Friends is not leaving Netflix Jan. 1 after fandom panic

Friends type TV Show network NBC genre Sitcom Where to watch Close Streaming Options

Relax: Friends will still be there for you.

Netflix is not breaking up with the beloved sitcom classic — at least not yet.

Fandom went into a panic over the weekend over a flurry of false reports that claimed the show was leaving Netflix on Jan. 1, 2019 after four years on the service.

What happened is Netflix added an “available until Jan. 1” note on the show’s “details” tab causing a bit of a freakout.

A Change.org petition was even launched begging Netflix to keep the title, calling its removal “unfair, unacceptable and downright inhumane.”

Except: Friends isn’t leaving the service — at least not on Jan. 1.

The “details” tab deleted the “Jan. 1” removal date.

The reports seemed believable as Friends studio Warner Bros. is looking to launch its own streaming service and is reigning back on licensing its popular content, and some have speculated Friends might be among those not continuing on Netflix. But sources say Netflix and Warner Bros. might reach a new agreement.

Netflix bought the rights to Friends back in 2014 in a massive deal, shelling out $118 million for the rights for all 10 seasons of the former NBC series. Plus the service digitally remastered every episode for HD streaming. Netflix introduced Friends to a new generation where it became popular all over again as a dose of ’90s nostalgia. It’s resurgence has not been without controversy, however, as younger viewers coming to the show for the first time have criticized the sitcom as less-than woke.

So you don’t have to finish watching the former NBC hit’s 230 episodes this holiday season — but you can if you want to, you know, just to be safe.

UPDATE: Netflix says Friends will stay on the service “throughout 2019.”

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