Best Friends Replacements On Streaming

As a public service, we here at TVLine have scoured the streaming services to compile a handy list of Friends substitutes: sitcoms that revolve around a tight-knit group of pals, with plenty of playful banter and romantic complications. And best of all, they're all available to stream right now, so you'll make lots of new TV BFFs by the time Friends returns.

HAPPY ENDINGS

This criminally underrated gem matches the Friends formula, with three guys and three girls tossing quotable zingers back and forth, but it ups the zaniness factor tenfold, with a relentless barrage of rapid-fire punchlines and tongue-twisting wordplay. The ensemble is nearly as airtight as Friends' is (we refuse to pick a favorite, but Casey Wilson's Penny is undeniably ah-mah-zing), and the cast's crackling chemistry will have you wishing it ran for thirty seasons instead of three. (Hulu, 3 seasons)

NEW GIRL

This Fox favorite started out as an adorkable Zooey Deschanel vehicle, with schoolteacher Jess Day sharing a way-too-nice apartment with three random dudes, but it evolved into a true ensemble, with Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris and Hannah Simone all getting a chance to shine. It's an appealingly goofy hangout comedy — and by the way, Jess and Nick's romance is much more satisfying than Ross and Rachel's. (Netflix, 7 seasons)

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

Perhaps the most direct heir to the Friends throne, CBS' chummy comedy featured a group of twentysomething pals navigating life together in New York City — only they traded a coffee shop for a bar. There were rom-com subplots aplenty, thanks to Ted's search for the titular mother, and Barney was like a mash-up of Joey's shameless womanizing and Chandler's clever wordplay. As for how it all ended... well, we'll just let you get there and decide for yourself. (Hulu, 9 seasons)

COUPLING (UK)

It spawned a truly heinous American remake, but don't let that scare you away from this hilarious Britcom, which fuses a Friends-esque set of young pals with the raunchy pillow talk of Sex and the City. Central lovebirds Steve and Susan provided the rom-com ups and downs, while Richard Coyle's dementedly perverse Jeff provided the wildly inappropriate dialogue. (Hulu and Amazon Prime, 4 seasons)

COUGAR TOWN

What if Monica Geller ditched New York to guzzle wine in Florida with a whole new set of friends? Courteney Cox returned to TV in this winning sitcom as a divorced mom figuring her life out with the help of a few pals... and a lot of vino. Don't worry about that clunky title, either: The "cougar" theme is quickly dropped in favor of a kooky, cozy hangout comedy. And keep an eye out for lots of Friends guest stars! (Hulu, 6 seasons)

CHEERS

The proto-Friends, if you will. Yes, this indisputable classic does center on a Boston bar, but it's the colorful customers who make it more than just a workplace comedy. The sharply written dialogue is downright literary at times, and TV couples don't get any more iconic than Sam and Diane. Bonus: If you move right onto spinoff Frasier, that's a whopping 22 seasons of comedy gold waiting for you. (Netflix, Hulu and CBS All Access; 11 seasons)

THAT '70s SHOW

Sure, they were decked out in bellbottoms and platform shoes, but Eric, Donna, Kelso, Jackie, Hyde and Fez formed a reliably amusing sitcom ensemble that's funny in any era. It lasted eight seasons, which allowed for quite a few romantic complications — Jackie dated Kelso, Hyde and Fez at various points — and hey, look, it's Debra Jo Rupp, aka Phoebe's sister-in-law Alice, as Eric's mom! (Netflix, 8 seasons)

SINGLE PARENTS

ABC's under-the-radar delight is admittedly on the cusp of being a family comedy — it does have a lot of adorable kid actors — but it's the parents who remind us of our Central Perk pals. Taran Killam stars as an overachieving single dad who revives his dormant dating life with the help of his fellow parents, and the result is much saltier and sillier than your typical family fare, with a stellar ensemble highlighted by Leighton Meester and Brad Garrett. (Hulu, 2 seasons)

LIVING SINGLE

Hey, remember when David Schwimmer said there "should be an all-black Friends"? Well, there was one, actually... and it even pre-dated Friends. Queen Latifah headlined this mid-'90s comedy about friends who live in the same Brooklyn brownstone, and it became a hit for Fox and a milestone for African American representation on TV. Luckily for Schwimmer, it's all streaming on Hulu now, so he can catch up anytime he wants. (Hulu, 5 seasons)

SPACED

Another entry from across the pond, this surreal UK import stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson as a mismatched pair who move in together right after meeting to score a cheap apartment. (Or "flat," rather.) It gets a bit trippier than Friends ever did — Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright helmed every episode — but its ragtag group of twentysomething pals should seem familiar... even if their accents don't. (Hulu, 2 seasons)

THE GOLDEN GIRLS

Yes, OK, these sassy Miami ladies have a solid half-century of life experience on the Friends gang, but that just makes their ridiculous hi-jinks all the funnier. This heaping helping of TV comfort food boasts an all-time great cast delivering an array of timeless one-liners, and the warmth practically emanates off the screen. Plus: "Thank you for being a friend"... it's right there in the theme song! (Hulu, 7 seasons)