Jon Cryer, 1995

PASADENA, Calif. -- When Jeff Greenstein and Jeff Strauss hear people describe their new show, "Partners," as a "Friends" knockoff, they are both proud and defensive. The Jeffs worked behind the scenes on "Friends," the breakout NBC hit, last season, but say they actually created "Partners" from their own lives.

"Jeff and I have been friends and partners for 15 years," Strauss said at the Summer Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. "And over the last four years both of us got engaged and then married."

"You know, our feeling is if we have to answer to anybody it's probably our wives and not the people on 'Friends,' " added Greenstein. "We developed this show when 'Friends' was in its infancy."

Strauss explained that the notion of writing what they knew was appealing to them, so they created a show about two 30-ish pals and business partners who find their relationship complicated when one of them becomes engaged to be married.