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Although it ended more than 15 years ago, Friends is still my favorite show.

I think many agree it is a very successful show that has brought laughter and joy to the audience, and money and fame for the actors and producers.

Why would such a successful show stop? Why would the executive producers or the TV network stop a good source of income to themselves?

I have seen shows that are way worse, yet the executive producers/network keep making new episodes!

So again Why would they stop making F.R.I.E.N.D.S ?

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    I think you're getting downvoted not because people disagree with you that Friends was a good show - but as the answer that is here already says, shows run their course and have no more new to give us.
    – iandotkelly ♦
    Oct 10, 2019 at 1:35
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    +1 Although the question may seem opinionated, i feel the question has value. Most of the shows we watch end because the leads leave, the ratings fall, the cast and crew fall apart, clashes etc.Why would a show which is at its prime stop ? And I also like the answer ( i didnt know Aniston was threatening to leave)
    – Anu7
    Oct 10, 2019 at 10:59
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    I agree with @Anu7. ASMGX is allowed to have an opinion. And while I have never been a Friend's fanatic, I would never deny it's popularity in 90's culture or consider it an unsuccessful situational comedy. The question is valid. There are all kinds of reasons for why any given show doesn't continue on after some point and it was interesting to read Yasskier's answer.
    – Darth Locke
    Oct 10, 2019 at 13:12
  • I downvoted because I found the answer externally in less time than it took to write this comment. "Shows no research effort" is one of the main suggested reasons for downvoting. Perhaps others felt the same.
    – Gnemlock
    Oct 10, 2019 at 23:51
  • They had to clear their schedules so they could create an even better show, Joey.
    – Paul D. Waite
    Jan 12 at 12:01

2 Answers 2

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Because Friends ran its course.

The story was completed: Ross and Rachel ended up together, Monica and Chandler have children, Phoebe and her boyfriend were planning to follow up and Joey was moving to Hollywood. There was nothing more to say, the group of young, carefree friends was no more - they were now in their 30s with own families.

The out of universe reason is... that the actors and producers had enough. Even the final, 10th season almost didn't happen -Jennifer Aniston was already threatening to leave and the producers David Crane and Marta Kauffman were seriously wondering "what else there is to tell":

Kauffman and Crane said they wouldn't have gone another year even if all the cast members had wanted to continue. "It took us a while to get onboard with the idea of season 10," Crane said. "We had to really sort of examine what stories we have left to tell that would justify coming back. I'm glad we did, because I really liked this season a lot. But you don't want to overstay your welcome."Source

There are more rumoured reasons revolving around the costs of production (towards the end, the main cast was earning over 1 million per episode, in compare to 22k in season 1) and the general change of the trends in TV: in 2004 sitcoms were becoming less popular while dramas like House or CSI started taking over.

Overall, it was best for everyone to just finish the production and keep earning money from never-ending re-runs.

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    I’d say the stories were being completed because the show was being wound up, not the other way around - Ross and Rachel didn’t happen until the end of the season, the babies and related storyline’s were a build up to the final episode and Joeys move to Hollywood didn’t happen until his spin off series afterward. It had however become stale, the characters were now not in the right age bracket and the storyline’s becoming a lot more family focussed, so it was the right time to end.
    – Moo
    Oct 10, 2019 at 3:52
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The reasons were mostly:

  1. The actors pays were very high.
  2. Rachel wanted to go into the movies and wanted to stop acting in a TV Show.
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    Any source you could edit in to back this up?
    – Jenayah
    Mar 28, 2020 at 0:18

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