Grey Goo's blog

Oh commies... Then they wonder why they don't progress...

It looks like there’s a whole new kind of Chinese knock-off, but it’s not fake Louis Vuitton bags or Rolex watches.

It’s a Chinese sitcom that suspiciously resembles the smash series “Friends.”

The show is called “Ipartment,” and fans and critics of the show have taken to Chinese social media to point out the show shares similar characters, settings, plot lines, and even jokes with “Friends.”

But that’s not all. Popular current sitcoms like “How I Met Your Mother” and “Big Bang Theory” may also have been mined.

The show has been on the air in China for three years, but only this year was it carried nationally by major satellite channels, and that’s when the trouble started, reports say.

"Is [Ipartment] only intended for those born after 1990, who have not watched Friends?" a Chinese social media user asked, according to The Daily Telegraph. "Many lines and scenes have been completely ripped off from American shows," said another. 

“Ipartment” follows two sets of attractive, 20-something friends in adjoining apartments, basically transplanting the setup of “Friends” from New York City to Shanghai. But the Telegraph reports that a rep for the show denied “Ipartment” is ripping anyone off.