The One Where Netflix Subscribers Grieve the Loss of ‘Friends’ on Twitter
Friends is about to leave Netflix forever(?). Fans aren't taking the news well. | Source: REUTERS / Fred Prouser FSP / HB
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- New Year’s Eve 2019 is the very last day fans can binge-watch Friends on Netflix.
- They’ll have to wait until May 2020 before they can stream the beloved New York City life and dating sitcom again on HBO Max.
- Friends fans took to Twitter to brace for the withdrawals.
To true Friends fans, very little in life cuts as deep as that final panning shot of Monica’s apartment in the series finale, resting on that yellow picture frame around the peephole on her door. The show’s disappearance from Netflix is bringing on the same feels.
Judging from the devastation and panic they’re expressing on Twitter today, a lot of them might be choosing to spend time with “Friends” over their friends this New Year’s Eve.
And who can blame them? It’s their last chance to stream the show until May 2020 as the franchise moves from Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) to AT&T’s (NYSE: T) WarnerMedia.
Here are all five stages of grief Friends fans are going through today:
1. Denial That ‘Friends’ Is Gone
One fan advised denial as the best coping strategy.
Another openly indulged in denial, tweeting a video of Chandler rubbing his temples and repeating, “No! No! No!”
2. Anger at Netflix
Others went straight to anger, and tweeted GIFs of Ross and Rachel making crude hand gestures he and Monica invented when they were kids.
https://twitter.com/FeTheBae/status/1212067650915860481
GIFs of the crude hand gesture was a common theme of the anger copers.
3. Bargaining with the Loss of ‘Friends’
Many Friends fans chose to cope by bargaining. “At least I can binge it today! It’ll stream again — eventually — waaaahhh!”
Another bargained by suggesting US fans can still stream it with the help of a VPN requesting the stream from an overseas IP address:
4. Depression Over Lost ‘Friends’
The tears on Twitter were streaming faster than the episodes on Netflix in this year’s last-minute panic binge.
5. Acceptance
Other fans and social media allies opted for acceptance that their favorite television series is no longer on Netflix.
Someone suggested tuning in on TBS.
Still waiting for someone to reply, “Ok boomer.”
Another accepted Friends’ disappearance from Netflix with grace. They bought all the seasons on DVD. They’re already stocked up on NBC’s The Office .
One fan did what many are probably doing today. He stepped up like a real fan and cleared his entire schedule to binge while he still can.
With the departure of Friends and The Office (in 2021) from Netflix, the streaming giant may seem barren for now. But there’s no reason to worry. Subscribers will be able to watch Seinfeld on Netflix in 2021.
