A viral 1990s-style sitcom is putting an AI slop spin on ‘Friends.’ And people can’t look away

For most of the world, a purple New York City apartment with eclectic decor and a sassy blue-eyed brunette might sound like a scene straight out of the ’90s sitcom Friends. But in a strange corner of the internet, the familiar set hosts a different set of characters: a grey Persian cat wearing micro bangs, and its Monica Geller-looking owner. Despite looking eerily nostalgic by emulating the warm and muted color grading of the 1990s, the clips are all recent. In fact, they are made using AI. The clips are part of the “Bad Cat” series, an AI-generated sitcom made by creator Daria Zabnieva. Published on her Instagram and Threads accounts, the series has four one-minute clips in total, with each garnering millions of views. In one with 9.9 million views, the owner informs the cat—which is wearing a band t-shirt and headphones, and smoking two cigarettes—that she is stepping out for groceries. The cat then goes to try on a pair of red heels and dances in front of a mirror, only to be surprised by the owner returning. In another, the cat is joined by two other cats as they play a card game on the balcony, while the owner is inside with a suspected love interest. A pigeon, which has app…