Associates turns 30 right this moment, with its premiere episode airing on September 22, 1994.
The present was an prompt hit and has turn into some of the beloved sitcoms in historical past. Over its 10 seasons and 236 episodes, Associates has been watched greater than 100 billion instances throughout varied platforms. Nevertheless, the creators—Marta Kauffman, David Crane, and govt producer Kevin S. Vivid—acknowledge that Matthew Perry’s demise has solid a shadow over what needs to be a celebratory time. The present confronted a tragic flip in 2023 when Perry died at age 54 from what a medical expert described because the acute results of ketamine. In August, federal and native regulation enforcement officers introduced the arrest of 5 defendants, together with two medical doctors, who had been charged with a number of counts for allegedly exploiting Perry’s well-known struggles with drug dependancy.
Kauffman famous that the connection among the many six stars—Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Perry—was evident from the beginning. Whereas there has by no means been a Associates reboot, a solid reunion was held on HBO Max in 2021.
Right here’s what those that labored on the sitcom needed to say concerning the lack of their beloved Chandler Bing.
Associates Creators and Govt Producer
“He’d been preventing the great battle for therefore lengthy, and it actually did really feel like, from the reunion, that he had lastly discovered some peace,” co-creator Vivid mentioned in a TODAY interview that aired on Sept. 20.
“It’s an enormous loss, and it does make the thirtieth a bit fraught,” Kauffman added.
“He made us snort every single day—David at all times mentioned he was the funniest man within the room,” Vivid mirrored.
“When the six of them acquired on stage collectively,” Kauffman recalled of the present’s earliest rehearsals, “I acquired a chill up my backbone and thought, ‘That is one thing particular.’”
Kauffman additionally beforehand spoke about easy methods to honor Perry’s reminiscence after his demise. “Donate to drug remedy facilities—let’s battle the illness,” she advised The Occasions final month. “The second means is to look at Associates and bear in mind him not as a person who died like that, however as a person who was hilariously humorous and introduced pleasure to everyone.”
In 2023, shortly after Perry’s demise, the three issued a joint assertion: “We’re shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved pal Matthew’s passing. It nonetheless appears unattainable. All we are able to say is that we really feel blessed to have had him as a part of our lives. He was a superb expertise.”
“We are going to at all times cherish the enjoyment, the sunshine, the blinding intelligence he introduced to each second—not simply to his work, however in life as effectively. He was at all times the funniest individual within the room. Greater than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless coronary heart.”
“We ship all of our like to his household and buddies. This really is The One The place Our Hearts Are Damaged.”
