Who can ever forget Ross, Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Joey, and Pheobe? The audience laughed and cried with them for ten years. They were not friends to each other only but felt like our friends too.
Many people miss the group having a fun conversation while drinking coffee in a coffee shop. The show did not have a premise like others, and it just followed the everyday life of six friends living in New York City.
It has been 18 years since it went off the air, but it remains one of the most popular Tv series in the world. Millions of viewers still watch the reruns and stream them online.
It was influential enough to cause several networks to develop a similar show. It was focused on friendship rather than career and love. And if you are looking for a comedy sitcom that follows a group of friends, here are some recommendations you can enjoy watching.
10. New Girl
Released in 2011, New Girl ended with seven seasons on May 15, 2018. The American television sitcom follows Jessica Day, a quirky teacher, after she moves into a loft in Los Angeles with three men: Nick Miller, Winston Schmidt, and Winston Bishop. The men’s former roommate coach and Jessica’s best friend, Cece Parekh, are also part of the series.
Jessica is heartbroken after discovering that her boyfriend, Spencer, is cheating on her. She immediately leaves the home they were sharing and answers an ad for a roommate, which brings her to Los Angeles, where she finds herself sharing the flat with three men.
The show incorporated both comedy and drama as the main characters in their early thirties deal with career choices and relationship problems. Lamorne Morris, Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Damon Wayans Jr., and Hannah Simone are the main characters in the show.
It received praise from critics who even named it one of the greatest new comedies of the 2011 fall season. In the same year, at the 1st Critics’ Choice Television Awards, it was one of eight nominees in the “most exciting new series” category, voted by journalists.
In addition, the sitcom has received multiple nominations for awards, including five Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards.
It may have ended four years ago, but Jess and the boys are still in the hearts of the fans. People are still watching the show and recommending it to those who want to watch something similar to Friends.
9. Living Single
Six friends who are living together in a city-facing relationship and life drama have a strong bond no matter the situation. It is a storyline that sounds familiar to Friends but is not the one.
Friends, the 90s series laid a path for similar shows to arrive for viewers after its popularity. But Living Single is one of the sitcoms that aired a year earlier than Friends, and many argue that it was a blueprint for Friends.
The series was created by Yvette Lee Bowser and premiered on Fox in 1993 and featured six friends, all people of color, living in Brooklyn, New York. It became a massive hit, and the characters were developed in such a way that would combat the stereotypes related to people of color.
But when Friends arrived, it probably took away the limelight of Living Single. According to 34th Street, both shows had a tough battle for viewership, but as Friends received more praise, it got more promotion from NBC.
Living Single ended in 1998 with five seasons, while Friends ran till 2004. It may not have a long time span, but the long-lasting impact it created on people was something to be proud of for Yvette Lee Bowser.
Those who are fans of Friends could give it a go. The show features Kim Coles, John Henton, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields, Terrence C. Carson, Queen Latifah, and Mel Jackson.
8. Episodes
Episodes follow a couple who travel to Hollywood to remake their successful British sitcom. Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly (Tamsin Greig), a married couple, won another BAFTA award for their successful British Sitcom, Lyman’s Boys.
They are persuaded to go to Hollywood to remake their series for an American audience. However, the network starts to make adjustments, such as changing the show’s name to Pucks! They also force the pair into putting Matt LeBlanc in the main role, despite Matt’s lack of talent for the role.
Sean and Matt become friends, but Beverly is not much thrilled. Likewise, Sean and Beverly’s marriage faces troubles when continuous changes threaten to damage the show.
Since the sitcom features NBC’s Joey, who is famous for his dim-witted but good nature and loyal, loving, and caring with some childish side, fans have loved the show more. In addition, his image from Friends helped the show achieve a good number of viewers.
Critics have to give a positive review of the show while praising the performances of Tamsin Greig, Matt LeBlanc, and Stephen Mangan in particular. Other actors who were featured in the series are John Pankow, Kathleen Rose Perkins, and Mircea Monroe.
In addition, for his role in the show, Matt was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy category.
7. Go On
Matthew Perry, well-known for his sarcasm in Friends, features in the sitcom, Go On, which aired from August 8, 2012, to April 11, 2013 on NBC. It follows Ryan King, a sports talk radio host who is trying to move on from his wife’s demise.
