Twenty-five years after its first season aired, "Friends" remains incredibly popular. If it were counted in the Nielsen ratings as a new show, it would rank at #9. Even after all this time, the "Friends" phenomenon continues to grow and evolve, attracting a new generation of younger fans, who weren’t alive when the show premiered.
For the twenty-fifth anniversary of the pilot episode, in his new book, "Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era," pop culture writer and NYU professor of writing and comedy history Saul Austerlitz shares a nostalgic, fascinating look at how the show was created, cast, and filmed, analyzing the best episodes, plot points, and themes; and provides insight into why the show that defined 1990s television has a popularity and legacy that has endured beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.