Friends: Your views

Friends has been a success around the world

Friends finally won the accolade of Best Comedy at this year's Emmy awards, with Jennifer Aniston named Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Rachel.

The sitcom has just entered its ninth series in the US, with the first episode continuing from last series' cliffhanger based on the love triangle between Ross, Rachel and Joey.

"Friends is as fresh as ever. This was one of the best episodes. For all their middle-aged foibles, the characters interact in the engagingly childish manner that we have come to love," wrote the BBC's Peter Bowes.

But what do you think?

This debate is now closed. Please see a selection of your comments below.

I've always thought that Friends was contrived and unfunny. I can't believe it is still on the air. It's one of our worst shows.
Jenny, USA

It is still as absurd as it was in its first year.
John, USA

The formulaic farce type humour missed the mark

Mike Profit

I love Friends and I think it's still incredibly funny. The cast have a magical chemistry together. I will miss the show very much if it ends next year.
Kira, USA

A very poor opening episode. Friends seems to be going the way of Will & Grace - far too much sex based humour, none of which is particularly clever or funny. Based solely on this first episode, this should perhaps be the final season of a once creative and very funny show.
David, USA

I've been watching Friends from the beginning, and I think the episodes just get funnier. The humour is fantastic, and definitely has a lot more quality than most American sitcoms. The writers just never run out of ideas. I hope Series 9 won't be the last.
Natalie, Cyprus

Friends has lost the glamour it had years ago. The actors are getting older, fatter, less wittier and the most of all... mundane. They definitely need to call this an end. It cannot go on forever. It's not funny anymore.
Max Northfield, USA

I have been a great fan of friends for a long time, but seriously I think now its time for the producer and the director to give a break to the sic friends. Simply because of the fact that they are running out of ideas. I was really disappointment to see the first episode of the ninth and hopefully the final season.
Shahbaz Munir, USA

This is one of the best shows ever and it always will be. Although I don't want it to finish, I think it is better to leave now, while they are on top, than to be cancelled because the ratings are down or the stories are not funny anymore.
Valeria Lima, Paraguay

As much as I have loved Friends, it's sad to see that the most interesting character now on the show is Jack Gellar, played wonderfully by Elliot Gould. I hope they make it to the end of the year on top so they can retire the show gracefully.
Jeff Campbell, Canada

This show is still one of the funniest shows on TV. How do the writers keep coming up with this stuff. Hopefully the cast will come back for.
Mike, USA

I have been a big fan of Friends for a long time, but I have to say, Peter Bowes' brain has finally come loose from its moorings! Last night's episode of Friends was really pitiful. It wasn't fresh and it certainly was not one of the best epsiodes, it was the worst! When writers start to marry off the principle characters to one another, you know they've run out steam.

I was impressed by the quality of the script and humour

Robert Prior

Friends was a great TV programme for a long time, now it's just ridiculous and not credible. Rachel has just given birth to Ross's baby, after being married and divorced from him? And she suddenly thinks it's a good idea to marry Joey who she has no feeling for other than a close friend? Give me a break.

Amanda Bradley, Seattle, USA

I watched last night with my wife and not having seen much of the last few series I was impressed by the quality of the script and humour. I will certainly watch future episodes in this series.
Robert Prior, Canada

Friends was irretrievably ruined when they got rid of the most interesting character on the show. By the way, does anyone else miss Marcel as much as I do?
Robert del Valle, USA

Friends has slipped into the banal and boring.
Barbara Dyce, Canada

Not as funny any more. Seems like the actors are already tired of this too. Not as much bonding too much coupling, which usually breaks all the friendships. Too much talk about sex - Monica and Chandler.
Svetlana, USA

I think they're all losing it. Why on earth would people of their age have their lives so intertwined with a clique of oft-times dull and moronic friends? It's time for them all to get married, have kids, and grow the hell up. I'm not as impressed by the writing as I once way.
Eric Spears, USA

We all waited with excitement for the new series, but alas were all disappointed. The formulaic farce type humour missed the mark and we were left cringing at the awkward situation of the Joey, Ross, Rachael traingle of confusion. The time is right for this once great television programme to bow out gracefully.
Mike Profit, Expat Brit in US

I managed to see a copy of the first episode by a friend who taped it and sent it over. Now don't get me wrong, I am a devout Friends fan - I have all the series on DVD and couldn't wait for the opener of this season, as the end of the last series eneded on such a cliffhanger.... just like this episode! The humour has gradually gone downhill, yes, but the humour is still there, mind.

It will never be the same without the original settings - Joey and Chandler in one flat, Monica and Rachel in the other. But, still, give it some credit. They have to somehow end the whole "Friends saga", and as we see by the script petering out.... it's on its way.
Mark Hendrikx, Germany