Friends

The Age of Revivals spurred along by the likes of Netflix’s Fuller House or whatever NBC drags out of the dumpster next has many hopeful that Friends will finally get its oft-discussed reunion. Nope! Co-creator Marta Kauffman bluntly states “reunions suck,” at last putting an end to speculation.

Over the past 60 years, just 26 shows have held the coveted title of a season’s top-rated series. They run the gamut from sitcoms to Westerns to medical dramas to soap operas and back. Viewers’ taste remains fascinatingly cyclical; 60 years ago, the most popular show in America was a game show; 45 years later, a similar game show reigned supreme. Some of the shows in this gallery remained firmly ingrained in the fabric of popular culture; others have faded away. (Paging Dr. Marcus Welby...) But at one point in time (or, in a few cases, at several points) these 26 series were the most popular in the entire country.

Wait, Matthew Perry, what? The big news in this new clip from Late Night With Seth Meyers isn’t that Perry almost didn’t star in Friends, it’s that he almost didn’t star in Friends because he was previously committed to a show about an airport…in the future. The show was called LAX 2194 and Perry actually did film a pilot, which was never bought because the show was terrible.

Not to be outdone by HBO's announcement of a standalone streaming service (although totally outdone by Warner Bros.' DC slate), Netflix has picked up a few 'Friends' of its own, 236 to be exact. The streaming service confirms today that all episodes of Monica, Chandler, Joe, Rachel, Phoebe and Ross will be ready to watch in time for New Years' 2015, as announced by Gunther and the Rembrandts.

It’s always bizarre to re-watch the pilot episode of a long-running television series, especially a situation comedy. Both ‘Friends’ and ‘ER’ are celebrating the 20th anniversaries of their debut over the next few days, but watching the ‘ER’ pilot almost feels like watching a movie. The pace of ‘ER’ came first and the characters were established later (we didn’t get to know too much about Noah Wyle’s John Carter, other than that he was new and that he was scared). ‘Friends’ didn’t have this luxury. The first scene of ‘Friends’ takes place in a coffee shop, so we really have no choice other than to meet these people. And the thing is, in this first episode, these people are kind of awful.

Like anyone who lived through the '90s, Jimmy Kimmel loved 'Friends,' but while being a fan of the television staple is wholly understandable, the depth of his affection is, well, perhaps not. Kimmel hosted 'Friends' star Jennifer Aniston on his show last night, and while she might have expected to chat about her latest movie, 'Life of Crime,' and share some fun tidbits and anecdotes, the host had other ideas.

If you've been holding out for a 'Friends' reunion, star Courteney Cox has some news for you. It's not going to happen.

Understandably, 2013 has become a banner year for TV reunion in that 'Arrested Development' will finally dish out Netflix's revival season on May 26, while even the dormant 'Veronica Mars' got its act together for a fan-funded feature film, but the latest rumors have little merit, despite their long reach. Sources lacking credibility yesterday spread news of a 'Friends' reunion season, but despite

NBC's 'Go On' might have lost a bit of momentum without 'The Voice' as a lead-in, but the series will gain at least a few more 'Friends' in the comings weeks. Marking 'Go On's first 'Friends' reunion for former star Matthew Perry, Courtney Cox will put Monica and Chandler back together for an upcoming guest appearance. Find out how Courtney Cox will 'Go On' inside!

It's called the "Seinfeld Curse" after all, not the 'Friends' Curse.  So while this may be Matthew Perry's third leading TV role since the end of 'Friends' eight years ago, he can at least rest easy that for the moment, NBC has his back with Perry's upcoming effort 'Go On.'