Friends is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and its creators are revealing behind-the-scenes secrets for the occasion – including how the stars refused to recreate the iconic opening.
The show, created by Marta Kauffman, first aired in 1994 and ran for ten seasons and 236 episodes until its finale in 2004.
One of the most famous moments included stars David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courtney Cox, Matthew Perry, and Lisa Kudrow dancing in a New York City-esc fountain during the opening credits.
Todd Stevens, a line producer on the show, told The Guardian that as the show’s success increased, the cast became more confident in saying no to scenes.
He revealed that it was difficult to persuade the group to go back to the water fountains where they shot their legendary credits to the song “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts. The creators had hoped to reshoot the scene for an alternative reality episode in 2000.
“It’s one thing to do that when you’re on the pilot,” Stevens said. “Revisiting the uncomfortable nature of that, cold and wet, was very different when they were big.”
The actors all became mega-stars thanks to the NBC hit and the syndication that followed. It became a classic among the millennial generation, securing an estimated $136 million for each main character and spawning a multi-million dollar merchandising empire in the process.
It gained new interest among a younger generation when it aired on Netflix years after its original run on NBC and cable television.
The show started out earning $22,500 per episode for season one, with their salaries growing to an enormous $1 million per episode each by the finale, which was watched by 22 million people worldwide.
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“It was a bittersweet moment,” Stevens told the Guardian about the finale, “were witnessing something that was a part of history.”
As the show approaches its 30th anniversary, its stars have been reflecting on the experience. Speaking on her experience being the only Black recurring cast member on the show, Aisha Tyler, 53, told The Independent, how she used to hear passersby shouting out: “Black girl from Friends!”
“It was such a common refrain at the time,” she said. “It wasn’t like it was just something that people looked back at later and said, ‘Wait a minute.’ No, at the time, people talked quite a bit about the fact that, for a show that was set in the heart of Manhattan, it really lacked diversity. But we didn’t have social media back then, so it wasn’t the large-scale conversation that it became later.”
Tyler joined in the ninth season in 2003, playing Ross’s (Schwimmer) palaeontology professor girlfriend Charlie, who first dates his best friend Joey (LeBlanc).
The group, who stayed in touch after the show ended, were hit by tragedy following the death of Matthew Perry last year.