Over the weekend, some Netflix subscribers noticed that the show Friends was set to leave the streaming service on January 1. The Friends fandom, which is legion, expressed their anger online at this potential development, and the company announced today that the beloved sitcom would remain on the site through 2019. The expiration date was removed and Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, told The Hollywood Reporter that the show’s “departure is a rumor.†At the center of the uproar is the fact that Warner Bros. is launching its own streaming service at the end of next year. It’s not clear yet what will and won’t be available on their platform (meanwhile, Disney is readying the release of its own service, Disney+), but it’s possible Friends will be pulled from other services to make an exclusive home on whatever WB has planned.
Netflix announced the continued presence of Friends with the help of the Holiday Armadillo this afternoon.