In hindsight, it feels like a foregone conclusion that Friends would be a resounding success. A sitcom about six attractive, relatable, young twentysomethings, living in one of the greatest cities in the world, laying bare their anxieties, romances and blossoming friendships while drinking copious amounts of coffee.
And all that with the backdrop of that comically large Manhattan apartment that Monica and Rachel could somehow afford? It was real, but never real enough to puncture its signature escapism – a recipe for triumph.
But, 30 years on from the pilot episode, which aired on NBC in September 1994, no one could have quite predicted the extent of the global staying power that the show would still enjoy today. Partly due to its addition to Netflix in 2015, the show has been exposed to an entirely new generation of fans, many of whom, like myself, weren’t even born when it started.
On the surface, Gen Z perhaps doesn’t read as the Friends target audience – our 20s are materially completely different than the prelapsarian Nineties, and we are much more attuned to some of the show’s outdated attitudes to sexuality and race. And yet, we keep coming back, as do people of all ages, such is the enduring desire to check in with our six friends.
The latest iteration of the eternal Friends fandom comes in the form of a new Friends Experience which has just landed in London. An immersive walk-through museum celebrating the sitcom, the capital’s leg – aptly named The One in London – comes on the heels of the success of a host of Friends Experiences in various locations across the globe, after the 2019 opening of the original exhibition in New York.
Taking up residency in London’s ExCel centre, it recreates all the most iconic sets from the show. After a quick introductory video (narrated by Janice), a screen pulls away to reveal the beloved orange sofa in front of the fountain and umbrellas from the famous opening credits scene.
There is, of course, a recreation of both apartments – the girls’ fit with the purple door and yellow framed keyhole, and the boys’ with those unsightly brown leather chairs (which remain just as tacky 30 years on). Perhaps the most popular set on the day I visited was Central Perk – orange sofa, Phoebe’s singing perch, and Gunther’s coffee counter galore.
“We knew there was a huge fan base in and around the UK, and so we thought London is like the New York of the UK, so it was a great opportunity to draw fans from around the UK and around Europe,” says Stacy Moscatelli, chief executive of OriginalX productions, who put the experience together. “And obviously, we had a few episodes shot here, so it made a lot of sense. We thought what better time we've got the 30th anniversary that we're all celebrating and it's amazing that it stood the test of time.”
A full, blown-up version of Rachel’s famous letter to Ross – “18 pages, front and back!” – features in one display case, and other props like the sofa from Ross’ “pivot” scene and Joey’s white dog statue are dotted around. Fittingly, there is also a section dedicated to the episodes shot in London, with a recreation of Ross and Emily’s wedding chapel (where Ross says Rachel’s name at the altar), and an immersive version of Joey’s map of the capital.
The Friends experience is, unsurprisingly, essentially one big photo opportunity. Staff are on hand take photos at each spot, which you can buy at the end (they’ll also take free photos with your phone too) – expect to queue for a couple of minutes at each of the main photo locations.
At £20 a ticket, it is pretty reasonably priced for the capital, but it is still slightly difficult to know who the exhibit is aimed at. Sure, diehard fans will no doubt flock, but they will struggle to learn anything new – unlike in the New York version, which features original costumes and props from the show, everything here is a recreation.
Some of the experience also feels a little rushed. There is a truly baffling section at the beginning claiming to feature classic Friends fashion, but there was nothing that I could see that referenced the characters’ outfits on the show. And the set recreations, while impressive, are so bright and polished that they risk feeling a little tacky.
As a Friends fan, the most interesting sections were the ones away from the cameras. A video from the show's costume designer Debra McGuire, who talks through her sartorial choices for each character – a defining feature of the show’s success – was genuinely fascinating, as was a display spotlighting artist Burton Morris, whose Pop Art pieces decorate Central Perk. There are also preliminary set design sketches, signed script copies, and a statement from the show's producers, Marta Kauffman and David Crane.
A little gimmicky? Certainly. But the Friends Experience it is still a fun homage to a show whose success still knows no bounds three decades on.
