The show is still enjoyed around the world and is gathering new fans – but comedy is now often overlooked by US networks

Just before Friends was about to hit the screens for the first time on 22 September 1994, Jimmy Burrows, the show’s director, staged a private screening of the first episode for the cast on the Warner Bros jet en route to Las Vegas.

Later, at Caesar’s Palace, he gave the six relative unknowns cash to play the tables, telling them to enjoy their last hours of anonymity. “The six of you will never be able to do this again,” he predicted.

Twenty years on, Burrows’ prophecy has come true. Friends is an international juggernaut, while those six unknown, young actors have become exceedingly famous.

52 million Americans watched the final episode of Friends. It has inspired haircuts, fashion, and interior designers. Its theme tune, even its font, are unmistakable. Desperate men are still failing to pick up women with Joey’s chat-up line, “how you doin’?”.

The gold standard for any comedy is to win fans from generations that weren’t born when it first aired. On Comedy Central, Friends is doing just that – as well as reconnecting with older fans – it is our most reliable ratings banker in the UK and popular in territories like Russia.

The challenge for the comedy community is to try to find new shows that come close to emulating its longevity and exportability. With that in mind, let me offer you six c-words (all safe to say before the watershed), that help explain the enduring popularity of Friends.

First of all is Chance. Comedy is the riskiest genre; no one can guarantee what will succeed or fail. Warren Littlefield, NBC Entertainment’s former president, has chronicled how Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry were actually contracted to other shows, and supposedly unavailable for Friends, until serendipity intervened.

That brings us to Casting. Friends employed an ensemble cast. This egalitarian approach was taken to new levels when all six banded together to negotiate collectively for equal pay. The cast even dispensed with the actors’ code, and gave each other tips on how to deliver their lines for maximum comic effect.

This created unrivalled Chemistry. On-screen, they didn’t have to pretend to be great mates, because off-air they were. They lived in each other’s pockets.

Then there’s the universality of the Characters. All of us can point to the kooky one, the dumb one, the OCD one in our own friendship groups. The characters, and therefore the show, are essentially likeable. All of them were granted happy endings. Rachel and Ross finally ended up together.

The characters, of course, would be nothing without the Craft. Not just the stellar performances, but also the brilliant writing from co-creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman. The breakthrough first series was directed by the legendary Burrows, the man behind Cheers. An average episode of Friends took twice as long to film as other sitcoms.

Ultimately, though, it’s the Comedy that binds these ingredients together. The comedy in Friends is broad, accessible; it’s happy to employ slapstick and farce alongside verbal wit.

Comedy Central is the only truly international comedy brand, reaching 250m homes in more than 90 countries, meaning we’re always on the lookout for shows, like Friends, that resonate with viewers in multiple territories.

As we mark the show’s 20th anniversary, the irony is that the US networks, with a few exceptions, are focusing obsessively on drama and largely giving comedy a miss. They’re more interested in finding the new Sherlock than the new Seinfeld. There is a relative dearth of new material for us to acquire.

In response, we’ve started to commission our own studio sitcoms. One of our first forays, I Live with Models, is produced by The Office’s Ash Atalla. It revolves around a hand model who moves into a flat with a group of people who are significantly better-looking than him. While it would be crazy to even try to replicate Friends, we are using the American studio model, with multiple cameras in front of a live studio audience.

We will be using British production companies to build high-volume shows that can be syndicated. Our series will be a mixture of British and American talent, in front of, and behind the camera, including our first Los Angeles-based production and development executive. We’re also testing pilots in multiple territories. We want a show that works as well in Madrid as it does in Manchester.

Hopefully, in the not too distant future, one of our directors will be in a position to give a group of young actors the same speech Jimmy Burrows gave 20 years ago.

I just can’t guarantee they’ll get the Viacom jet.

Jill Offman is managing director of Viacom-owned Comedy Central UK and senior vice president of international content for the channel brand