Friends Fans Are Dusting Off Their DVD Collection After Netflix Deletion

It's the end of an era! Shortly after the ball dropped to usher in 2020, Friendsfans found themselves adrift on a carpet canoe as the series was officially removed from Netflix, leaving it unavailable on subscription streaming services until HBO Max launches in May.

There are still other ways to watch Friends until then; the hit NBC sitcom is syndicated at TBS and Nick at Nite, and all 10 seasons are available (for rental or purchase) on Amazon and other digital retailers. However, it's still a bit surreal that Friends fans will no longer be able to begrudgingly click "yes" to tell Netflix that they are still watching Friends after so many hours, thank you very much.

The Ultimate Friends Fan Gift Guide

For some Friends fans, the removal of the show from Netflix's library has been so disorienting already, but others have taken the opportunity to gloat on social media about the fact that they didn't actually need Netflix because they already invested in the DVD collection a decade and a half ago.

It's been a long time since Friends fans (at least those with a Netflix login) have had to dust off that DVD collection. The series was available on the streaming site for five years before being scooped up by HBO Max. But some fans are welcoming the opportunity to return to the old bingeing format because the DVDs have got something the Netflix version didn't: those exclusive extended scenes that haven't been available anywhere else.

Five months may seem like a long time for Friends fans without DVDs to wait, but the show will return to the streaming scene this year when HBO Max debuts in May. Until then, for those who do happen to have a physical copy, enjoy the extra jokes!

(Disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.)

PHOTOS: 25 Times Friends Made Us Cry