The series focuses on the friendship of three men and three women who frequently gather at each other’s apartments and share sofa space at Greenwich Village’s “Central Perk” coffeehouse. Monica (Cox Arquette) is a chef with an obsession for neatness and order in her life. She is also married to Chandler (Perry), a dry wit who is never at a loss for words. Across the hall are Chandler’s longtime roommate Joey (Le Blanc), a womanizing actor currently on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” and Rachel (Aniston), Monica’s best friend from high school.

Across the alley from Monica and Chandler is Monica’s hapless brother Ross (Schwimmer), a paleontology professor who has been divorced three times, including once from Rachel. Although Rachel is no longer romantically involved with Ross, they share the responsibility of raising their newborn daughter, Emma. Rounding out the circle of friends is Monica’s ex-roommate, Phoebe Buffay (Kudrow), an offbeat, eternally optimistic folk singer and massage therapist.