Friends with Benefits: Generation Friends on the TV Phenomenon at 25

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

In September 1994, six friends sat down in their favorite coffee shop and began bantering. A quarter of a century later, new fans are still finding their way into the lives of Rachel, Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe, and through a combination of its talented creators, its intimate understanding of its youthful audience, and its reign during network television’s last moment of dominance, Friends has become the most influential and beloved show of its era.

On September 17, Saul Austerlitz, the author of Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era, will be appearing at IFC Center for a discussion and book signing. Austerlitz will be joined by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of Seinfeldia, and they will be showing clips from the series and discussing Friends’ 25th anniversary, the secret of its attraction for younger viewers who were not even alive when the show premiered, Netflix’s one-year, $100 million deal for the show, and much more. Looking at episodes like “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” and “The One with the Lesbian Wedding,” Austerlitz and Armstrong will discuss the show’s approach to sexuality, and its recurring interest in finding the emotion in its relationships.

Event followed by a book-signing with Austerlitz – copies of Generation Friends will be available for purchase at the IFC Center concession stand!

• Running Time 60 minutes
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.