EARLY ACCESS Friends S1 EP1&2

Friends is definitely dated in a lot of aspects but it was also pretty groundbreaking in a lot of ways. You can still point out the problematic stuff while loving the show. It's just such a comfort show that you can watch over and over again. I cannot count how many times I've watched it through all 10 seasons. The characters are also all relatable in their own way and they have their good and bad qualities. Chandler was always my favourite though. Matthew Perry was so funny and improvised about half of his lines throughout the series. Rest in Power ❤ Also, to explain: Monica & Rachel were friends in high school but had drifted apart and Ross & Chandler were in college together. Rachel, being Monica's best friend, spent a lot of time at her and Ross's house and Ross had a crush on Rachel (and still does). Some time inbetween they all (aside from Rachel) met Phoebe and she moved in with Monica. She has, however, moved out at this point. And Joey has recently moved in with Chandler and become part of the group. As for their ages: Rachel and Monica are supposed to be 24, Joey 25 and the rest 26. Though some of their ages are inconsistent throughout the series (particularly Ross), it doesn't really impact the show. IRL Jennifer and Matthew were both 25, Courteney was 30, Lisa was 31, David was 28 and Matt was 27. The OBGYN scene is funny but also frustrating. Carol and Susan were being so unreasonable. I don't find anything wrong with Susan's name being involved because DNA isn't everything and she will also be the mother. But that Ross the FATHER shouldn’t have his name is absurd! Also, lesbian or not, Carol DID cheat on Ross, as it was heavily implied she and Susan had something going on while she and Ross were still married. If she had cheated with a guy even more people would understand why he's so hurt. As for Rachel, regardless of her feelings for Barry or the fact that she left him at the altar, I would be upset if my best friend hooked up with my ex on what was supposed to be OUR HONEYMOON. Fun facts: The show went from being called "Insomnia Café" to "Friends Like Us" to "Six of One" and finally "Friends". Also, this episode has three alternate titles to "Pilot": "The One Where It All Began", "The First One" and "The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate". David Schwimmer (Ross) was first to be cast. The writers had remembered him from when he auditioned for an earlier pilot of theirs; they had written the part of Ross with him in mind. At the time, Courteney Cox (Monica) was the most well-known of the six main actors. She was being considered for Rachel when she read the script and thought she was a better fit for Monica. At the same time, Jennifer Aniston (Rachel) read for the part of Rachel after initially being considered for Monica. Vince Vaughn (who coincidentally would later date Jennifer) auditioned for Joey, which eventually went to Matt LeBlanc. Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) won the role of Phoebe because the producers liked her as Ursula, a waitress in Mad About You. Jane Lynch also auditioned for the role. Matthew Perry (Chandler) had previously worked with the writers and auditioned because he identified with the character of Chandler. He read for the role near the end of the casting period and got it in under a week. Ross was originally going to be younger than Monica. Also, Chandler and Phoebe had originally been written as more secondary characters who were just there to provide humour around the other 4. They had become part of the core group by the time casting concluded. Once all of them had been cast, James Burrows, the director of the pilot, decided to take them to Las Vegas for dinner to allow them to bond and get to know each other before filming began. NBC executives were worried that the content of the show was too racy and that the audience would dislike Monica for sleeping with Paul the Wine Guy on the first date. After the taping of the pilot, the studio audience was given a questionnaire by NBC and the survey results showed the audience didn't care. There was a live audience during the filming of every single episode. That's the laughs you hear. As an episode could take up to 5 hours to shoot in the studio, the producers hired a comedian to entertain the audience during set changes and breaks. The comedian would also "warm up" the audience before shooting continued. The laughing probably takes some getting used to for someone is not used to watching sitcoms like this. I'm so used to it now because I've watched the show over and over so many times. Also, sometimes they laugh because of things that were going on behind the scenes so the viewer may not always get it. Plus the fact that humour 20-30 years ago was different than today. People have often pointed out that the friends would not have been able to afford the apartments, which is a valid point, but some of it is explained later. Also, the writers noted that the set had to be big enough for the cameras, lighting and the audience to be able to see everything. It also needed to provide enough space for the actors to perform certain actions in the script. The golden frame around the peephole was originally a mirror which one of the crewmembers accidentally smashed. But because it still looked good they decided to leave it there. When Monica goes to get Ross his coffee in E1, a very brief shot of Rachel can be seen passing the doors to the coffeehouse, presumably on her way to Monica's apartment. However, one must look very carefully to see this. At the end of E1, the plant on the table in Monica's apartment is dead, likely as a result of Joey and Chandler pouring coffee in it earlier. Matt LeBlanc had a fever and flu the first day of filming E1. He was at 102°F/39°C and had to use a variety of remedies. Jennifer Aniston had previously worked as a waitress when she was a struggling actress in her teens. During the Friends reunion in 2021 (which I recommend watching after the show), Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer admitted to having crushes on each other during the show. Elliott Gould (Jack, Ross and Monica's dad) was married to Barbra Streisand. Goofs: When Paul the wine guy first comes to Monica's apartment, Phoebe is standing in the kitchen telling Rachel that she just pulled out four eyelashes. But in the very next shot, you can see her sitting in an armchair in the living room. In the extended DVD version there's a shot showing Phoebe walking to the chair. When Rachel gets half of the cookie from Ross in E1, she breaks it in two. You can see Rachel playing with it but a few shots later it's in one piece again. You can see this just before she puts the cookie back on the plate WITHOUT EATING IT!!!

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