Jennifer Aniston And Lisa Kudrow's Idea For A 'Friends' Spinoff Is Going Viral For All The Wrong Reasons

For decades, critics have argued that Friends benefited from a television landscape that often overlooked Black-led sitcoms telling similar stories. So when Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow recently floated the idea of a Friends spinoff called Girlfriends, many viewers saw it as yet another example of Black television history being left out of the conversation.

During Variety's Actors on Actors, Aniston and Kudrow discussed what a potential Friends revival could look like more than 20 years after the sitcom ended its original run.

Reflecting on the show's success, Aniston praised the cast’s chemistry and writers:

"That was such lightning in a bottle, the chemistry of all of us. And the writers played off of us and our relationships, which were truly genuine."

Almost immediately after its September 1994 debut, Friends became one of television's biggest hits. The NBC sitcom spent years near the top of the ratings, turning its cast into household names and helping launch trends like Aniston's famous "Rachel" haircut.

She also spoke about what she loved most about working on the series:

"I really loved that medium. I loved the audience."

Kudrow, meanwhile, admitted she didn't spend much time watching the sitcom during its original run and is only now seeing some episodes for the first time.

She shared her openness to a return:

"I would love to do another one, if anyone wrote a good one…”

The Comeback star then told Aniston, “Let’s do it. You heard it here!"

The conversation soon turned into a brainstorming session. After Kudrow suggested a project featuring herself, Aniston, and Courteney Cox, Aniston offered a title that immediately caught viewers' attention.

Aniston gave her pitch:

"Girlfriends… Let’s pitch it. Let’s workshop it in front of all of these wonderful people."

You hear that? That’s Aniston’s PR agent trying to frantically call her.

Because many viewers were quick to point out that Girlfriends already exists.

Created by Mara Brock Akil, the sitcom ran from 2000 to 2008 and followed four Black women as they navigated their careers, friendships, and relationships in Los Angeles. The series starred Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White, and Jill Marie Jones and remains one of the most celebrated Black sitcoms of its era.

You can watch their awkward pitch session here:

- YouTubeEntertainment Tonight

For many viewers, the issue wasn't simply the reuse of an existing title. The moment reopened a broader conversation about how Black sitcoms are frequently left out of mainstream television discussions despite their cultural impact.

The backlash also revived memories of another Friends-related controversy from 2020 involving David Schwimmer. At the time, Schwimmer discussed the possibility of seeing an "all-Black Friends," drawing immediate pushback from fans and actors who pointed out that Black ensemble sitcoms had existed for decades.

Among those who responded was Living Single star Erika Alexander:

Much of the criticism centered on Living Single, the 1993–1998 Fox sitcom starring Queen Latifah, Erika Alexander, Kim Coles, Kim Fields, T.C. Carson, and John Henton. Set in Brooklyn, the series followed a group of young Black professionals navigating careers, relationships, and friendships a year before Friends premiered on NBC.

Schwimmer later addressed the criticism:

"I didn’t mean to imply 'Living Single' hadn’t existed or indeed hadn’t come before 'Friends,' which I knew it had."

While debates over Friends and its influences are hardly new, the latest viral moment has once again drawn attention to the broader history of Black television, which many viewers feel is too often overlooked.

You can view the reactions here:

Aniston and Kudrow’s full Actors on Actors interview can be seen here:

- YouTubeVariety

Perhaps before workshopping Girlfriends any further, Aniston and Kudrow might want to spend a weekend with Netflix's Strong Black Lead collection.

The streamer has helped introduce a new generation of viewers to beloved sitcoms, including Moesha, Sister, Sister, Girlfriends, and The Parkers, through licensing deals and dedicated promotion. Netflix's Strong Black Lead initiative has also spotlighted the lasting cultural impact of those series through cast reunions, retrospectives, and curated collections celebrating Black television.

Judging by the reaction online, many viewers believe that would be time well spent.