21 Problems Only Friends Fans Will Understand
3. There Is No "New Friends"
Given the success of Friends, it's understandable that NBC - which was the original home of the show - and a variety of other networks have since tried to replicate the formula, and find the 'new' Friends. Basically just get a group of friends together in a sitcom, give them some sort of regular drinking location, make one of them a couple, and hope that the rest falls into place.
Many have tried, and many have failed. There are plenty sitcoms that have earned comparisons to Friends, from the likes of The Big Bang Theory to New Girl, and while they aren't without their merits, they never actually come close to replicating the magic that it had. The closest and most oft-used comparison is How I Met Your Mother.
There's plenty of similarities between the characters, just swap the coffee house for the bar. HIMYM was, at its best, a brilliantly funny, incredibly clever, and very poignant sitcom. It was also rather poor for its last three seasons, and if you need any singular piece of evidence as to why it wasn't the 'new' Friends, just compare its season finale to that of Friends. I love the show, but it doesn't really come close, and nothing ever will.