The funniest moments in the show were pegged to identifying Friends’ narrative weaknesses and converting them into song. “We don’t have any black friends,” Ross noted as part of a hip-hop-flavored breakdown early in the show. “Every friend group in New York eats breakfast together every day,” Monica casually observed later on. And one of the biggest cheers of the night came when Ross answered the question of why he never said anything to Rachel about his feelings: “Because I’m a pussy.”
There were also rare moments when something that had never quite been a part of the show sounded just plausible enough to ask us to jog our memories. Had Chandler ever told Monica, “Could I be any more in love with you?” After the actors ran once more through the litany of “they don’t know that we know they know we know,” familiar from “The One Where Everybody Finds Out,” they all collectively paused, having lost their breath from the effort.
The laugh lines were a diversion, though, deflecting attention from the genuine purpose of Friends! The Musical Parody. This musical was intent, above all, on re-creating the feeling of watching Friends. Monica and Chandler unexpectedly found love once more, and Rachel and Ross, after two hours of “Will They or Won’t They?” (the title of a song in the show), made their way back to each other. And the audience found their own measure of comfort in the presence of these friends, long gone and yet never entirely absent.
“We’ll be there for you,” they sang in the finale, “when you have insomnia and can’t sleep. We’ll be there for you, when your heart’s broken by a creep.” It sounded like a promise well worth it to the 150 or so people who had shelled out $60 and upward to spend a night with a knockoff of their favorite sitcom. The crowd streamed out, singing along with Shania Twain, and Joey—or this Joey, at least—made himself available for selfies with the excited fans still standing on Forty-Sixth Street long after the show had ended.
Friends! The Musical Parody was being acted just steps from Times Square, and this was only apropos. The show belonged in the crass heart of American popular culture, a short cab ride away for every tourist visiting New York and intent on bringing a piece of its artificial heart back home with them. This was the power of fandom. It could get you up out of your apartment, or your hotel room, in search of a familiar kick. It could induce you to spend an evening gently mocking a show you clearly loved—although, intriguingly, never mocking the fans who loved it—in order to rhetorically justify the reliving of the delirious highs that the show once offered.
We left the cocoon of Friends—or of Friends! The Musical Parody—and were spit out into the maw of Times Square. I walked back to the train thinking about the playwright who had written the show and the performers who had assiduously rehearsed, memorized the lines, and invited their friends and family to the premiere. There was something touching about the amount of effort that had gone into this act of love, this collective expression of memory and fondness. We gathered so we could all remember together, and in remembering, collectively appreciate the thing we had all once loved, and carried on still loving. It had not left us yet.
“The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate”—Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) arrives at Central Perk in her wedding dress in the series’ pilot episode, having fled her own wedding. NBCU Photo Bank © 1994/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
“The One Where Ross and Rachel . . . You Know”—Chandler and Joey’s goofy, deeply committed friendship was only enhanced by the arrival of their matching Barcaloungers. Their grunts of satisfaction at fully reclining were the perfect expression of their doofusy delight in small pleasures. Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank © 1996/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
“The One Where No One’s Ready”—“I’m Chandler. Could I be wearing any more clothes?” Joey (Matt LeBlanc) does lunges in front of his roommate, Chandler (Matthew Perry), while clad in the entirety of his wardrobe. NBCU Photo Bank © 1996/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
“The One with the Embryos”—Chandler and Joey celebrate their incredible good fortune at winning the trivia contest and taking possession of Rachel and Monica’s apartment. J. Delvalle © 1998/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
“The One in Vegas”—Ross (David Schwimmer) pleads for absolution in a Las Vegas hotel room as Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) displays her surprisingly trim goatee, drawn on with a Sharpie as a prank gone terribly wrong. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank © 1999/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Polaroids taken on set of the show’s stars Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, and David Schwimmer. (David Crane appears in the background of Aniston’s shot.)
Copyright © Bruza Brothers Productions, LLC
Jennifer Aniston and set decorator Greg Grande wielding celebratory cigars on set.
Copyright © Bruza Brothers Productions, LLC
Polaroids taken of the kitchen and living room of Chandler and Joey’s apartment. The famed Laurel and Hardy poster appears on the wall behind the television.
