If you were a kid or tween in the early 2000s, you might remember the era where Canadian teen shows ruled our airwaves: shows like Degrassi, Clone High, Total Drama Island, and 6Teen.

6Teen was a coming-of-age sitcom that followed a ragtag group of high school students through their first jobs, mall hangouts, and just the general life of being 16-year-olds. Despite being 20 years old, the show still holds up. Well, except for the fact that malls are now, unfortunately, a thing of the past.

Watching the show, it’s clear it takes inspiration from its live-action predecessors, Seinfeld and Friends. Once you notice the similarities, it’s hard to unsee.

“Our biggest goal was to connect with our audience. What surprised us was not the fact that kids were watching adult sitcoms, but why they were watching them. They recognize and appreciate smart writing,” said co-creator Tom McGillis in a 2004 press release. “So, although 6Teen’s subject matter is aimed at kids, the writing style is classic sitcom, with fast-paced dialogue, and multiple plot lines.”

How 6teen parallels ‘friends’

Friends was a popular sitcom about a group of six friends in their 20s navigating life in New York City. While the overall plot of the shows is geared toward different audiences, many of the subplots are similar. Jen from 6Teen and Monica Geller from Friends are essentially mirror images of each other. They’re both the leaders of the group, obsessed with neatness and perfection.

In one episode, Jen didn’t want her roommate, Nikki, to leave chip crumbs in the bed. In an episode of Friends, Monica gets on Phoebe for trying to eat cookies in bed. Caitlin and Rachel’s first jobs were at The Squeeze (inside the mall, and their hangout spot). Rachel worked at Central Perk, the main hangout spot in Friends.

One of the most glaring examples of their parallels is a reference to the iconic Rachel and Ross “break” with Caitlin and her boyfriend, Tag, because of jealousy.

Jen and Jonesy—who are step siblings—kiss on accident. Jen thinks he’s Smithy. In Friends, Monica and Ross share an accidental kiss, and Ross thinks she is Rachel.

6teen’s uncanny similarities to ‘Seinfeld’

What sitcom didn’t completely rip off Seinfeld, if we’re being honest? Still, it’s cool to see how the creators were truly inspired by the works of other talented creatives. In “How the Rent-a-Cop Stole Christmas,” Jonesy’s rant mirrors George Costanza’s rant from “The Pool Guy” episode. In fact, it’s almost word-for-word. I

n the 6Teen episode “Date and Switch,” they combine the plots of two Seinfeld episodes: Season 8, Episode 15, “The Susie,” where George is dodging breaking up with Allison, as well as Season 9, Episode 10, “The Strike,” where she gives someone a fake phone number with her punch card for a free sandwich. After realizing this, she goes to the location of the fake number and gives them a number to Kramer’s workplace, where she will be waiting for their call.

In the 6Teen episode, Caitlin gives a fake number using her Khaki Barn Card. She goes to the number’s location and asks them to call her when the guy calls. Since she doesn’t want the guys there to have her number, she gives them the number for The Penalty Box. She and Jen hang out there waiting for the call.