Dubai-based fans of U.S. sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S. better rejoice because the show's iconic Central Perk couch is coming to the UAE.
A replica of the world's most popular sofa will be put on display at none other than the emirate's Burj Khalifa as part of global celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary since F.R.I.E.N.D.S. first aired.
To mark the show's silver anniversary on Sept. 22, 30 replicas of the series' prop couch will be displayed at famous locations around the world.
The series, which starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer ran for 10 seasons and featured 236 episodes. It followed the lives of six friends living in Manhattan, New York, and was broadcast on NBC from 1994 to 2004.
The list of places where the replica couches are set to be displayed is quite expansive, to say the least.
According to USA Today, the locations include global hotspots like "the Empire State Building in New York, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Maggie Daley Park in Chicago and Willis Tower in Chicago, The London Eye, Abbey Road in London, the Venice International Film Festival in Italy, Stonehenge, Ross Fountain in Edinburgh, Cardiff Castle in Wales, Triton Fountain in Rome, the Royal Palace in Madrid and the Sony Center in Berlin."
Besides Dubai's Burj Khalifa, other international locations where the couch will feature are Comic-Con Africa in Johannesburg and landmarks in Colombia, Mexico City, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires.
Several versions of Central Perk exist in the Arab world
Couches aside, some Arabs have gone above and beyond to honor and celebrate their favorite sitcom, even launching businesses inspired by it.
In the past few years, Emirati fans of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. opened cafés replicating Central Perk in Dubai. Though many of them have since closed down, that doesn't mean new ones aren't opening up in the emirate. In fact, one was launched in Dubai earlier this year. The coffee shop is named "Cultural Perks" and is said to be inspired by the sitcom's café.
Central Perk replicas aren't exclusive to the UAE as Egypt has its very own version of the space. Central Perk Egypt has been around since 2015 and continues to amass great reviews. The café has meticulous attention to detail; something to guarantee an impressed crowd, especially F.R.I.E.N.D.S. geeks.