How the TV Series "Friends" Was Filmed (25 photos)

Stills from the set and interesting facts about the popular American TV series "Friends."





The series became a true phenomenon. It would seem that a simple sitcom about six friends hanging out at a coffee shop could become a hit. But as it turns out, it can.

1. The story of the series "Friends" begins in 1993 with producers David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who had just suffered the failure of their series "Family Album," which was canceled after six episodes due to low ratings. But they didn't despair; instead, they continued to try to come up with a new idea, especially since many networks were preparing a new broadcast schedule. Over 100 production companies pitched their projects to Warner Brothers Television. The competition was fierce. Ultimately, one of their projects, tentatively titled "Insomnia Cafe," which was presented in a seven-page pitch deck, caught the attention of studio executives, and the project was taken on.



2. The project "Insomnia Cafe" was accepted into production, but few liked the title. While working on the script, Kafuffman and Crane tried out many titles, including "Six for One," "Six Singles," "Across the Hall," "Friends Like Us," and others. It was only just before filming began that the series finally settled on its name: "Friends."





3. Initially, the series was planned to have only four main characters, but a little later, the creators decided to add two more – Chandler and Phoebe. No, they were supposed to be in the series as well, but only as supporting characters.

4. Thousands of candidates applied for the roles of the main characters. Yes, the competition was incredibly high, and the actors had to work hard to get the roles.



The only one who didn't try was David Schwimmer, who played Ross. He didn't audition, as the role was originally written for him.

5. Courteney Cox was originally supposed to play Rachel, and Jennifer Aniston was supposed to play Monica. But during rehearsals, it turned out that Cox was much more suited to the role of Monica, so the girls decided to switch roles.



6. Matt LeBlanc, who played Joe, said that before landing his role, he was practically penniless. He had only $11 in his pocket. Moreover, he wanted to play Joe so badly that he auditioned six times. And in the end, he got the part. Apparently, for his persistence.



LeBlanc even admitted that the first thing he did after receiving his pay was go to a restaurant to have a good meal.

6. Many actors who auditioned for leading roles eventually appeared on "Friends," but as cameos or supporting characters. For example, Hank Azaria, who auditioned twice for the role of Joey, ended up playing Phoebe's love interest, while Jon Favreau, who wanted to play Chandler, landed the role of millionaire Pete Becker, Monica's boyfriend.



7. As is well known, sitcoms like these often use pre-recorded laugh tracks. But on "Friends," things were a little different. Most of the scenes were actually filmed in front of a live audience (a couple hundred people), who actually laughed during filming.



However, there were also many moments that were filmed without the audience. This was done to maintain the suspense during important moments.



8. Originally, there was supposed to be a framed mirror on the front door, but someone on the crew accidentally broke it. But after trying the empty frame on the door, the set designer decided it would look even better, and the peephole inside the empty frame would become a signature feature of the series.



9. The production designer immediately decided to make the walls in Monica's apartment lilac. He believed this color would attract audiences, as when they switched channels, they would immediately notice the strange color. Other crew members were against this decision, but eventually agreed with the designer.



10. The series also featured famous actors such as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, George Clooney, Helen Hunt, Lea Thompson (Marty McFly's mother), Julia Roberts, David Arquette (Courteney Cox's husband), Ben Stiller, Hugh Laurie, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, and others.



By the way, Bruce Willis appeared in the series, practically for free. While filming "The Whole Nine Yards," he had a bet with Matthew Perry, which he ultimately lost. He donated his salary to charity.



11. The writers originally intended Joe to be less stupid, but actor Matt LeBlanc himself suggested making his character a bit more silly.

12. The actors initially received $22,000 per episode, but their salaries increased with each season as the show's popularity grew. By the early 2000s, each actor was earning $1 million per episode. Incidentally, there was another interesting fact about the actors' salaries. Starting in the second season, the actors began receiving different salaries. No one liked this, so they all went to the producers to have their salaries equalized. Ultimately, the producers agreed.



It's surprising that none of the actors (especially the one who earned more than the others) gave up on the negotiations. They truly bonded over the course of filming. Many will ask, did the company lose money because of all these expenses? No, it didn't—quite the opposite. The final episode of Friends earned the creators $70 million. Yes, advertising during the show's run was very expensive, and yet people still bought it. Incidentally, the price tag for a single commercial reached up to $2 million.

13. Originally, the theme song for the series was supposed to be a composition by R.E.M., and it even played in the pilot episode. But ultimately, the producers decided to create a separate theme song for the series. They brought in the band "Rembrands" specifically for this purpose, co-writing a minute-long composition called "I'll Be There for You" with the series creators.



The theme song quickly became a hit, and Rembrands decided it needed to be a full-length song. The composition eventually reached number one on various charts. However, the band never achieved fame with other songs, forever remaining a one-hit wonder.

14. The orange sofa the characters constantly sit on ended up in the film by accident. Someone discovered it in a Warner Brothers warehouse, and they eventually decided to bring it to the set.

15. Jennifer Aniston brought that very same statue of Joe the dog to the set, a gift from a friend.



16. Matt LeBlanc and Jennifer Aniston personally approached the producers to ask them to end their love story (that is, the story of Joe and Rachel). They felt very awkward playing lovers, so they decided to approach the producers. The producers were understanding.



17. Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) hated the guitar, but the producers insisted her character learn it. She ended up taking a couple of lessons, learning a few chords, and said that would be enough. The producers decided it would actually be better if Phoebe was clumsy on the guitar. Incidentally, despite this, Lisa Kudrow wrote and performed 25 songs for the show.

18. Remember Ursula Buffay, Phoebe's twin sister, also played by Lisa Kudrow? Well, that character appeared before the idea for "Friends" was even conceived.



Back in 1992, Lisa Kudrow played waitress Ursula Buffay in Mad About You. And when the creators of Friends came up with Phoebe, they immediately decided she would be Ursula's sister.



In "The One with Two Parts" (episode 16 of season one), Jamie Buckman and Fran Devaney from Mad About You appear, mistaking Phoebe for Ursula. 19. The final airport scene was filmed in the same location where the series was primarily shot—a coffee shop. However, by that time, the coffee shop set had already been dismantled.



20. Lisa Kudrow was terrified of ducks and geese, so in one episode she literally had to overcome her fear of a duck, not just to be terrified, but to actually be touched by it.



21. The characters were drinking real coffee in the scene. In reality, this isn't a common occurrence. Drinks are usually imitated.



22. As the actors themselves admitted, after filming the final episode of the last season, they were so upset that they even fell into depression, as if part of their souls had been ripped out.

23. During the filming of the series, the actors became such close friends that they never stopped communicating. Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston became especially close. Moreover, Jennifer Aniston became godmother to Courteney's daughter.



24. After "Friends" wrapped, the writers began working on a spinoff called "Joey," which follows Joe Tribian as he moves to Los Angeles. A total of 46 episodes were released, but the show was canceled due to low ratings.

25. In 2021, the episode "Friends: Reunion" premiered, featuring the return of all the main cast. However, it wasn't exactly an episode, but more of a flashback and nostalgia episode.



There were also rumors that a standalone feature-length film based on "Friends" might be made, but nothing is clear yet. Even if a film were made (which I wouldn't be surprised about, as we're living in an era of remakes, reboots, and sequels), the cast wouldn't be able to reunite. The fact is, the actor who played Chandler (Matthew Perry) passed away in 2023 at the age of 54.

26. At the time filming began, the main actors weren't popular in the broad sense. Only Courteney Cox was already a well-known actress, and the creators even used her name to attract an audience. But the cruel irony is that all the main actors except Courteney Cox won Emmy Awards for their performances on the show.