September 22, 1994: The world changed.

Friends, widely regarded as the (or one of the greatest TV shows) in history premiered on NBC exactly 22 years ago. Stop doing the math of where/how old you were on this day, I have and no good comes from it. The names Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe would redefine popular culture in a supremely special way. If you’re flipping through channels and a rerun of a Friends episode is on, odds are decent (as in a guarantee) that you’ll watch it…and then the episode that comes next.

Speaking of which, remember the first glimpse we all got of everyone’s favorite six friends?

Ladies and gentlemen, today’s blog post is one of the reasons why “Throwback Thursday” exists. And it’s been a little while since I’ve seen a rerun of the Friends pilot, which was a fantastic first chapter in the epic 10-season story of this epitome of what a sitcom should be.

I guess you could say the pilot and I had been on a break.