Where You Can Watch Friends Online

The TV show Friends ran for ten successful seasons on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004. Over the show’s lifetime, it managed to win 62 primetime Emmy Awards and frequently appeared on many of TV’s “best-of” lists. Recently, the show has seen a resurgence in popularity among nostalgic Gen X-ers and millennials. It has even gained a fandom within Gen Z as well.

With fans spanning three generations, it has become one of the more in-demand shows to watch online. Even though Friends initially aired on NBC, it’s not available on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. Instead, you’ll find all ten seasons of Friends are on HBO Max along with Friends: The Reunion, where Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer reunited to celebrate their beloved sitcom back in May of 2021.

All 10 Seasons of Friends are on HBO Max

In 2019, HBO Max spent $425 Million to have Friends’ streaming rights for five years. Every episode of all ten seasons of Friends is available to watch online for HBO Max subscribers. A subscription to HBO Max provides everything available on HBO and other content licensed from other brands like Friends.

You can watch Friends by subscribing to HBO Max for $14.99 per month. There is no contract, so you can pay monthly and cancel at any time. Once you subscribe, you can watch Friends using the HBO Max app. The HBO Max app can be downloaded to any of the following devices:

• Android phones and tablets
• Android TV (including most Sony Android TVs, 2016 models, and later)
• Apple TV (4th generation and later)
• Computers (PC and Mac browsers)
• Apple iOS devices: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• PlayStation 4
• Samsung TV (2016 models and later)
• Xbox One
• Chromecast (Through Android or iOS device)
• Roku

Friends Still Airs on TBS

The cable TV Network TV frequently airs episodes of Friends. However, you don’t need cable to watch Friends. You can watch TBS without cable using any of the following streaming services.

Hulu Live TV – Offers TBS, local channels, and a ton of other features. Check out our guide to Hulu for more information on the service. You can signup on Hulu’s Website

Sling TV – Live TBS is a part of both their “Blue” and “Orange” package. They regularly have special pricing for new customers. For information on device support and features, see our guide to Sling TV.

DIRECTV STREAM – Offers 60+ channels, including TBS. There is a promo page, see our review of DIRECTV STREAM for more details.

YouTube TV – You can watch TBS on YouTube TV, which you can also read about in our coverage of YouTube TV. 

Each of these services includes a cloud DVR, so you can set your DVR to record every episode of Friends when they air on TBS. This will allow you to watch all ten seasons over time slowly. TBS also will occasionally air a Friends marathon, giving you a good block of episodes to record.

However, I would recommend HBO Max if your goal is to watch Friends. I just wanted to mention the TBS option if you already have one of these services, or you know TBS is running a marathon where you could pick up one of the trial offers and watch Friends online for free.