They'll be there for you...one last time.
A decade of inner-group dating, Ross and Rachel's on-again, off-again romantic saga, $1 million per episode salaries, trendy haircuts, a ubiquitous tabloid presence for the cast and the consumption of a whole lot of Central Perk coffee comes to an end Thursday night with the series finale of NBC's long-running hit sitcom Friends.
That means Ross' dinosaur obsession, Rachel's slavery to fashion, Chandler's always-ready sarcastic remarks, Monica's endearing fastidiousness, Joey's love of all things female and sandwich-y and Phoebe's kooky, well, Phoebe-ness will go the way of syndication and DVD box sets as the New York City pals' story wraps up and, two of them, anyway, head off to the suburbs.
NBC, which is charging a record-breaking $2 million per 30-second ad spot during the finale, has kept the episode's plot hush-hush, but here's what to expect:
Marrieds Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) not only give up their spacious and swanky (and oh-so-unrealistic) NYC apartment to move to a house in the 'burbs, but they also await the birth of their daughter, via an adoption from birth mom Erica (guest star Anna Faris).
Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Mike (guest star Paul Rudd) got a happy ending with their predictably unorthodox wedding (outside java hangout Central Perk) earlier this season, but Internet fan sites are abuzz with speculation that Pheebs may still be in for a finale surprise. Could that be the pitter-patter of little Phoebe feet we hear?
Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is the one Friends star who will return to the tube next season, as the star of his aptly named Friends spinoff Joey. Since we know he'll be relocating to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career for the new series, Joey's finale plans might include much packing.
And Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston)...When last we saw them, they were locked in a smooch as she explained how hard it would be to say goodbye to him when she headed off to Paris with baby Emma for her new job. Finale promos include a teaser with Ross chasing Rachel down as she's about to board an airplane, reminiscent of the season-one finale when Rachel tried to catch Ross as he boarded a plane to China. That airport encounter didn't immediately turn out so well for the duo. But Friends producers have hinted they wanted to give fans the ending they want, so odds are that R 'n' R will be reunited, and yes, it will feel so good.
Friends to the End
E! looks back at 10 years of Friends with a full night of pre-finale programming.
Airs: Thursday, 5-8 p.m.
Other questions fans will hope to have answered: What will become of Rachel-lovin' Central Perk manager Gunther (James Michael Tyler)? Have we really seen the last of nasally Chandler ex Janice (Maggie Wheeler), who almost became the Bings' neighbor? Is Monica's rent-controlled apartment really available? And if so, whom do we call?
Before the much anticipated finale, which is expected to lure upward of 50 million viewers, NBC will also air back-to-back repeat episodes and a two-hour Friends-themed edition of Dateline NBC on Wednesday, plus a one-hour Friends retrospective on Thursday.
Post-finale, the gang turns up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday, Oprah on Friday and on a new DVD--which will include the finale, a video of the show's stuck-in-your-head theme song and bonus footage from the finale--that will hit stores next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in addition to LeBlanc's spinoff series (which is rumored to feature a guest appearance by Perry during the first season), the other Friends' long-term plans include:
Impending parenthood for Cox and hubby David Arquette, who will also continue to produce their Women's Entertainment network home-decorating series Mix It Up.
Aniston's focus on a big-screen acting career, as well as developing flicks like a Tim Burton-directed Willy Wonka remake (starring Johnny Depp) with her Plan B production company partner and hubby Brad Pitt.
A behind-the-scenes career for Kudrow, who is developing a CBS workplace comedy pilot with Friends guest star (and former E! Talk Soup host) Aisha Tyler and a UPN drama pilot about a group of twentysomethings who work in the fashion industry. Kudrow was also reportedly asked by pal Paul Reiser to make a guest appearance in My 11:30, the Jeff Goldblum sitcom pilot he's producing for NBC.
A possible trip down the aisle for trouble-plagued funny guy Perry, who has stated in recent interviews that he's anxious to emulate his Friends onscreen marriage-and-kids storyline offscreen. Linked to New York fashion student Rachel Dunn for the past year, Perry is also set to costar with his father, actor John Bennett Perry, in the upcoming drama The Beginning of Wisdom.
And a directing career for Schwimmer, who will helm several episodes of LeBlanc's Joey, in addition to directing the pilots for NBC's Alyson Hannigan sitcom Americana and the Judy Greer (13 Going on 30) family comedy Nevermind Nirvana and starring in the upcoming Atlantic City gambling drama Duane Hopwood.
As for the show's devoted fans, who've stuck with Friends to the end despite questionable storylines like that Joey and Rachel flirtation, Ross' dalliances with boring Julie, Emily and Elizabeth and the frustrating ups and downs and near misses of the Ross and Rachel pairing, show executive producer and cocreator David Crane says he hopes they'll look back on the show with friendly feelings.
"I'd like to hope that years from now people can look at the reruns and say, 'That is still a really funny show' or 'It's still really sweet'," Crane told CNN. "And if that happens, I'll be thrilled."