Lisa Kudrow Urges Future Warner Bros. Owners To Preserve 'Friends' Studio Lot

Actress and writer Lisa Kudrow grew nostalgic during her visit to the Warner Bros. Studios, the place she called home for 10 years while filming "Friends."

Amid the acquisition of Warner Bros., Kudrow is pleading with its future owners to preserve the studio lot where the iconic comedy TV show was shot.

In the second episode of the Architectural Digest series "Love Letters to LA," the publication visited the Warner Bros. studios with "Friends" alum, Kudrow. Each episode focuses on a Los Angeles native's favorite place, and Kudrow picked the lot, located in Burbank.

Kudrow visited different locations on the lot, including the studio where "Friends" was shot and outdoor locations where some scenes were filmed. She also passed by the famous fountain where the opening credits of the sitcom was filmed. The 62-year-old actress also filmed her sitcom, "The Comeback," on the lot.

Toward the end of the video, Kudrow said that she knows places change ownership all the time, but urges the lot's future owners to keep the place the same. "I think most people really, really hope whatever happens next is that this studio lot is preserved as is," she said, adding, "Whoever buys it, you don't need to change anything."

At the beginning of the sitcom in 1994, "Friends" was shot in Stage 5. However, as Kudrow noted, they transferred to Stage 24, which is larger, after the first season. By then, the show was a big hit, and they filmed the next nine seasons in that location until the series' finale in 2004.

Since "Friends" was set in New York, establishing shots were filmed in the state. However, interior locations, such as the apartments and Central Perk, were built in the sound stage.

Before Stage 24 became the home of "Friends," it also served as the filming location for other productions, including "Full House," "Mike & Molly," and the 1970s "Wonder Woman" TV series.

The final episode of "Friends" aired on May 6, 2004, and shortly afterward, the set was dismantled, per The Hollywood Reporter. Now, there is a plaque that reads, "The Friends Stage," outside Stage 24 in honor of the wildly successful sitcom.

While the set is no longer there, fans of the show can still relive the nostalgia through the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, a three-hour tour of the lot. Located in Stage 48 is the "Friends" Boutique, which sells a wide array of merchandise. In addition, one of the dining options is the Central Perk Café that boasts a New York-inspired menu.

In 2021, Kudrow, along with her "Friends" castmates, went back to Stage 24 to film the HBO Max documentary special, "Friends: The Reunion." As reported by People, filming took two days, and the actors and actresses got emotional as they looked back on their time together.

"It's funny, when we do get together, it's like no time has passed. We pick right where we left off," Matthew LeBlanc said.

The "Friends" stars don't only reunite for official business; they also maintain their friendship behind the camera.

In October 2019, Jennifer Aniston finally decided to join Instagram, and her first post was a photo of all six "Friends" cast members hanging out together. She captioned the post, "And now we're Instagram FRIENDS too."

In May 2021, Kudrow posted an Instagram photo of herself with David Schwimmer, telling her followers that they watched the reunion show together.

In July 2021, Courteney Cox shared a photo with Kudrow and Aniston, which was taken when the three women spent Independence Day together.

Despite the show ending more than two decades ago, the stars still find time to support each other in their respective projects or to simply hang out.

The acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is currently in the process of being reviewed. In December 2025, Netflix, run by co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, announced that the streaming giant would be acquiring Warner Bros. for a whopping $82.7 billion.

In a hostile bid, Paramount-Skydance, helmed by David Ellison, offered $108 billion to acquire Warner Bros. However, the entertainment conglomerate rejected the offer, citing that the offer was "inferior" to Netflix's proposal, as reported by Forbes.

Netflix has amended its offer to an all-cash deal, and as of now, regulators are scrutinizing the details of the proposal. Nothing is finalized until both regulators and shareholders give their approval.