Copyright © Bruza Brothers Productions, LLC
Photos taken of the kitchen and living room sets of Monica and Rachel’s apartment. Note the “Cookie Time” clock and the chef figurine on the stove.
Copyright © Bruza Brothers Productions, LLC
David Schwimmer, directing the episode “The One on the Last Night,” looks over David Crane’s shoulder as Crane and Marta Kauffman consult their scripts. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank © 1999/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
“The One Where the Stripper Cries”—The show particularly enjoyed mocking 1980s fashion in its flashback episodes. Note the very uncomfortable fat suit worn by Monica (Courteney Cox). NBCU Photo Bank © 2004/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
David Crane accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 2002 Emmys, flanked by Friends cocreators Kevin Bright and Marta Kauffman. Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect © 2002/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
The cast and creators of Friends, along with Warner Bros.’ executives, gather in front of the Friends stage during the tenth and final season of the show. The back row includes (BEGINNING THIRD FROM LEFT) David Crane, Marta Kauffman, and Kevin Bright. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank © 2004/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
The cast of Friends (minus Matthew Perry) feting James Burrows at a televised 2016 tribute to the legendary director’s legacy. Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank © 2016/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am deeply grateful to all the Friends alumni and fans who shared their stories with me for this book. Listening to them helped me to understand people’s passionate devotion to this show. Todd Stevens and Adam Chase were especially generous with their time, and their insights were crucial for my understanding of the Friends phenomenon.
Thanks as well to the many Friends writers, directors, crew members, and actors, and NBC employees, who cooperated with this book, including Jeff Astrof, Preston Beckman, Robby Benson, Sherry Bilsing, Michael Borkow, James Burrows, Wil Calhoun, Roger Christiansen, Ted Cohen, Jill Condon, Marjorie Coster-Praytor, Tate Donovan, Lee Fleming, Suzie Freeman, Cosimo Fusco, Candace Gingrich, Greg Grande, Jeff Greenstein, Mike Hagerty, Larry Hankin, Jessica Hecht, Sebastian Jones, Alexa Junge, Ellie Kanner, Wendy Knoller, Ellen Kreamer, Michael Lembeck, Warren Littlefield, Amaani Lyle, Greg Malins, Debra McGuire, Mary Rodriquez, Arlene Sanford, John Shaffner, Jane Sibbett, Mike Sikowitz, Michael Skloff, Jeff Strauss, Flody Suarez, Ira Ungerleider, and Mitchell Whitfield.
I would particularly like to thank David Crane, Kevin Bright, and Marta Kauffman for giving so generously of their time to speak with me. This book would have been a far lesser enterprise without their cooperation. All remaining mistakes are, of course, mine.
My agent, Laurie Abkemeier, has been instrumental to this book from its very inception, and her perspicacity, as well as her near-photographic recall of Friends episodes, has been inspirational. My editor, Jill Schwartzman, radiates calm, and her gu
idance throughout this project has been invaluable.
The entire Dutton team, including Alice Dalrymple, Marya Pasciuto, Aja Pollock, Elina Vaysbeyn, and Maria Whelan, has been a pleasure to work with.
My students from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study have been delightful weekly conversational partners, and their enthusiasm for comedy and television informed this book in numerous ways. Madeline Hopson, Sarah Smith, and Julia Leonardos did superb work as research assistants. I look forward to proudly bearing witness to all their many future accomplishments in postgraduate life.
Thanks to Jennifer Keishin Armstrong for accompanying me on my Friends field trips, and for her insights into television history.
Thanks as well to my friends and family for all their support during the writing of this book: Ali Austerlitz, Annie Austerlitz, Jeremy Blank, Choomy Castle, Mark Fenig, Joanne Gentile, Marina Hirsch, Jesse Kellerman, EB Kelly, Daniel Mizrahi, Helane Naiman, Josh Olken, Sarah Rose, Herbie Rosen, Eli Segal, Shana Segal, Jason Seiden, Abby Silber, Carla Silber, Dan Silber, Reuben Silberman, Dan Smokler, Erin Leib Smokler, Menachem Tannen, Olia Toporovsky, Ari Vanderwalde, Adi Weinberg, Zev Wexler, and Aaron Zamost. Hi, Zack and Josh!
I still miss Lisa Choueke Blank’s presence and would have loved to hear her tell me all the ways I got it wrong here.
