That TV Comedy Podcast
Join us as we discuss our earliest comedic influences, our favourite shows, and how our passion for comedy has shaped our lives.
That TV Comedy Podcast
Friends
A Deep Dive into Friends', Lobsters, and a Prom Video
Ever wondered why "Friends" remains a timeless classic, even decades after its original airing? This episode of the TV Comedy Podcast attempts to answer that and more as Amanda Davies and Jacquie J Sarah dive into the heart of one of the most iconic sitcoms ever made.
Join us as we take a nostalgic journey through "The One with the Prom Video," sharing insights on the show's cross-generational appeal, unforgettable character dynamics, and even some of the more controversial moments that have kept fans talking. Not forgetting Phoebe's now-famous "lobster" metaphor and its impact on Ross and Rachel's tumultuous relationship.
As we wrap things up, test your "Friends" knowledge with a fun trivia quiz and discover some fascinating behind-the-scenes facts about the show’s creation. From the original concept and casting challenges to the unforgettable Emmy-winning moments and notable guest stars, we cover it all. Tune in for a heartfelt, critical, and thoroughly entertaining (we would say that) look at the sitcom that defined a generation.
Presented by Amanda Davies and Jacquie J Sarah
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Hello and welcome to that TV Comedy Podcast. I'm Amanda Davies and my co-host is Jacquie J Sarah. For each episode, we'll be taking a look at a television comedy series, breaking it down with a focus on a specific episode, giving it a bit of a deep dive, geeking out about it and generally discussing it. We'll be taking it in turns to pick a series, so it may be something that we haven't actually seen this week. It's my choice and it's Friends and it's Friends. So, Amanda, why'd you pick Friends? I have no idea. I've never seen it. Friends, with its iconic opening credits, its iconic theme, was such a big part of our lives, I think, as we were growing up. Yeah, but when we first watched it we didn't know it was iconic to be fair.
Speaker 1:To be fair, we just enjoyed it, yeah, and I think that anybody of a similar age as the actors in this show would have watched it. Really, let me make that clear before we start. They're older than me, okay, all of them are. Every single one of them are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everyone's a lot apart from come on, let's not let what the children, the children. Rachel's not older than me. She's a lot younger than me. Little ben he's. He's younger than me. Rachel's older than you. Not rachel, you mean emma, emma, emma. Oh gosh, how could I confuse rachel it's rachel's daughter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, younger than me, ben younger than me. Phoebe's tri.
Speaker 1:Yeah, younger than me, ben younger than me, phoebe's triplets, all younger than me. Okay, growing up in the mid-90s it was a show that everybody could relate to, even though their lives were so different.
Speaker 1:You could still relate to that friendship bond and some of the things that were happening. And now we're streaming, it's being open to a whole new audience. Exactly, it is iconic now and it's a series that we'll definitely be revisiting, are we? Yeah, we'll be revisiting it. Let me give you the imdb info, please do, because I'm sure nobody really knows. People have never heard of it. Friends is a popular see popular american tv sitcom. Yeah, that aired on the nbc network for 10 seasons and 236 episodes between 1994 and 2004. It premiered on september, the 22nd 1994 and ended on may 6, 2004. Created by Martha Kaufman and David Crane, imdb describes the show as one that follows the personal and professional lives of six 20 to 30 year old friends living in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Now, what makes this series special is the core cast of six friends remained for the whole ten seasons, yes, and the friends aged into their 30s. They were so old when they finished, they were so old and a bit like Ted Lasso.
Speaker 1:This series receives an underrating on IMDb oh really With its overall rating of 8.9. I think that's fair. There's some problems with it? Yeah, there are undoubtedly issues with it, but they're not issues that cancel the whole series in any way. No, when I was watching Friends recently, I wanted to choose an episode that we could have a really good discussion about. I can't wait to hear what episode you've picked. Okay, so let's talk about the episode. Oh, this is exciting. I already know to be fair.
Speaker 2:I hope so, because I haven't watched it, I'm just trying to do a dramatic anticipation.
Speaker 1:I've already watched it.
Speaker 2:It'm just trying to do a dramatic anticipation.
Speaker 1:I've already watched it it was really hard to choose an episode. I bet because there's a lot of episodes, as I just said there's 236. However, I thought that this series is so big that it's one that we'll come back to. I haven't agreed to that. Well, I've decided that we'll come back to it. You'll be doing this with someone else. That well, I've decided that we'll come back to it. Well, you'll be doing this with someone else I'm joking.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I decided to pick an earlier episode. Yeah, choosing an episode was tough, so I thought I'd pick an episode from an earlier season and chose season 2, episode 14, the one with the prom video which, at the time of recording, has an IMDb rating of 9.3 and is the highest rated episode of that season. See, that does surprise me. I don't. We'll get into it.
Speaker 1:So why? You know how much I love Friends. Yes, I still eat out of a giant bowl that says Joey doesn't share food. Yeah, I still got my fridge magnets. We went to the friends fest we did a few years ago. I could probably tell you what happened in every single episode of friends, and watching this back again, I didn't really enjoy it oh controversial.
