Lisa Kudrow appeals to preserve 'Friends' filming studio lot
Lisa Kudrow has appealed to Warner Bros. to preserve the Friends studio lot amid acquisition talks.
With Netflix reportedly eyeing an $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (excluding its cable assets), the future of the historic lot remains a point of concern.
In her Architectural Digest feature, Kudrow reflected on her time at Stage 24—known as “The Friends stage”—where the hit sitcom was filmed for 10 years. She later returned to the same studio for her starring role in the 2005 sitcom The Comeback.
As she revisited the iconic studio lot in Burbank, California, she urged the production company to preserve the Friends’ set as it is.
“It’s hard for me to tell whether Warner Bros. is just special to me, or if it’s special to the whole city or industry, and I think it is,” she said. “Everything changes ownership all the time, and you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“I think most people reall,y really hope whatever happens next is that this studio lot is preserved as is. It works. I mean, we just shot here. Whoever buys it, you don’t need to change anything! It works. It works great! It really does. So congratulations, whoever’s next, please don’t change a thing. Please, please don’t remove Jack Warner’s roses.”
The said deal would give the Netflix to HBO Max but exclude cable channels such as CNN, TNT, TBS, and Discovery.
Paramount has reportedly submitted a counteroffer.
Other than Friends, Warner Bros is home to massive TV and film franchises, including the Harry Potter series, the DC Extended Universe, Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and films such as Casablanca, The Conjuring, and Citizen Kane.
