'Friends' Fans Threaten to Cancel Netflix Subscription Following Sitcom's 2020 Exit

Fans are threatening to cancel their Netflix subscription after it was revealed earlier this week [...]

By Allison Schonter

Fans are threatening to cancel their Netflix subscription after it was revealed earlier this week that Friends is set to exit the streaming platform at the start of the new year. While the announcement of the sitcom's impending departure first broke over the summer, it wasn't until the start of December that fans learned the series would be pulled from Netflix on Jan. 1, 2020, news that isn't sitting well with subscribers.

"Once Friends gets taken off of [Netflix] I gotta cancel my subscription [laughing out loud] really only thing I watch before bed literally," one Netflix subscriber threatened.

"The day they take Friends off Netflix is the day I cancel Netflix," another wrote.

"Friends is leaving Netflix so I might as well cancel my Netflix," one subscriber tweeted.

"[Netflix] haha cancel Friends & I will gladly cancel my subscription," commented another.

Although rumors of Friends' departure from the streaming platform had first been sparked in 2018, Netflix had shelled out a reported $100 million to keep the series for an additional year. That move, while delighting fans, proved to be controversial as the streamer continued to cancel several beloved original series after just two or three seasons.

In July, the streamer confirmed that its hold on Friends was officially coming to an end, revealing that the series would be leaving the platform sometime in 2020. At the time, an official exit date wasn't given.

Following its departure from Netflix in 2020, Friends will be available for streaming on HBO Max, WarnerMedia Entertainment's upcoming streaming service. Set to include access to all of HBO's shows along with other titles from Warner Bros., DC, Studio Ghibli and New Line Cinema, the service is set to launch in May 2020. Users will be able to access 10,000 hours of "exceptional content" at the cost of $14.99 per month.

It has also been rumored that the new streaming service, the latest to join the growing streaming wars, is eyeing a Friends reunion special to celebrate the series' 25th anniversary. According to sources, all six of the show's stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow — are interested, though there is no word if it's a done deal.

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