Friends 'too sexy' for Chinese TV

DVD copies of Friends are already available in China

Hit US comedy Friends may not make it to Chinese TV because its characters talk about sex too much, China Central TV has said.

An executive told the Communist Party's People's Daily it was reviewing whether to broadcast the show.

"I had thought the play focused on friendship, but after a careful preview I found each episode had something to do with sex," said Qin Mingxin.

The characters' attitudes would not be accepted by Chinese audiences, he said.

The long-running sitcom was to have been dubbed into Chinese and screened under the title Laoyouji, or "Old friends' story".

But Qin said the government-controlled broadcaster faced "many problems in translation and abridgement".

"The attitudes of the six close-knit young friends... cannot be generally accepted by Chinese audiences yet," he said.

Since its US debut in 1994, Friends has received 55 Emmy nominations, including six for outstanding comedy series.

Its current 10th season will be its last, although actor Matt LeBlanc is set to star in a spin-off series.

Friends is already popular in China and counterfeit DVD copies of the show are available in the country's cities.