A quarter of a century later, fans are still searching for a show like Friends to capture the essence of one of the world’s most popular TV shows. Millions of people watch reruns of the show every day, and millions more are streaming it online every week. The show continues to draw in new millennial fans, and it was so popular that networks began to make more Friends-type shows. Up until the end of the series, “Friends” was a massive hit, and while there will never be a TV Shows like Friends in the days of network television’s dominance, there are plenty of great shows that capture the essence of the show.
These shows have been around since the dawn of television, and they’re all about a group of close friends as they navigate through life together. Whether they’re working-class friends, friends who feel comfortable enough to walk into each other’s homes, or friends with decades of experience, it’s always to sit down and watch a show like “Friends.”
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Living Single
 | Living Single | |
| Genre Comedy | Seasons 5 | |
| Director Yvette Lee Bowser | 7.6/10 | |
| Cast Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander | ||
Living Single was, quite literally, the inspiration for Friends. Even the reunion show on HBO Max was talking about it. The show came out a year before Friends, and it focused on an all-Black group of friends, though one big difference was that the cast was mostly female friends.
Living Single centered around four girls who lived in a brownstone in Brooklyn and had to juggle their personal lives with their professional lives. It was also a huge success, airing for five seasons and airing at almost the same time.
Cougar Town
 | Cougar Town | |
| Genre Comedy, Romance | Seasons 6 | |
| Director Kevin Biegel, Bill Lawrence | 7.0/10 | |
| Cast Courteney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Philipps | ||
The Friends cast went on to have successful careers in other shows and films, and if you’re a Courteney Cox fan, you’ll want to check out her next show, Cougar Town. It’s just like Friends, it’s about a bunch of friends living close together and helping each other through life’s ups and downs.
Friends was all about young friends trying to make it in the world, while Cougar Town was all about older friends looking for love. Cougar Town is the name of the show, and it’s all about older women who are looking for love, like Courteney, Busy, and Christa.
Episodes
 | Episodes | |
| Genre Comedy | Seasons 5 | |
| Rated David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik | 7.8/10 | |
| Cast Matt LeBlanc, Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig | ||
Matt LeBlanc’s career journey began with the conclusion of the popular television series Friends and eventually progressed to the spinoff series Episodes. Although LeBlanc was unable to achieve the same level of success in Episodes as he had in Friends, his performance was still remarkable.
The show ran from 2011 to 2017 on the US-based network Showtime and featured LeBlanc in the role of a wealthy, haughty, and confident actor who is seduced into taking the lead in a show, yet struggles to maintain his professionalism.
Golden Girls
 | Golden Girls | |
| Genre Drama, Comedy | Seasons 7 | |
| Director Susan Harris | 8.2/10 | |
| Cast Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan | ||
The theme song of The Golden Girls, “Thank You for Being a Friend,” serves as a reminder that the show is similar to Friends in that it is centered around a group of young friends who rely on each other. However, unlike Friends, The Golden Girls focuses on the relationships formed later in life.
The main characters, Beatrice Arthur and Betty White, as well as Rue McClanahan, are all senior citizens who remain close friends throughout their lives, even in the face of adversity. Estelle Getty, who portrays Arthur’s mother, Dorothy, is also an integral part of the show, making it a relationship-oriented show for women of all ages.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | |
| Genre Comedy, Crime | Seasons 8 | |
| Rated Dan Goor, Michael Schur | 8.4/10 | |
| Cast Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews | ||
If every character in Friends were a cop and the show’s style was a parody of police procedural comedy, it would resemble Brooklyn Nine-Nine in many ways. This series is similar to Friends in that it has a beloved cast of characters, a variety of multi-part stories, and a humorous, yet uncomfortably lighthearted, sense of humor.
However, unlike Friends, unlike Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the show is primarily a workplace comedy and the cop-centric nature of the show means that the characters are as close as if they were all Rachels, Rosses, Monica, Chandler, and Jimys.
Broad City
 | Broad City | |
| Genre Comedy | Seasons 5 | |
| Director Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson | 8.4/10 | |
| Cast Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Hannibal Buress | ||
Broad City is a comedy about two friends in their 20s who live in New York City. The show is loosely based on the popular show Friends but with a smaller cast and set in the 2010s. The show was created by Ilana (Ilana Glazer) and Abbi (Abbi Jacobson), who also co-star as Ilana’s and Abbi’s (Abbi) best friends.
The show focuses on life in New York City, similar to Friends, but with the added bonus of explicit material on cable. Broad City has delivered endless laughs over five seasons and over 50 episodes, all while keeping the central focus on the friendship that will never be broken.
Happy Endings
 | Happy Endings | |
| Genre Comedy, Romance | Seasons 3 | |
| Director David Caspe | 7.8/10 | |
| Cast Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton | ||
Welcome to Happy Endings, a two-season series that debuted on ABC in 2011. Set in Chicago, the show is loosely based on the popular show Friends. The premise of Happy Endings is similar to Friends but with a twist. The show follows six friends as they navigate the ups and downs of growing up, dating, and romantic relationships in Chicago.
The show has a lot in common with Friends in that their lives are often complicated by their awkward and funny relationships with one another. The series begins with a dramatic moment where one of the group members leaves the other member at the altar, and the entire group has to come to terms with this and how it changes their friendship and the dynamics of their group.
The Office
 | The Office | |
| Genre Comedy | Seasons 9 | |
| Rated Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant | 9.0/10 | |
| Cast Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski | ||
The Office is a comedy series hosted by Steve Carell, who portrays regional manager Michael Scott in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The series was created shortly after the cancellation of the popular show Friends and features a cast of talented actors, including Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer.
The show follows the lives of Jim Halpert, and Pam Beesly, and their decision-making process as a will-they, won’t-they couple. Similar to Friends, The Office features hundreds of humorous episodes, featuring characters, situations, and actors who are relatable to viewers.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
 | It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia | |
| Genre Comedy | Seasons 18 | |
| Rated Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton | 8.8/10 | |
| Cast Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney | ||
If you’re a fan of Friends because it’s a show about a group of friends who go on wild adventures in the city and beat each other up a lot, then you’re going to enjoy It’s Sunny in Philadelphia.
The characters don’t hang out in a coffee shop like they do in Friends, they hang out at their own Irish bar, Paddy’s Pub. The show’s tone is much darker than Friends, but it’s sure to appeal to fans of both shows.
Modern Family
 | Modern Family | |
| Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance | Seasons 11 | |
| Rated Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd | 8.5/10 | |
| Cast Ed O’Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen | ||
Modern Family, like Friends in its time, has been one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, consistently winning Emmys throughout its run. The show is centered around Ed O’Neil Ty Burrell and his family and is hosted by Julie Bowen and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The cast of Modern Family is one of the most talented in the world, and it features some of the most talented sitcom cast members of all time. Despite the show’s mockumentary nature, the documentary crew is not integrated into the show’s universe in the same way that The Office or Parks and Rec is, rather it is a stylistic element.
Wrapping it up!
The television series “Friends” has been one of the most enduringly beloved and iconic comedies in history, and its popularity continues to draw in new generations of viewers. Its influence can be seen in the development of other shows that share the same themes of friendship, humor, and companionship. Although no show can replicate the charm of “Friends”, some have managed to capture the essence of a close-knit group of friends enduring life’s challenges together.