Shout-out to Jeff Abergel and the Brooklyn Resisters for keeping the faith in dark times.
Thank you to my parents for their unending support. I watched the first episode of Friends in their house when I was fifteen, so I guess this all started in front of their television.
My children, Nate and Gabriel, love Sesame Street more than Friends, but their vivacity, enthusiasm, kindness, curiosity, and friendship give me hope for the future.
Becky Silber is my most trusted editor and adviser, in addition to my wife and best friend. I could not have written this book without her.
SOURCE NOTES
CHAPTER 1
Interviews with Marta Kauffman, Warren Littlefield, David Crane, and Kevin Bright, conducted by the author.
Warren Littlefield, Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV (Anchor, 2013).
Elizabeth Kolbert, “Birth of a TV Show: A Drama All Its Own,” New York Times, March 8, 1994.
CHAPTER 2
Interviews with Ellie Kanner, Marta Kauffman, David Crane, Kevin Bright, Mitchell Whitfield, Robby Benson, James Burrows, and Preston Beckman, conducted by the author.
Friends original pitch document, courtesy of the Writers Guild Foundation.
Warren Littlefield, Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV (Anchor, 2013).
“Lisa Kudrow’s Cable Comeback,” Studio 360, December 4, 2014.
Kate Aurthur, “Courteney Cox: ‘Cougar Town’s’ really normal Hollywood star,” Los Angeles Times, September 6, 2009.
Mark Binelli, “Jennifer Aniston,” Rolling Stone, September 27, 2001.
Rich Cohen, “Jennifer Aniston: The Girl Friend,” Rolling Stone, March 7, 1996.
Nancy Collins, “Jennifer Aniston: Cherry Poppin’ Mama,” Rolling Stone, March 4, 1999.
Nancy Collins, “Jennifer Aniston’s New Life,” Harper’s Bazaar, June 2006.
Julia Dahl, “The Best Friend,” Redbook, August 2001.
Mitchell Fink, “Jennifer in Love,” Redbook, August 1999.
Margaret Lyons, “Friends Countdown: Lisa Kudrow Was Almost Roz on Frasier,” Vulture, December 12, 2014.
Dan Snierson, “The Untold Story of Matt LeBlanc,” Entertainment Weekly, July 16, 2012.
Bret Watson, “Winner & Losers,” Entertainment Weekly, December 15, 1995.
CHAPTER 3
Interviews with Marta Kauffman, David Crane, Jeff Greenstein, Jeff Strauss, Kevin Bright, and James Burrows, conducted by the author.
Original pilot script, courtesy of the Writers Guild Foundation.
CHAPTER 4
Interviews with Preston Beckman, Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, Flody Suarez, David Crane, Michael Skloff, Adam Chase, Ira Ungerleider, Andrew Reich, Mike Sikowitz, Alexa Junge, James Burrows, Marta Kauffman, and Jane Sibbett, conducted by the author.
CHAPTER 5
Interviews with Kevin Bright, Jeff Greenstein, Mike Sikowitz, Marta Kauffman, Jeff Strauss, Adam Chase, Alexa Junge, Greg Grande, John Shaffner, Marjorie Coster-Praytor, David Crane, and Ira Ungerleider, conducted by the author.
Warren Littlefield, Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV (Anchor, 2013).
James Endrst, “Emergency! 2 Hospital Dramas! 2 Sets of Parents Killed in Car Crashes! Lots of Bad Shows!,” Hartford Courant, September 4, 1994.
Lisa Kudrow as told to Jeff Jensen, “My Favorite Year,” Entertainment Weekly, June 27, 2008.
John J. O’Connor, “Yes, More Friends Sitting Around,” New York Times, September 29, 1994.
Ken Parish Perkins, “A Singular Formula,” Chicago Tribune, September 21, 1994.
Howard Rosenberg, “NBC’s Strongest Evening of the Week Has Its Weak Spot,” Los Angeles Times, September 22, 1994.
Tom Shales, “Fall TV Preview,” Washington Post, September 22, 1994.
Ken Tucker, “Winning ‘Friends,’” Entertainment Weekly, October 21, 1994.
Richard Zoglin, “Friends and Layabouts,” Time, March 19, 1995.
David Zurawik, “Good ‘Friends’ fits snugly into NBC’s lineup,” Baltimore Sun, September 22, 1994.
