New Friends for Friends Post-Perry

Friends has found new friends in the wake of star Matthew Perry’s tragic death.

Monday’s 6pm broadcast of a sitcom that’s been in perpetual re-run since it went off-air 20 years ago posted its highest 25-54 viewership in months, if not years.

It drew 25,266 adults — roughly 10,000 more than the previous week’s.

And in the week preceding, Friends drew between 5536 and 12,241 viewers.

TVNZ is paying tribute to Perry by pre-empting Saturday’s 8.10 movie Charlie’s Angels for The Whole Nine Yards (Charlie’s Angels will screen the following week).

But given how Perry’s character Chandler and his flatmate Joey used to blob out in their La-z-boys in front of their favourite show, perhaps a better choice would have been Baywatch.