His boss forces him to attend a grief support group because he cannot move on after losing his wife. There, he meets a diverse group of people who have their own tragedies to deal with. There were recent widows and widowers, a young man whose brother was in a coma after an accident, an elderly gentleman who lost his sight, and a woman whose cat passed away.
While there are many things that some people were not happy about, many may have agreed with him when Ryan said, “I think this is all kinda dumb” and that “the talking, that wallowing, it keeps you from getting on with your life.”
The show features Matthew Perry, Julie White, Laura Benanti, Suzy Nakamura, Brett Gelman, Tyler James Williams, Sarah Baker, and John Cho are the main actors, whereas Allison Miller, Tonita Castro, Seth Morris, Bill Cobbs, Christine Woods, Piper Perabo, etc. are in the recurring role.
The show premiered on April 20, 2012, but NBC canceled it on May 10, 2013, after one season. At the end of the season, viewers saw that Ryan was slowly accepting his wife’s demise and moving on with his life.
Many fans of Perry were disappointed that the series would not return for next season as they were eager to find out how Ryan’s life would move forward as he slowly overcame the tragedy. Luckily, they can still watch the show for free on the NBC website and Roku Channel. It is also available on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon Prime Video.
6. Cougar Town
Another sitcom features an actor from Friends in Cougar Town. Courteney Cox portrays the role of a recently divorced woman, Jules Cobb, in her 40s, facing the truth of dating and aging.
It follows her story of going through life’s challenges, pitfalls, and rewards, along with her teenage son, ex-husband, and wine-loving friends. Her extended family is dysfunctional but supportive and caring.
The show is set in the fictional town of Gulfhaven, Florida. The town’s name is Cougar Town because its high school team mascot is a cougar.
Besides Courteney, Christa Miller, Busy Phillips, Dan Byrd, Josh Hopkins, Ian Gomez, Brian Van Holt, and Bob Clendenin play a major role in the show. Likewise, Carolyn Hennesy, Ken Jenkins, Nick Zano, Spencer Locke, Ryan Devlin, Barry Bostwick, Collette Wolfe, Sheryl Crow, David Clayton Rogers, Edwin Hodge, and many others are the recurring cast.
The show has six seasons, which began on September 23, 2009, and ended on March 31, 2015. Fans have loved how Jules, who tries to find herself, realizes that her being a good friend and a good mother makes her perfect.
The additional fun in the show was that Courteney, also known as Monica from Friends, was back together working with Rachel and Phoebe. Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) played the role of the meanest dermatologist in the show.
Likewise, Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston) played the therapist’s role in the second season’s first episode. Jules goes to Glenn, the therapist, to relieve the stresses of her issues.
5. Seinfeld
Seinfeld follows the story of Jerry Seinfeld, who plays a fictional version of himself in the show. It features his three friends, best buddy George Costanza (Jason Alexander), his neighbor across the hall, Cosmo Kramer, and his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
Most of the scenes occur in an apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and the sitcom has been called “a show about nothing” since it often focuses on the details of everyday living.
The show featuring was a massive hit, becoming one of the greatest and most influential comedies of all time. It has received top ratings from magazines, including Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and TV Guide, placing it among the best television shows.
Likewise, The Hollywood Reporter survey of 2800 actors, producers, and directors in 2015 ranked it as the No. 5 favorite show. It was also named the sixth-best TV show of all time by Rolling Stone in 2022.
The netizens call the characters children in an adult body as they are surly, petty, childish, selfish, compulsive, obsessive, and hilarious. With all the comedy and jokes in the sitcom, people were impressed by the show and still continue to watch it today.
4. The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls follow four older women, three widows, and one divorcee. They share a home in Miami which is owned by Blanche Devereaux, a widow who Rose Nylund, another widow, joined, and Dorothy Zbornak, a divorcee, after they both replied to an advertisement on the notice board of a nearby grocery shop.
Sophia Petrillo, Dorothy’s 80-year-old widowed mother, joins them after the retirement community where she had been residing burns down. All three women have jobs to look after. Dorothy is a substitute school teacher, and Rose and Blanche work at an art gallery.
