From 1994 to 2004 Friends has been the most watched and critically acclaimed sitcom and even tv show on network television. It only had to follow a simple rule: keep it funny. No need to imagine great storylines, when the scriptwriters are in the mood thinking about their every day lives, it comes without saying. But its producers have been quite lucky their tv show did not live long enough to see the wave of internet downloads withdraw the money out of their work.

When you download tv shows, you think you are not doing anything bad. Sure you can watch it for free on TV then why not on the web especially when it comes to old series that you would not want to watch otherwise. The problem is that most TV producers like the ones of must-see series Lost, CSI or 24 get paid by the networks which get paid by advertisers. As a result if you turn to the web the network does not get paid, the producer neither and your show gets canceled even though it was popular.

Just think of The OC the only show to be watched by more viewers over the web than on TV, tit did not survive its fourth season because its ratings did not reflect reality. New TV series are not out of this curse: such shows as Ugly Betty or Heroes have become international hits whereas they have never been broadcats anywhere else than in the US yet.