Was Friends’ Emotional Ending Inspired By This ‘70s Sitcom? Here’s What We Know

Do you know that ending of FRIENDS, the keys on the counter, one last sarcastic Chandler zinger, and the gang heading out for coffee like it’s just another day? Yeah, total emotional chaos in the best way. It wrapped up ten years of laughs, love triangles, and way too many turkey moments with the kind of bittersweet perfection that made us all feel personally attacked.

But get this: that tearjerker of a finale wasn’t just something the writers cooked up over lattes and nostalgia. Nope. It turns out that they had a little help from the ’70s. Specifically, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. That classic sitcom didn’t just rock bell bottoms and laugh tracks. It also mastered the art of the emotional finale. The FRIENDS creators loved it so much that they used it as a guidebook on saying goodbye. So, while we were bawling our eyes out in 2004, we were also getting hit with a dose of vintage TV brilliance.

How Did The Mary Tyler Moore Show Inspire Friends?

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a game-changer in TV history. It introduced Mary Richards, played by Mary Tyler Moore, a career-driven, smart, and single woman, way ahead of her time. The show’s seven-year run ended in 1977 with a finale, The Last Show, that made us all reach for the tissues. After everyone at the newsroom got fired (except for Ted, of course), the gang shared a long, emotional group hug. And guess what? FRIENDS was paying attention.

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Showrunner Marta Kauffman called The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s ending the “gold standard” for sitcom finales. “It’s just so fantastic. That they won’t leave that hug, that was brilliant,” said David Crane in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. The FRIENDS finale took notes from that emotional goodbye. They gave us closure, resolving big storylines like Ross and Rachel reuniting and Monica and Chandler’s family plans, all while making sure the show’s heart, their friendship, shone through.

In the final moments, the gang shares heartfelt, tear-filled hugs before leaving the apartment for the last time, symbolizing both the end of an era and the start of something new. It’s a FRIENDS hug with a Mary Tyler Moore twist.

How Did Friends Craft The Perfect Goodbye?

Crafting the FRIENDS finale was no easy feat. With ten seasons of laughs, love triangles, and unforgettable moments, the pressure to deliver an ending that felt satisfying and true to the show’s spirit was intense. Showrunners Marta Kauffman and David Crane knew they had to strike the perfect balance: unexpected but fulfilling, funny yet emotional.

To nail it, they watched and analyzed several sitcom finales, figuring out what worked and what didn’t. As Kauffman put it, “The ones we really like are the ones that stayed true to what the series was.” And for Crane, there was one finale that stood out above the rest, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. “That’s the gold standard,” he told SFGATE. They admired its emotional yet grounded farewell and set out to recreate that magic for FRIENDS.

Kauffman also stressed they didn’t want anything “high concept” or out of place. “We wanted it to feel like FRIENDS,” she said. So, after days of brainstorming, the team crafted a finale that kept the humor, wrapped up major storylines, and delivered a punch of emotion. And in the end, they nailed it, a perfect mix of tears, laughs, and one last group hug.

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