CHAPTER 6
Interviews with David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Jeff Astrof, Adam Chase, Kevin Bright, James Burrows, Todd Stevens, Michael Lembeck, Candace Gingrich, Jessica Hecht, and Jane Sibbett, conducted by the author.
Greg Braxton, “Black and White TV,” Los Angeles Times, January 27, 1997.
Rob Brunner, “Theme Mates,” Entertainment Weekly, September 15, 2001.
Jess Cagle and Dan Snierson, “The Cast of Friends,” Entertainment Weekly, December 29, 1995–January 5, 1996.
Mike Duffy, “Sitcoms’ Lack of Diversity Obvious as Black and White,” Chicago Tribune, March 6, 1996.
Jaimie Etkin, Emily Orley, and Krystie Lee Yandoli, “The Amazing Story Behind ‘I’ll Be There for You,’ According to the Rembrandts,” BuzzFeed, September 21, 2014.
Matthew Gilbert, “Friends Diversity: Too Little, Too Late?,” Boston Globe, April 23, 2003.
Tom Shales, “Network Knockoffs: A Friends’ Frenzy,” Washington Post, August 31, 1995.
Jonathan Storm, “Segregated Situation on Television Comedies,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 14, 1996.
CHAPTER 7
Interviews with James Burrows, Todd Stevens, and Marta Kauffman, conducted by the author.
CHAPTER 8
Interviews with John Shaffner, Kevin Bright, James Burrows, Greg Grande, Richard Marin, Debra McGuire, and Marta Kauffman, conducted by the author.
Warren Littlefield, Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV (Anchor, 2013).
Daniel Bates, “I Was High on Drugs When I Created the Rachel,” Daily Mail, May 13, 2013.
Libby Calaway, “Setting Trends in TV Land,” New York Post, January 27, 2000.
Rebecca Eckler, “He Solved Rachel’s Hair Problem,” National Post, April 4, 2002.
Elana Fishman, “‘Friends’ Costume Designer Looks Back on 10 Seasons of Weddings,” Racked, June 7, 2017.
Bella Gladman, “The One Where Tom Ford Loved the Clothes,” Telegraph, February 21, 2016.
Denise Hamilton, “Rachel Really Gets Around,” Los Angeles Times, August 31, 1995.
Julie Logan, “Hair Like Theirs,” Los Angeles Times, July 24, 1997.
Stephanie Mansfield, “Closet Queen,” Vogue, May 1996.
Teresa Mendez, “Off the Small Screen and into the Closet,” Christian Science Monitor, March 26, 2003.
Carol Vogel, “Clothes T
hat Make the Star, the Cast and the Show They’re On,” New York Times, December 29, 1996.
CHAPTER 9
Interviews with David Crane, Todd Stevens, Greg Malins, Mike Sikowitz, and Marta Kauffman, conducted by the author.
CHAPTER 10
Interviews with Marta Kauffman, David Crane, Kevin Bright, and Ellen Plummer, conducted by the author.
Warren Littlefield, Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV (Anchor, 2013).
Jess Cagle, “‘Friends’ Go on Strike for a Raise,” Entertainment Weekly, July 26, 1996.
Jess Cagle, “Friendly Ire,” Entertainment Weekly, July 26, 1996.
Bruce Fretts and Dan Snierson, “Geek Love,” Entertainment Weekly, April 26, 1996.
Brian Lowry, “‘Friends’ Cast Returning Amid Contract Dispute,” Los Angeles Times, August 12, 1996.
Jethro Nededog, “How the ‘Friends’ Cast Nabbed Their Insane Salaries of $1 Million per Episode,” Business Insider, October 6, 2016.
Dan Snierson, “Never Say Nebbish Again,” Entertainment Weekly, November 4, 1994.
“Matthew Perry: Nobody’s Fool,” Entertainment Weekly, January 24, 1997.
CHAPTER 11
Interviews with Marta Kauffman, David Crane, Adam Chase, Jeff Astrof, Mike Sikowitz, David Lagana, Alexa Junge, Ellen Kreamer, Greg Malins, Andrew Reich, Jeff Greenstein, Jeff Strauss, Ted Cohen, Wil Calhoun, Sebastian Jones, and Michael Borkow, conducted by the author.
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