HOLLYWOOD, May 14, 2000 – Now it can be told: Yes, “Friends” will be back on NBC next season. And, yes, the “Friends” will make a bundle of money. Make that at big bundle of money. The six stars of the hit NBC sitcom will receive $750,000 per actor, per show to do the cute sitcom thing for another two years, reports today said. Add it all up (including a couple of extra points for syndicated episodes and such) and that comes to $40 million per actor over the length of the pact. Put all the “Friends” salaries together and you’ve got $240 million.
You may exhale now.
The deal comes in just under the wire — NBC was due to unveil its 2000-01 schedule Monday. And the renewal of “Friends” was contingent on, well, the availability of the “Friends” — Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow.
“Friends” debuted on NBC in 1994. It’ll close out its sixth season on Thursday.
