CLEO TV is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Girlfriends with a two-day marathon.
The special programming, dubbed “Girlfriends Weekend,” will run Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14, 2025, starting at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT on both days.
The network announced the event on X, writing: “We’re celebrating 25 years of your favorite friend group—all the laughs, tears, arguments, good times, and bad times! 🙌🏾 We’re reliving it all during the #Girlfriends: 25th Anniversary Marathon, kicking off next Saturday, Sept. 13th at 12p/11c and Sunday, Sept. 14th at 12p/11c.”
Premiering in 2000, Girlfriends followed Joan Clayton, Maya Wilkes, Lynn Searcy, and Toni Childs—four friends whose lives intertwined through moments of triumph, heartbreak, and comedic chaos. Centered around the gorgeous Hancock Park in Los Angeles, the series aired until 2008, first on UPN and later on The CW, spanning eight seasons.
In what many in Hollywood consider her breakout role, Tracee Ellis Ross starred as Joan Clayton, the ambitious attorney often regarded as the group’s “den mother.”
Ross was joined by three other talented Black actresses: Golden Brooks portrayed Maya Wilkes, who balanced family life with her career as an author. Persia White played Lynn Searcy, a free-spirited artist with multiple graduate degrees, and Jill Marie Jones appeared as Toni Childs, a glamorous real estate broker whose friendship with Joan shaped several of the show’s storylines.
Across its run, Girlfriends addressed topics ranging from friendship and romance to career struggles, divorce, and family dynamics.
Mara Brock Akil created the series, which became one of the longest-running sitcoms featuring a predominantly Black cast during its time on television.
She was also the first Black woman to have two series appear concurrently on broadcast television (Girlfriends and its spin-off, The Game).
CLEO TV’s “Girlfriends Weekend” marathon begins Saturday, September 13, and continues Sunday, September 14, starting at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT.