in Rochester, New York ). Some programs carried on these stations are subject to simultaneous substitutions ,

19668-442: The time Rachel discovers they are still married, an annulment is impossible due to their history; they are forced to get a divorce. After ignoring the numerous signs that they should get married, Monica and Chandler decide to live together, forcing Rachel to move in with Phoebe. Joey gets a new roommate, Janine ( Elle Macpherson ). They develop feelings for each other and date briefly until Janine criticizes Monica and Chandler, ending

19817-481: The title Loco por vos (translated as Crazy About You ) stylized as Loco x vos aired on Telefe from September 5 until December 29, 2016. The second season was originally going to air in 2017 but was scrapped later on. A British adaptation under the title Loved by You aired for two seasons on ITV from 11 March 1997 until 27 August 1998. A Chinese adaptation aired on Dragon TV on January 4, 2016. NBC The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC )

19966-545: The unpredictable length of sporting events, NBC will occasionally pre-empt scheduled programs (more common with the weekend editions of NBC Nightly News , and local and syndicated programs carried by its owned-and-operated stations and affiliates). NBC has also held the American broadcasting rights to the Summer Olympic Games since the 1988 games and the rights to the Winter Olympic Games since

20115-408: The way it ended. While speaking, she realizes that she loves him too, and gets off the plane at the last minute. The series ends with all the friends, plus Monica and Chandler's new babies, leaving the empty apartment together for a final cup of coffee at Central Perk. The show ends first with a shot of everyone's keys to Monica and Chandler's apartment left on the counter top, and then pans to a shot of

20264-510: The weeks after NBC's pick up of Friends , Crane, Kauffman and Bright reviewed sent-in scripts that writers had originally prepared for other series, mainly unproduced Seinfeld episodes. Kauffman and Crane hired a team of seven young writers because "When you're 40, you can't do it anymore. The networks and studios are looking for young people coming in out of college." The creators felt that using six equal characters, rather than emphasizing one or two, would allow for "myriad storylines and give

20413-554: The woman turns out to be Janice. Season 3 takes on a significantly more serialized format. Chandler and Janice date for several episodes until Joey catches Janice kissing her soon-to-be ex-husband. Not wanting to destroy her family, Chandler urges Janice to go back to her husband, then becomes depressed over the breakup for several episodes. Rachel quits her job at Central Perk and begins working at Bloomingdale's , an upscale department store chain. Ross soon becomes jealous of her colleague Mark and frustrated by Rachel's long work hours. She

20562-436: The wrath of her co-workers, Monica eventually asserts her dominance in the kitchen. Phoebe becomes a surrogate for her brother and his wife, Alice ( Debra Jo Rupp ). Monica and Rachel are forced to switch apartments with Joey and Chandler after losing a bet during a quiz game, but manage to switch back by bribing them with Knicks season tickets and a one-minute kiss (off-screen) between each other. After her boss dies, Rachel

20711-400: The writers refused, wanting to keep three storylines of equal weight. NBC also wanted the writers to include an older character to balance out the young ones. Crane and Kauffman were forced to comply and wrote a draft of an early episode that featured "Pat the Cop" who would be used to provide advice to the other characters. Crane found the storyline to be terrible, and Kauffman joked, "You know

20860-402: Was announced that NBC would launch a new Saturday morning preschool block programmed by Sprout (originally jointly owned by NBCUniversal, PBS , Sesame Workshop and Apax Partners , with the former acquiring the other's interests later that year). The block, NBC Kids , premiered on July 7, 2012, replacing the "Qubo on NBC" block. On February 24, 2016, it was announced that NBC would launch

21009-546: Was chosen Best Quality Comedy by the Viewers for Quality Television . Helen Hunt won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Comedy Series four years in a row (1996–99). In 1997, Atlantic Records released a Mad About You soundtrack. The soundtrack from and inspired by the sitcom, is composed of fun and sentimental songs and clips from the show. The tracks are organized chronologically marking

21158-675: Was hosted for most of its run by Ahmad Rashad , was also a part of the TNBC lineup during the NBA season until 2002 (when the program moved to ABC as a result of that network taking the NBA rights from NBC). In 2002, NBC entered into an agreement with Discovery Communications to carry educational children's programs from the Discovery Kids cable channel. Debuting that September, the Discovery Kids on NBC block originally consisted exclusively of live-action series, including reality series Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls (a kid-themed version of

21307-418: Was impressed that they knew who their characters were. NBC bought the idea as a put pilot , meaning they risked financial penalties if the pilot was not filmed. Kauffman and Crane took three days to write the pilot script for a show they titled Friends Like Us. Littlefield wanted the series to "represent Generation X and explore a new kind of tribal bonding", but the rest disagreed. Crane argued that it

21456-411: Was located at 5th Avenue and 12th Street. The Old Town Bar and Restaurant on 45 E. 18th Street was used for the fictional Riff's Restaurant in the series. In April 2018, it was announced that Sony Pictures Television would revive the show with the two lead actors reprising their roles, though Reiser expressed doubt about it in July 2018. In September 2018, Reiser stated that the revival was still on

21605-515: Was not a series for one generation, and wanted to produce a series that everyone would enjoy watching. NBC liked the script and ordered the series. They changed the title to Six of One , mainly because they felt Friends Like Us was too similar to the ABC sitcom These Friends of Mine . Once it became apparent that the series was a favored project at NBC, Littlefield reported that he was getting calls from every agent in town, wanting their client to be

21754-679: Was one of the era's first breakthrough television shows. From the mid-1960s until 1992, the bulk of NBC's children's programming was composed of mainly animated programming including classic Looney Tunes and Woody Woodpecker shorts; reruns of prime time animated sitcoms such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons ; foreign acquisitions like Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion ; animated adaptions of Punky Brewster , ALF and Star Trek as well as animated vehicles for Gary Coleman and Mr. T ; live-action programs like The Banana Splits , The Bugaloos and H.R. Pufnstuf ; and

21903-405: Was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions and Warner Bros. Television . The show ranked within the top ten of the final television season ratings; it ultimately reached the number-one spot in its eighth season . The series finale aired on May 6, 2004, and was watched by around 52.5 million American viewers, making it the fifth-most-watched series finale in television history and

22052-526: Was seeking a comedy involving young people living together and sharing expenses after he regretted passing on the Black sitcom Living Single . Littlefield wanted the group to share memorable periods of their lives with friends, who had become "new, surrogate family members." However, Littlefield found difficulty in bringing the concept to life and found the scripts developed by NBC to be terrible. When Kauffman, Crane and Bright pitched Insomnia Cafe , Littlefield

22201-580: Was the short-lived Caesars Challenge , which ended in January 1994. Notable past daytime talk shows that have aired on NBC have included Home (1954–1957), The Ernie Kovacs Show (1955–1956), The Merv Griffin Show (1962–1963), Leeza (1994–1999) and Later Today (1999–2000). Children's programming has played a part in NBC's programming since its initial roots in television. NBC's first major children's series, Howdy Doody , debuted in 1947 and

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