f . r . i . e . n . d . s

1. In 1993, Matthew Perry pitched
NBC
a sitcom he had co-written about a group of twentysomethings called Maxwell’s House. The network turned him down because they already had a similar TV show, Friends in the works.
∨

2. Before settling on Friends other titles producers considered were:
Friends Like Us
Six of One
Across the Hall
Once Upon a Time in the West Village
and Insomnia Cafe
∨

3. Originally the show was going to focus on just four characters:
Monica, Ross, Rachel, and Joey.
Phoebe
and
Chandler
were going to be supporting characters.
∨

4. Also,
Monica and Joey
were
ORIGINALLY
intended to be the
main couple
on the show.
∨

5.
★★★★★★★★★★
★ Ellen DeGeneres ★
★★★★★★★★★★
turned down
the role of
Phoebe.
∨

6. In the
early stages
of development,
the writers considered
making
Chandler
gay.
∨

7. “Shiny Happy People”
by R.E.M. was the original choice for the theme song.
It was used in the pilot.
The show was still called
Friends Like Us
in the pilot.
∨

8. The frame around the peephole originally had a mirror|mirror in it. It was accidentally
bro
ken
by a crew member, but because it still looked good, they decided to leave it there.
∨

9. The iconic orange couch in
Central Perk
was found by a set designer in the
basement
of the
Warner Bros. Studios.
∨

10. In the first couple of episodes, Monica and Rachel’s apartment number was No. 5.
This was changed in later episodes to No. 20 because the producers noted that 5 corresponded to an apartment on a
lower
floor.
∨

11. “I’ll Be There for You” was co-written by Friends producers
David Crane
and
Marta Kauffman
along with Phil Solem
and Danny Wilde, of The Rembrandts.
∨

12. In 1995,
the song was
✮ No. 1
on the
Billboard
Hot 100
Airplay chart
for eight weeks.
∨

13. The ages of the cast when the show premiered:
Ross - 27
Chandler - 25
Joey - 27
Monica - 30
Rachel - 25
Phoebe - 31
∨

14. The full names of the characters are:
Chandler Muriel Bing
Rachel Karen Green
Ross Eustace Geller
Monica E. Geller
(we never learn what the E stands for)
Joseph Francis Tribbiani Jr.
Phoebe Buffay
(she never knew her middle name since she had never seen her birth certificate)
∨

15. Season 2
is the only season without a Thanksgiving
episode.
That year,
“The One with the List”
served as the
Thanksgiving episode.
∨

16. Jennifer Aniston has stated that she hated the now-iconic “Rachel” haircut.
In 2011 Jennifer told USA Today: “Let’s say there have been moments I’d rather not relive, like that whole Rachel thing. I love Chris [McMillan, her hairstylist], and he’s the bane of my existence at the same time because he started that damn Rachel, which was not my best look. How do I say this? I think it was the ugliest haircut I’ve ever seen.”
∨

17. Courteney Cox
was the only cast member
not
to get an Emmy nomination for her work on the show.
∨

18. Reportedly,
Christina Applegate
was cast as Amy Green for the Season 9 Thanksgiving episode after
Reese Witherspoon
was unavailable to reprise her role as Jill Green. Christina won an Emmy for
Outstanding Guest Actress
in a Comedy Series for the episode.
∨

19. Bruce Willis guest starred on the show for free. While filming the movie The Whole Nine Yards, Matthew Perry made a bet with his co-star Willis that if the film were to open at No. 1 at the box office on its opening weekend, then Willis would have appear on Friends for free. The movie opened at No. 1, and Willis donated the money he earned from Friends to charity.
∨

20. Gunther was not originally a speaking part; the actor, James Michael Tyler, got the role as an extra because he knew how to work an espresso machine. James was working at a coffee shop when he got the role, and he kept the job for the first four seasons of Friends.
∨

21. The refrigerator in Monica’s apartment
actually worked.
It was filled with
water and drinks
for the cast and crew.
∨

22. In reality, Joey’s
white
dog
statue
belonged to Jennifer Aniston.
It had been given to her by a friend as a
good-luck gift.
∨

23. During its run, the show released two soundtracks. ♫
Friends
The One with All the Party Music EP
(2004)
and
Friends
The Ultimate Soundtrack
(2005).
∨

24. During the first season of the show, each cast member earned
$22,500
per episode. By the end of the series they each made a
$1 million
an episode.
∨

25. The
final episode
was watched by
52.46 million
viewers and is the fourth most-watched television series finale in U.S. history.
^