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Farewell to our TV favourites

by Laura Farrant

Tears flowed when the Holy Trinity of weekday evening television aired their last ever shows. Friends, Frasier and Sex and the City all finished in 2004, and weekday evenings will never be the same again. We take a look back to how these shows became such an integral part of our lives

Rachel and Ross Friends When did you get hooked on Friends? For ten seasons we loyally followed the lives of New York's most famous neighbours, with the prime Friday evening slot reserved. We bought the theme tune, hummed along to Smelly Cat and viciously gossiped about the dramatic weight fluctuations of the cast. Some of us even went as far as to adopt the official 'Rachel' haircut!

First aired: September 1994
Number of seasons: 10
Premise: an eclectic bunch of close 20-something friends struggle through life in their million-pound Manhattan lofts!
Original cast: Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Courtney Cox-Arquette (Monica Geller), David Schwimmer (Ross Geller), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Matt Le Blanc (Joey Tribbiani)
High point: The flashbacks. We loved seeing Monica 50 pounds heavier and stuffing her face, Rachel pre-rhinoplasty as the ultimate Long Island Princess, Chandler in full Miami Vice regalia and Ross in the height of college geekdom with a Casio keyboard in hand.
Low point: The London finale: the humour was forced and, more importantly, we never wanted Ross to marry Emily. And, on a practical note, how on earth did Rachel manage to raise the cash to buy a transatlantic ticket, forget her passport and return to the airport to catch her London-bound flight in only 30 minutes?
Famous guest stars: Brad Pitt, Christina Applegate, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, Kathleen Turner, Ralph Lauren and many more.
Lamest storyline: If you lost a bet, would you switch apartments? We didn't think so, but unbelievably Chandler, Joey, Monica and Rachel did!

Frasier Frasier
Emmy award-winning Frasier was one of the wittiest and most stylish of all television sitcoms. The character was introduced to us in Cheers and soon after a spin-off was born. We became addicted to getting our weekly dose of neuroses from the deliciously snobby Crane brothers. We loved prissy Niles, the tales of his demonic wife Maris and seeing the sexually experienced Roz spar with Dr Frasier Crane at Cafe Nervosa.

First aired: September 1993
Number of seasons: 4
Premise: What happens when pompous Seattle-based radio psychiatrist, Frasier Crane, moves in with his dad and his healthcare provider, Daphne Moon.
Original cast: Kelsey Grammer (Frasier Crane), David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane), John Mahoney (Martin Crane), Jane Leeves (Daphne Moon), Peri Gilpin (Roz Doyle), Dan Butler (Bulldog)
High point: The farcical storylines: 'The Matchmaker' is a hilarious example. Frasier brings home a new man for lonely Daphne to meet, but Frasier fails to realise that the man is actually gay and only interested in him!
Low point: When Frasier loses his job at the radio station and we realise, with horror, that this is not just a storyline confined to one-episode. As his depression sets in so does the viewer's!
Famous guest stars: Laura Linney, Jennifer Beals, Richard E Grant, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming
Lamest attempt to raise ratings: For years the writers teased us with the Daphne-Niles 'will they, won't they' scenario. How can Daphne be so oblivious to Niles' obsession with her? She is meant to be a psychic so how can she possibly miss something so blindingly obvious?