FRIENDS first premiered in 1994, and it became one of the most successful sitcoms of all time over its ten seasons. Starring Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, Courteney Cox as Monica, Matthew Perry as Chandler, David Schwimmer as Ross, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe, and Matt LeBlanc as Joey, FRIENDS fans have only multiplied over the years. It has been ranked no.24 in the Writers Guild of America’s 101 best-written TV series of all time and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002.
When it comes to the series and its scenes, FRIENDS has been undoubtedly an epic show with a series of hilarious and amazing scenes. From Joey doesn’t share food to Ross’s pivot, we can’t stop laughing in these scenes. Little did we know that there were some plotlines in FRIENDS that were changed because of the main cast. Do you want to know? Then, continue reading:
1) Monica And Chandler Were Not Meant To Be
Monica and Chandler’s love story started in London. They hooked up at Ross and Emily’s wedding as Monica was feeling lonely. However, this was not the relationship that was meant to last. After Monica popped from under the covers, the studio audience applauded for 27 seconds, and the actors had to hold their position. At that time, they realized that the relationship between these two is for the long run. At the 2016 Austin Film Festival, Marta Kauffman said, “We were stunned. So that’s when we sort of went, ‘Huh, guess this is going in a different direction.”
2) Phoebe And Chandler Were Supposed To Be Supporting Characters
During the last season of the series, Marta Kauffman revealed in a special flashback episode that Phoebe and Chandler were seen as secondary characters when the show started. However, their chemistry and timing were so great with the rest of the cast that the creators made them main characters. Also, the audience loved them from the beginning of the series and would have hated to see them leave the show.
3) Producers Wanted Courteney To Be Rachel, But Courteney Resisted
Perhaps Courteney Cox was the most famous cast member among others before FRIENDS premiered. Besides Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” music video, she was known for many commercials. That is why FRIENDS producers originally asked her to play Rachel. However, as she liked the “strong” character, she requested the role of Monica. Also, when she read about Monica, she connected with her because Courteney is somehow like Monica in real life as well. Well, it all turned out great.
4) Kudrow’s Pregnancy Was Written In The Show
In 1997, Kudrow was pregnant with Julian Murray, her son. She was dubious about Phoebe getting pregnant too. But, creators have some other plans. They decided to have Phoebe act as a surrogate for her brother’s triplets. Lisa revealed in the special flashback episode that the makers were not really into hiding the pregnancy. So, the creators decided to write Kudrow’s pregnancy into the show.
If you don’t know, Cox was also pregnant with her daughter, Coco Arquette, in the final season. However, it was not written into the show. Since the series had already established that Monica and Chandler couldn’t have kids, it was the best decision to hide Cox’s pregnancy. They hid Cox’s pregnancy with costumes and props.
5) Monica And Joey Originally Meant To Be Together
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, FRIENDS co-creator and executive producer Marta Kauffman explained that as natural chemistry developed between cast members, a lot of aspects of the show changed. She said, “You set out to do things, and then actors come in, and they breathe life into it.” She continued, “It’s not quite what you imagined it was going to be.”
The same thing happened with Monica and Joey in the series. Before Monica was slated to end up with Joey, she and Chandler were only supposed to get together briefly. But, the chemistry between Joey and Monica was more of friendship. On the other hand, viewers had such an enthusiastic response when Monica and Chandler did get together on screen. So, the creators just went with pairing up Monica and Chandler.
6) LeBlanc’s Injured Shoulder Had To Be Written
LeBlanc said in an interview with Glamour and later at the reunion, that he once injured his shoulder on set. Even though it was not part of the show, it had to be written into the show. He said, “The commando episode “The One Where No One is Ready” was the week I dislocated my shoulder.” He continued, “I had to go to the hospital. They wrote that in, I remember, as Joey jumping on the bed.” Undoubtedly, it was one of the best episodes of the entire series.
7) Rachel And Gunther Were Supposed To Be Roommates
Gunther worked as the manager at Central Perk for a few years and had a massive crush on Rachel. Even though Rachel worked at Central Perk for a while, she spent most of her time there, hanging out with her friends. If you remember, Rachel needed a place to live at one point, and Gunther offered his home. However, she turned down Gunther’s offer.
Little did we know, the writers almost went in a totally different direction. Originally, the creators planned on Rachel moving in with Gunther and becoming his roommate. However, Jennifer Aniston and James Michael Tyler did not like this idea at all. They even begged the writers to drop the storyline. Fortunately, the creators agreed with them and dropped the idea.
8) Joey And Rachel Were Supposed To Be Together
You will find many love stories in the show, but Rachel and Joey do not fall into that category. Joey develops intense feelings for Rachel during season 8. Rachel turns him down of course, but she develops feelings for him later. Although it’s very short-lived, they eventually start dating in season 10. The series received strong backlash because fans didn’t approve of the storyline. Also, Jennifer and LeBlanc were both against the storyline. The two expressed their feelings to the writers, and they dropped the idea for good.
