Unless you've been living in a box, you know that the 25th anniversary of the premiere of “Friends” is upon us. Several of the show's stars know it, too.
Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc each commemorated the anniversary Thursday on Instagram with the same throwback photo of the cast, along with words of appreciation.
“Celebrating a Thursday night 25 years ago,” Cox wrote. “Thank you to all of our loyal fans across the world. You’ve certainly been there for us! I love these guys!” She tagged Schwimmer, Kudrow and LeBlanc, while taking a friendly swipe at Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry — presumably for not having Instagram — by using the hashtags #seriouslyjen? and #youtoomatthew.
“Celebrating a Thursday night 25 years ago. We might be in different places but we are connected,” Kudrow wrote, along with the hashtags #STILLTHEREFORYOU, #FRIENDS and #friends25thanniversary. She also appeared to echo Cox’s sentiment by writing #COMEONALREADYJEN.
“Celebrating a Thursday night 25 years ago... THANK YOU to all the fans out there!! We couldn't have done it without you. Big love to the other five #friends,” Schwimmer wrote, using hashtags of their names, as well as the hashtags #FRIENDS25 and #STILLTHEREFORYOU, in reference to the show's theme song, “I’ll Be There for You.”
“Celebrating a Thursday night 25 years ago. Seems like yesterday. Thanks to all the fans for watching,” LeBlanc wrote.
“Friends” premiered Sept. 22, 1994, on NBC and became an instant hit. It would remain a bedrock of NBC’s Thursday lineup for a decade and has enjoyed a second life in reruns while also winning a new generation of younger fans who watch the series on Netflix, although it is leaving that streaming service next year.
A quarter of a century after the show's premiere and 15 years after it signed off, the public’s appetite for all things “Friends” has not waned. Select episodes of the show will screen in movie theaters around the country later this month and October. Maybe you can check it out after you go to the "Friends" pop-up that's open for a limited time in New York City, showing off props and costumes from the sitcom.
Grammy winner Meghan Trainor will drop her version of the show’s popular theme song on Sunday night. Ralph Lauren, where Aniston’s Rachel wound up working on the show, has put out a collection in the character's honor. Pottery Barn has a collection celebrating the show, as well.
There is also a tour highlighting key locations and an actual paying job for a lucky person up for watching 25 hours of the show.
And if that's not enough, you can purchase your very own Central Perk Lego set.
So, even if there isn't a "Friends" reunion anytime in the near future, it sounds like the show is indeed still there for us after all these years.
