The best of Friends 20th anniversary of US sitcom

THREE guys, three girls and a New York setting.

It seemed to be the perfect mix for a sitcom and the popularity of Friends saw the show run for 10 series.

This week, believe it or not, marks 20 years since the first episode.

Back in 1993, the show’s creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, began developing a programme called Insomnia Cafe.

They presented it to producer and director Kevin S Bright, and eventually, the show became Friends.

Fitting, really, since the word “friends” is spoken at least once in every episode.

In the first episode, runaway bride Rachel, played by Jennifer Aniston, turns up looking for an old school friend, Monica (Courteney Cox).

It’s not long before Rachel has her feet firmly under Monica’s table. The delightfully-dippy Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) completed the female line-up.

Monica’s older brother, Ross, played by David Schwimmer, had carried a torch for Rachel since their schooldays, so was more than pleased to see her again.

Then there were his best friends Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc), who lived across the hall from Monica.

So, we had three guys and three girls who hung out together. But can men and women just be friends?

The answer is a big fat no in this case, as there were no fewer than three relationships over the course of the 10 years.

Ross and Rachel are, of course, the couple everyone remembers most fondly.

With Ross’s many failed attempts at asking Rachel out, it seemed they’d never become an item.

A handsome Italian, a Chinese paleontologist, Ross’s marriage to English rose Emily . . . so many obstacles stood in their way.

After drunkenly getting hitched in Las Vegas and even having a baby together, they finally came to their senses and ended the series together.

Chandler and Monica’s relationship wasn’t so inevitable, though.

It was initially the result of too much alcohol at Ross’s London wedding, before they realised they really did have feelings for one another.

Joey and Rachel also thought they were in love, albeit very briefly.

This relationship, however, didn’t last long and the pair decided their friendship was too strong for anything more.

But it was storylines like this that kept fans coming back for more.

The show was so popular, the stars were earning a massive $1 million by the time of the final episode. Each.

Over a total of 238 episodes, the show was broadcast in more than 100 countries from Brazil to Bulgaria, Spain to Sweden and for the final episode, 52.5 million viewers tuned in in America alone.

Nine of its cameo actors were Oscar winners including Charlton Heston, Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon but the show itself won many awards, including 62 Primetime Emmy Awards and a British Academy Television International Award.

Since the end of Friends, its stars have appeared in many films, Jennifer in particular, with an apparent affinity for romantic comedies.

Courteney reprised her role as Gale Weathers-Riley in Scream 4, but her most-notable post-Friends role is Jules Cobb in TV series Cougar Town. Jennifer, Lisa and Matthew all had cameos.

Lisa’s Web Therapy also saw mini reunions, with Courteney, David and Matt all appearing, and Matthew is rumoured to be starring in an upcoming episode.

Matthew starred as Zac Efron’s father in 17 Again, and also appeared in a few short-lived TV series, most recently Mr Sunshine, but none hit the spot quite like loveable goofball Chandler.

David, who voiced giraffe Melman in Madagascar, also enjoys working behind the camera, having directed Little Britain: USA and even 10 of the Friends episodes.

Matt’s most recently been seen in another sitcom, Episodes.

And we should also mention Friends spin-off Joey, although it seems Matt wasn’t as funny without his pals, and the show was axed.

Lisa hit the nail on the head when she said: “The six of us are far stronger than just one person.”

Friends was one of a kind. Rumours abound of a return series but if it never happens, at least we have box sets and infinite repeats to keep the laughter going – and for now, here are our Top 10 Friends moments. Enjoy!

1 ROSS AND RACHEL

Right from the very start, we knew that Ross carried a torch for Rachel since their schooldays. But they wouldn’t get together straight away. Oh no. Where would be the fun in that? Instead, we were treated to a will-they/won’t-they storyline that had everyone rooting for Ross to finally get his girl. From Italian men to weddings to other people, there were always obstacles in their way. “We were on a break” ring any bells with anyone? Apparently, Rachel didn’t take it very well that Ross had moved on so quickly after they’d broken up! Had he moved on, though? He did say Rachel’s names during his marriage vows – at his wedding to Emily. It took them having a baby together – and a failed Vegas wedding – before they were finally “on” properly. Halleluhjah!

2 CHANDLER AND MONICA

Another slow burner of a relationship was Monica and Chandler when funnyman Mr Bing fell in love with his best friend’s little sister. After getting together while in London, romance blossomed before Monica finally proposed to her man, Chandler being too emotional to do the deed himself.

3 ROSS’S SETTEE

Having bought a new settee, Ross enlists the help of Chandler and Rachel to move it up to his apartment. A tricky task given the size of the settee in comparison with the tight angles of the stairwell, Ross tries to talk his friends through the maoneovre. “Pivot. Pivot. Pivot,” he ecnourages them. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” yells an exasperated Chandler.

4 PHOEBE BECOMES AN AUNTIE

Ever a kind-hearted soul, Phoebe, was keen to help her brother and his wife out when they were unable to have children, and eventually gave birth to their triplets. “My sister’s having my babies!” shouted an ecstatic Frank when he realised his sister was pregnant.

5 ROSS’S FAKE TAN

Jealous of Monica’s fake tan, Ross decides to get one for himself. Except that he doesn’t make a very good job of it. He sprays himself twice in the front after counting to five in Mississippi before the tan begins to spray again. He tries to fix it with another tanning session but winds up having two more sprays in the front. By the end, he looks so ridiculous, with his back still white, that Chandler quips he could do a duet of Ebony and Ivory all by himself.

6 SMELLY CAT

Phoebe was often at her funniest singing her various bizarre songs at Central Perk but Smelly Cat is the most memorable. “They won’t take you to the vet . . .” You know the rest.

7 CHANDLER SWALLOWS A TOY GUN

During a bout of babysitting, Chandler tries to prove that he was right about a toy’s safety – and ends up swallowing its gun himself. “This whole time we were concentrating on the babies and no one was watching Chandler,” says a concerned Monica, before they take Chandler to the hospital.

8 UNAGI

When Ross makes out that he is in a state of total awareness at all times because of “unagi”, Rachel and Phoebe tell him unagi is a sushi ingredient. After jumping out on Ross from behind his curtain, Rachel taps her temple and says: “salmon skin roll”. Comedy gold.

9 TRIFLE

When Rachel accidentally combines two dishes and makes a trifle containing mince in it, food lover Joey is not put off. “What’s not to like?” he asks. “Jam? Good. Custard? Good. Beef? Gooood.”

10 JOEY LEARNS FRENCH

Joey really wants to win a part in a play but he needs to speak French – a skill he has lied about in his CV. No problem, Phoebe can teach him. Or not! “Repeat after me, Phoebe says: “‘Je m’appelle Claude.’” “Je de coup Clow.” Joey replies. Hysterical.