There would be no Friends without Seinfeld, according to Jerry Seinfeld.
While headlining the Netflix Is a Joke festival on Tuesday night at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Seinfeld told the crowd that his hit sitcom inspired NBC to take another stab at his “show about nothing,” but with a twist. “I think NBC was watching my show and said, ‘Hey, this is working pretty well,’” he said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “‘Why don’t we try the same thing with good-looking people.’”
Friends premiered on the network in 1994, five years after Seinfeld’s debut. Seinfeld had a “rough beginning,” as Seinfeld put it during a live taping of Ari Emanuel and Ben Persky’s The Rushmore Podcast at the same festival, at which he appeared with co-creator Larry David. David, during the taping, said that the show had only been offered four episodes—the “smallest order in the history of television.”
A research report shared during the taping from viewers who gave their takes on Seinfeld’s pilot said, “No segment of the audience was eager to watch the show again.”
David said that when the pair were told early on that the show wasn’t likely to be picked up, “I was thrilled,” because he felt he had “no more stories left to tell.”
Five years later, Friends, on the other hand, was bought on concept when pitched by creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane. The pilot also drew a lukewarm response from NBC executives, however, who thought it was “not very entertaining, clever or original” on first viewing.
One hated the intro that shows the cast being playful in a fountain, which he said read as, “‘We’re young, we’re hip, we’re dancing in a fountain, and you can’t dance with us.’” Clips from the show were ultimately intercut to soften that perception.
The show became a hit for audiences, despite doubts. It went on to become one of the most successful sitcoms of all time alongside Seinfeld, spanning ten seasons and winning six Emmy Awards out of 62 nominations. Seinfeld won 10 Emmys out of its 68 nominations.
Seinfeld has carried a chip on his shoulder about Friends for years. In 2022, Friends star Lisa Kudrow told the Daily Beast that she had a run-in with Seinfeld in which he told her, “You’re welcome.” Kudrow recalled saying, “‘Why, thank you… what?’ And he said, ‘You’re on after us in the summer, and you’re welcome.’”
He still hadn’t let it go, taking his desire for credit a step further in 2024, while promoting the movie Unfrosted. In a gag about, “when people steal your ideas and then do whatever they want with them?” Seinfeld replied, “You mean like Friends?”
