Robert Oliver
Published December 1, 2025 4:45pm
Updated December 1, 2025 5:04pm
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Friends is down to its final month on UK Netflix after eight years (Picture: NBC/Getty)
Key Points
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- Friends is leaving Netflix UK and Ireland later this month – this has caused upset among fans who love the show for comfort viewing
- Fans speculate Friends may move to HBO Max’s UK launch in 2026, and have suggested buying DVDs for uninterrupted access
- The sitcom, a cult classic running from 1994 to 2004, has been a streaming favourite on Netflix for the last eight years
It’s officially time to panic: Friends will be leaving Netflix in the UK and Ireland this month.
The beloved sitcom, which ran from 1994 to 2004, has been a mainstay of Netflix’s catalogue for years, with many fans turning to the show for comfort viewing at home.
Starring David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc, and the late Matthew Perry, Friends followed the lives of six friends living in Manhattan, New York City.
It won numerous awards during its original run and became one of the most popular and acclaimed sitcoms of all time, maintaining a huge following well after its series finale.
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In the UK, the series has been broadcast repeatedly on E4 and Comedy Central for years, with Netflix acquiring the streaming rights almost eight years ago.
But it appears that its run on Netflix is about to come to an end, with fans finding out this morning that they have only 29 more days to watch their favourite episodes before the show is removed on December 30.
The series has been on Netflix since its latest inclusion in January 2018 (Picture: Sky TV)
Visiting the show’s profile on the streaming platform, fans are greeted with a message saying that the show will be gone by the penultimate day of the month.
Naturally, this news has not been received well by the show’s dedicated fanbase, with many devastated expressing their disappointment and confusion over what they’re supposed to do now.
Worried_Bear9012 said on Reddit: ‘No! I listen to Friends every night to help me fall asleep. I’ve watched it so many times now, I can picture the scenes in my head as I listen.’
The 5 greatest Friends episodes of all time
Metro entertainment reporter Rob Oliver reveals his top picks – do you agree?
5. The One with the Proposal (S6E24/25) Pairing up Chandler and Monica is one of the best decisions the Friends writers ever made. Bringing Richard back to jeopardise their love, just as Chandler gets ready to propose, makes for an all-timer hour of TV drama. Chandler and Richard’s honest confrontation here is one of the greatest scenes in Friends’ 10-year history, and then that’s somehow topped immediately afterwards by Monica’s tearful proposal to her true love.
4. The One with the Embryos (S4E12) While Phoebe’s away being implanted with Frank and Alice’s triplets, the other five members of the gang knuckle down in Apartment 20 for the ultimate quiz about each other’s lives. The stakes get bigger and bigger as the tension rises and rises, with Ross stepping into the role he was born to play: nerdy quizmaster extraordinaire. In a hilarious turn of events that will live long in the memory for any Friends fan, Chandler and Joey somehow outwit Rachel and Monica to win Apartment 20 from the girls (if only for a few weeks).
3. The One Where No One’s Ready (S3E2) One of the most famous bottle episodes in all of 1990s TV, this 25-minute delight locks the cast of Friends in a single room and lets the chemistry between the six of them create glorious, chaotic fireworks. What a treat it must have been to sit in the live audience and see this one taped. Ross’ important function party at the museum takes a backseat in everyone’s minds as each member of the cast gets a chance to really, really shine in this spectacular farce. It ends with Ross preparing to drink a cup of pure chicken fat – if you know, you know.
2. The One Where Everybody Founds Out (S5E14) Definitely the funniest episode in Friends history, and almost the very best of them. Phoebe, upon discovering that Chandler and Monica are hooking up, decides to play a little game that escalates into some of the most awkward scenes in all of Friends’ 10 seasons. Chandler, aware that Phoebe is in the know about him and Monica, fights back and plays a little game of his own. It’s a battle of who’ll crack first as Phoebe and Chandler get closer than they’ve ever been – brilliantly and uncomfortably so. Say it with me: ‘They don’t knoooow we-know-they-know-we-know.’
1. The One with the Morning After (S3E16) Not the funniest Friends episode but definitely the saddest, and, in my view, the best of the lot. Ross and Rachel’s relationship comes crashing down as the pair argue through the night, and through tears, following Ross’ infidelity. Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Phoebe are trapped in Monica’s bedroom, listening through the door but unable to intervene. Ending Ross and Rachel’s relationship like this is one of the bravest moves the show ever pulled and they handle it expertly, dragging you through hell with the two of them. The world was watching Friends, so the world wanted Ross and Rachel to fall in love – we finally got what we wanted, only to have it ripped away after barely a full season. Ross and Rachel didn’t just break up with each other, they broke up with us all.
Fans are wondering where they’ll get their Friends content now (Picture: NBC/Getty)
DurpenHowser prepared to say their final goodbyes to eight years of streaming comfort: ‘Damn, I guess my current rewatch is gonna be my final one.’
Nurumon added: ‘This kinda sucks because I like being able to whip my phone out for quickness and watching Netflix when I’m cooking or whatever.’
RingRevolutionary552 offered sage advice: ‘You can also just buy the DVDs instead. You’re gonna save so much money. You are also gonna get extra scenes.’
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The acclaimed sitcom series ran for 10 seasons (Picture: NBC/Getty)
It’s not been confirmed yet which streaming service Friends may be moving to once it leaves Netflix, but fans have speculated that HBO Max’s UK launch may be linked.
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Episodes are available to buy individually from platforms such as Apple TV and Rakuten, while retailer Zavvi currently has the DVD box set available for £56.
Some fans have speculated that the show may not be leaving Netflix at all, claiming that previous years have ended with fans worrying that Friends would be leaving the platform.
However, the impending arrival of HBO Max in the UK, which is set to arrive in early 2026, has some fans wondering if Friends may be moving to the new streamer next year.
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Watch Friends on Netflix (for now).
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