The last episode of FRIENDS was aired more than 10 years ago but still it is the most talked about show that has ever been made. Even now when we discuss things about FRIENDS; we somehow end up getting nostalgic. That bond that has been made with FRIENDS over the years with us watching it over and over again and still feeling like we have not gotten enough of it is incredible. We miss them; we adore them and somehow magically we want them back. That is the impact that FRIENDS has caused on all of us. Though every fan of this series would feel like he hasn’t missed anything in this series; the truth is there are still some of the things that we are unaware of about this show. So here we bring to all of the fans of FRIENDS a list of 10 lesser known facts about FRIENDS:
10. FRIENDS with Ursula and Mad About You
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Even before the show was started; Lisa Kudrow was portraying the character of Ursula Buffay on the serial Mad About You. Ursula was a waitress on that show and when she was insisted and encouraged to take both roles by NBC; she hesitated at first but then agreed and thus we know that Phoebe’s twin Ursula was also played by Lisa in 8 episodes of Friends. But that doesn’t mean that one of the series was supposed to be a spinoff of other, and as you could see; it didn’t.
9. FRIENDS with All Other Titles
We all are fans of Friends, but what if to begin with; it would not even have been the name of the series. Yes, naming the series as FRIENDS was not the first choice of producers. David Crane and Marta Kauffman; the creators of the showactually wrote the script keeping the name Insomnia Café in mind. Not just the name; plot also was different from what we saw, for instance, the key love interests in the show were supposed to be Joey and Monica instead of Ross and Rachel. Then after wards when NBC bought the pilot; the name was Friends like Us; and then later on somebody’s suggestion Across the Hall was also considered. One more unsuccessful attempt was made by naming it as Six of Us, but when the show was aired first time on 22nd Sept 1994; the finalized words are FRIENDS.
8. FRIENDS Where Ross Came First
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David Schwimmer who played the role of Ross was the first choice of the makers of the show and the role for Ross was actually written keeping David in mind. Actors like Eric McCormack also auditioned for the role of Ross but since executive producer Kevin Bright had already worked with Schwimmer before; so the writers were advised to develop the role of Ross keeping David in mind.
7. FRIENDS and the Opening Shot
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Now we all remember when the title song of the show starts and we all see a fountain around which the six of the FRIENDS are having fun. Now don’t let yourself believe that this fountain you see is the Pulitzer fountain from the Central Park. Though it looks a lot similar but the fact is that this fountain was in the Warner Bros studios.
6. FRIENDS with A Whole Different Cast
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So we know that Ross was final with David Schwimmer; but the other lead members could have been completely different. For Instance; Kathy Griffin andJane Lynch both auditioned for the role of Phoebe and that’s when they became friends themselves. Jon Cryer and Jon Favreau were considered to be playing the role of Chandler and even Matthew Perry himself was shooting for a different show named LAX2194 and since it was not picked up; Matthew was available and so he bagged the role of Chandler. And even after being offered the role of Rachel due to her fame; Courtney Cox decided to go with the role of Monica as she thought it was a strong character.
5. FRIENDS Where Phoebe Didn’t Like Guitar
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Phoebe’s obsession and love for the music was well received by audiences in the show. Years after the show ended Kudrow recalled that she suggested that Phoebe must play Bongos after she was tired of learning guitar. After learning a few chords from the guitar teacher that was appointed to teach her; she finally said that it’s enough for the character of Phoebe and no we could not agree more to her after hearing the Smelly Cat.
4. FRIENDS with Joey’s Magna Doodles
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Anytime a character entered Joey’s apartment; we would have seen a different drawing or a magna doodle per say at the back of his apartment’s door. While earlier it was a job that kept falling over the shoulders of different crew members; later it became the job of Paul Swain who was also the best boy on the crew. And these doodles became so popular that fans always kept looking for the hidden meanings inside them.
3. FRIENDS with the Live Audience
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Now this may come as a huge surprise for you all; but the fact is that most of the episodes were shot in front of live audiences that was made up of almost 300 fans and even the actors preferred it that way since it was a test before the episode even aired and also according to Perry it elevated their energy level to see live audiences. The exceptions however were cliffhangers; they were never shot with audiences since the crew feared that it would spoil the suspense behind the episode.
2. FRIENDS on the Vegas Trip
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When most of the show members go to Vegas and enjoy after getting a success in their attempts; it was absolute opposite with the cast of FRIENDS. Director James Burrows who directed a few episodes of the show took the cast members to Caesar Palace in Vegas before the show was even aired where he said to the crew that it was their last shot at anonymity. He said that after the show gets aired; they would not be able to roam at places without getting surrounded by fans. That was the gut feeling of James; and it was not wrong after all.
1. FRIENDS Huddles
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Now while this show was becoming a part and a ritual of our lives; there were rituals going on the sets of the show too. Like when every week before the shooting started; the cast would have formed a small circle to huddle or to get a group hug; it was their own moment to prepare for the show. When the shooting for the last episode began; it was the moment that David Schwimmer always had dreaded and he knew that it was going to be hard for the group to look at each other and say “have a good show” for the last time. Even reading about it is still hard for us David!
So these were Top 10 lesser known facts about FRIENDS that even the Super fans of the show might not have known. But fans out there of this legendary show would keep digging for some more details about it whenever they feel like missing it and wanting it again in their lives.
