Friends, for life

Gurnaaz Kaur

‘So no one told you life was going to be this way… but, I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour. I’ll be there for you, like I’ve been there before’… don’t we all want a friend who would sing this song for us? A friend for a lifetime — just like Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey? Iconic show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is marking its 25th anniversary today and what better than going down memory lane! 

Great to watch

Relatable characters, amusing storylines, this classic hangout sitcom has remained in our collective consciousness. “I must have seen the entire series at least 10 times. The most beautiful part is whenever the friends fight or get upset with each other; unlike real life where people stretch the matter, they say sorry. Chandler is my favourite character,” says Sukhpavi Arora, CA.

Another die-hard fan of the show, Simran, an English teacher, says, “Watching Friends is more like being with your real friends. I’ve seen it a hundred times, I know the dialogues by heart now but I never get bored of this series.”

The love for F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is alike among men and women, and age is no bar. “There are many reasons I like watching  F.R.I.E.N.D.S. again and again. The writer has done an amazing job of creating such real characters. The cast has done absolute justice to their roles,” says Sidharth Grover, a practicing lawyer at High Court.

Do you know?

• Twenty-five years ago—on September 22, 1994—F.R.I.E.N.D.S. made its NBC debut and forever changed the face of American sitcoms. 
• The show was originally called Insomnia Cafe. It was then renamed Friends Like Us, and then Six of One; before becoming F.R.I.E.N.D.S. 
• An average episode took five hours to film.
• In the first season, each of the main six cast members earned $22,000 per episode.
• Originally, the creators wanted Courteney Cox to play Rachel.
• F.R.I.E.N.D.S was supposed to have just four friends.
• The orange sofa in Central Perk was found in the basement of Warner Bros. Studios.
• Courteney Cox is the only ‘Friend’ to not receive an Emmy nod for her work on the show.
• Netflix paid $80 million to keep it streaming in 2019.
• Ellen DeGeneres turned down the role of Phoebe. 
• When Brad Pitt auditioned for F.R.I.E.N.D.S cameo, he ‘flubbed’ his first line. The actor appeared on a Thanksgiving-themed episode during the eighth season in 2001.

Fun show

I love watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. re-run. It’s a show one can watch anytime, anywhere. I always wanted to be a part of a series like it, which is the major reason I signed my debut web series  — The Holiday. Each character in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. had a unique quirk that added to the fun.  — Adah Sharma, Actress

Dream role

If there is a show I could dream to be a part of, it would be F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Even 25 years later, I still watch it every week and laugh on the jokes, as if I am watching it for the first time. Each character is so special; my personal favourite is Chandler! — Aparshakti Khuranna, Actor