2020 giveth, and it taketh away.
The new decade is sure to bring plenty of wonderful things along with it, but when 2020 arrived a few things were lost as well. Popular sitcom Friends ended its run on Netflix as the year came to a close, and fans of the series are feeling lost without easy access to binge the show.
As people began to realize the series was no longer available to stream, panic swept the web. Many online have been expressing their anxiety over the move.
“I’m over 2020 already,” one fan wrote on Twitter. “They ripped #Friends right off of #Netflix mid episode and this is the rudest way to start the new year.”
I’m over 2020 already. They ripped #Friends right off of #Netflix mid episode and this is the rudest way to start the new year pic.twitter.com/wj9VW1MIZt
— Dee Zayed (@DeeZayed) January 1, 2020
FRIENDS is no longer on Netflix…. crappy new year.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) January 1, 2020
really bad start to 2020 when i woke up at 5:42am and they already took friends off of netflix. frick.
— soph (@legitsophtemp) January 1, 2020
Starting off the new year badly because @netflix wants to decide to remove Friends, specifically as I’m in the middle of watching… 😪
— DaisyyMichelle (@Daisyy_Michelle) January 1, 2020
@netflix why would you do this to us. We need Friends. It was the show to turn on when going to bed or the fallback show when you couldn’t find anything to watch. Friends is one of the best shows….ever.
— PNUTASSASSIN437 (@ehbkg1) January 1, 2020
Subscribers in the U.S. were particularly incensed after discovering that the series wasn’t removed everywhere, but it is not accessible to any U.S. streamers.
“Wait, the freaking UK gets to watch ‘Friends’ on @netflix until MAY, but the US loses it TOMORROW,” Twitter user @grayskymornin wrote. “That’s seriously my last straw.”
Wait, the freaking UK gets to watch #Friends on @netflix until MAY, but the US loses it TOMORROW?! That’s seriously my last straw. #cancelnetflix
— JB4 (@grayskymornin) December 31, 2019
Meanwhile, fans of the sitcom in other countries are celebrating their continued access.
“It’s 2020 and FRIENDS is still on Netflix,” Twitter user @FanistonGirl wrote. “Thank you Norway.”
BY THE WAY FRIENDS IS STILL ON NETFLIX PHILIPPINES LIKE YESSS BEST NEW YEAR GIFT EVER https://t.co/WbLCzDZp99
— Edison Lacea 🌹 (@edisonlacea) January 1, 2020
It’s 2020 and FRIENDS is still on Netflix, thank you Norway
— Hedda (@FanistonGirl) January 1, 2020
When you live in Canada so you can still enjoy #Friends in 2020 on netflix pic.twitter.com/6Ma8T9CX84
— Lady 👑 (@ladythepearls) January 1, 2020
Where to stream Friends now
Unfortunately, fans of Friends without a box set will be on an unwilling hiatus for the next several months. The popular series isn’t streaming anywhere in the near future, at least for viewers in the U.S. The series is set to return to streaming when HBO Max launches in mid-May 2020, but until then, viewers are out of luck. For those who can hold out until May, HBO Max will cost $14.99 for a monthly subscription.
Brace yourselves, binging fans: The Office is next.
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