Bae Arthur casts as Dorothy Zbornak, Betty White as Rose Nylund, Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux, and Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo. And in the recurring role, there are actors like Herb Edelman, Harold Gould, Sid Melton, Monte Markham, Bill Dana, Doris Belack, Scott Jacoby, Lynnie Greene, and Lisa Jane Persky.
One revolutionary thing about the show was that it showed the lives of four older women who do not sit at home all day and knit. It has a feminist nature where viewers see women enjoying life after marriage.
When the creator, Susan Harris, was interviewed by The New York Times in 1985, she said that there is a life after 50 where people can be energetic, attractive, and have romances. The show also gave hope to many middle-aged women who said that it gave them hope that there is a life after 50. Thus, this show broke the cultural stereotype of about older women.
Besides aging, there are many other social issues that the show has touched on through it several episodes. Issues like racism, disability visibility, and marriage between people of the same sexuality were greatly represented in the show, making many people say that it was many years ahead of its time.
3. Coupling
Steven Moffat wrote the British sitcom, Coupling. His relationship with producer Sue Vertue inspired him to write the series. The show portrays his meeting with his wife, Sue Vertue, and the problems that emerged during their early relationship days.
They even named two of the characters after themselves. Coupling revolves almost exclusively around the exploits of the six main characters. The ladies are usually confident and sexually rather voracious in the series, whereas the men are useless, afflicted with self-doubt and awkwardness.
The storyline begins with Steve Taylor (played by Jack Davenport), who is in the process of ending his relationship with Jane. The remaining series depicts the progress of his relationship with Susan Walker (portrayed by Sarah Alexander) from dating to a marriage proposal and, as the last series ends, becoming a father to her kid.
To spice things up, the pair have four other people in their life with whom they have friends and past connections. Jeff Murdock (Rochard Coyle) is a best friend of Steve, Sally Harper (Kate Isitt) is the best friend to Susan, Patrick Maitland (Ben Miles) is an ex-boyfriend of Susan, and Jane Christie (Gina Bellman) is ex-long time partner of Steve.
Some recurring actors in the series are Lou Gish, Olivia Caffrey, Llyod Owen, Elizabeth Marmur, and Emilia Fox. It has four seasons that ran from May 2, 2000, to June 14, 2004.
The series has been compared with friends, both favorably and unfavorably. Some people argue that a Coupling is better than having Friends and vice-versa. Despite the comparison, both series have their own charm of comedy and have been making people laugh for decades.
2. The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory came to the small screen three years after the ending of Friends. But, it quickly became a massive hit for CBS.
The show initially followed the lives of five people who lived in Pasadena, California. The characters included physicists Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, who share an apartment; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Raj Koothrappali and Howard Wolowitz.
Over time, supporting characters such as neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski, and comic book store owner Stuart Bloom were promoted to main roles.
The show is quite different compared to Friends. This may feature a story about a few friends, but the approaches to humor are different. In Friends, the creator would find comedy in everyday trials of life, but in Big Bang Theory, the jokes are often made on characters’ personalities and are focused on nerd culture.
With its grand success, the network created a prequel named Young Sheldon, which is based on the character Sheldon Cooper. The show is in the seventh season, whereas Big Bang Theory concluded with the 12th season in 2019.
The main actors in the show include Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, Mellissa Raunch, and Kevin Sussman.
1. How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother follows the adventure of Ted Mosby and his life as a single man. It sets in the year 2030, where he narrates the story of his younger days to his children.
Thus, the narrative starts in 2005, in a flashback when Ted Mosby, in his late 20s, was an architect living in New York City. The story focuses on his closest friends, including the committed couple Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin, the womanizing playboy Barney Stinson, and the Canadian news reporter Robin Scherbatsky.
The show explores the connection between Marshall and Lily, the relationship between Robin and each of her two single male friends, and the ups and downs of the characters’ professional lives.
It has nine seasons that ran from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014. While the story focuses on Ted Mosby, many fans argue that Barney was the most captivating character who never stopped with his jokes and flirty pickup lines.
Neil Pattrick Harris, who played the role of Barney, even received nominations for both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for his role. The other casts in the show are Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Cristin Miliot, and Bob Saget.
With the show’s huge success, Hulu released a spin-off of the series, How I Met Your Father, on January 18, 2022. The second season is set to release on Hulu on January 24, 2023