The Last Episode of Friends Aired 17 Years Ago Today

On May 6, 2004, NBC aired the final episode of Friends, ending a ten-season run as a cultural phenomenon.

The series finale was watched by over 52 million people, making it the fourth highest rated episode in TV history. This is the last scene from "The Last One," in which Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) are moving out of their giant rent-controlled apartment, turning in their keys and finding out that Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Phoebe (Kudrow), Rachel (Aniston), and Ross (David Schwimmer) all had their own copies. We also learn that Ross once tried to make it as a dancer, one more embarrassing story in his long history of embarrassing stories.

Friends is now streaming on HBO Max.

Andy Hunsaker has a head full of sitcom gags and nerd-genre lore, and can be followed @AndyHunsaker if you're into that sort of thing.