Was Friends inspired by Seinfeld? Jerry Seinfeld thinks so Jerry Seinfeld has suggested that Friends was inspired by his own show. 9 May 2026 Jerry Seinfeld thinks Friends was inspired by his eponymous sitcom. Jerry Seinfeld had his own TV sitcom The 72-year-old comedian starred on Seinfeld, his hit TV sitcom, between 1989 and 1998, and Jerry believes that NBC tried to replicate the success of his own show when they launched Friends in 1994. He told the Netflix Is a Joke festival at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles: "My show came on - '89, '90. Friends came on a few years later.