Speaker 1:We're gonna find out why yeah, we will, yeah, I thought you were gonna say you preferred a different episode of the season. That's really stuck out for you. Most episodes of this season, oh my gosh. Yeah, okay, so I'm gonna give a little background to the episode, please do. Ross and rachel are not together because, despite kissing ross when he found out that rachel liked him, rachel found the list of pros and cons that ross wrote, comparing dating rachel to dating julie, despite ending his relationship with julie as a result of the list. Rachel cannot forgive Ross for the list and she should have left it there. Yeah, that list was horrible. Yeah, see that episode. That's great, because it seems so. Oh, just create a list and then, when you really drill down what that means to be writing a list about somebody, that's a really horrible thing to do.
Speaker 1:It was about yeah, it was about the pros of dating one the others and the worst, like he'd written that she's just a waitress. Yeah, but the thing I find with Friends David Schwimmer is such a good actor that I can forgive Ross for some of the awful things he does. He plays him so well. Yeah, he makes him likeable, yes, but he does some very unlikable things, ross, totally, totally, and I try to watch this and put on the head of somebody who has only watched up to this point who doesn't know what happens.
Speaker 2:Yeah, with Ross and Rachel.
Speaker 1:So at this point doesn't know what happens, yeah, with Ross and Rachel. So at this point, ross and Rachel, you know that they really like each other. You really cross with Ross about this list. But then, on the other hand, you know how much Rachel has always meant to him, how he's always wanted to be with her. You know that Rachel had that awful time with Paolo, that he hadn't treated her that well, that he hadn't treated her that well, that Barry previously hadn't treated her that well, and that you knew that Ross would be better for her at this point, at this point yes, yeah, let's get to the episode.
Speaker 1:Then Joey gives Chandler a gift, and it's a bracelet.
Speaker 1:It's a sign of their friendship. Now To my best bud, and Chandler accepts it graciously, of course, says how great they did. Phoebe thinks it's great, but of course Chandler doesn't really like this bracelet at all. And when they're in the coffee shop and Phoebe acts like a man and tells him that the woman's checking him out, as soon as the woman sees the bracelet she's gone. Yeah, that was one of the things I didn't like about it. What so? He goes up to her, he makes a big deal about the bracelet, which I didn't understand. It wasn't subtle at all. And Matthew Perry, god rest his soul, his comedic timing was beyond brilliant. He makes this big show of the bracelet, he moves his hand, yeah, but the chandler is quite expressive but he is expressive, but not to that extent.
Speaker 1:And then she sees it, and then she ducks out. And who in their right mind would duck out just because someone's got a bracelet on? Not a wasn't a cheap bracelet either, was it? It was a gold bracelet. I mean who does that? But it does lead to this rant, which is so funny.
Speaker 1:The woman repellent the woman repellent the eyesore from the Liberace House of Crap, the reject from the Mr T collection. And then he does the whole pity the fool, yeah, which is so funny. But of course Joey walks in. Poor Joey, he's given him the money back, he's owed him, he's given him. Well, he's bought him this bracelet to show how much he appreciates it. And then Chandler's doing a pity the fool. It felt to me it was off of Chandler to do that. Yeah, but it's not what we expect from Chandler. No, that's what I mean. It felt wrong for Chandler to do this. And then, of course, chandler loses the bracelet.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Anyway, but I think that's part of why they did it, because then he redeems himself later, doesn't he? By buying another one, because he knew how much it meant to Joey. So he bought another one, and then, of course, rachel finds the original one that's been lost in the coffee shop. So then he gives Joey a bracelet as well. So they've got matching bracelets. So he does try to redeem himself there.
Speaker 1:Yes, and of course, in this episode then we've also got Phoebe and Ross. They're discussing Rachel and this is where Phoebe comes out with her iconic the lobster, the lobster. This is why I think this episode gets a pass with everyone, because the lobster is iconic. Now, yes, the whole lobster conversation they make for life. Ross and Rachel are each other's lobster, yeah, but the rest of it is not. It's not the best and I say this with love of friends because it's still better than a lot of programmes, but it's just. You feel in the series that it's not the best, yeah, so Phoebe has told Ross that Rachel is his lobster and that they make the light and they will be. And then later in the coffee shop Ross is upset that Rachel's talking to another guy and then Steve rolls in. Yeah, so rude and she's so polite to him? Yeah, and she shouldn't have been. But then that guy ran very quickly, yeah. And then he tries to explain to Rachel that she's his lobster, but in a really clumsy way, which is great as a vehicle for the episode.
Speaker 1:Rachel tells Ross to accept they'll never happen because whatever happens, she gets clobbered. Clumsy way is that it doesn't, which is great as a vehicle for the episode. Yeah, rachel tells ross to accept they'll never happen because whatever happens, she gets clobbered. The next part, obviously, is the videotape. Now, this is a video, a box that monica's parents bring over because they're using her room as a gym. Yeah, and again, you feel sorry for monica because they're not going to use ross's room because he's got all these trophies there and they don't want to disturb him.
Speaker 1:Although watching this I thought doesn't really work Because remember, in a later episode where they go to the house, the parents decide to sell the house and Ross and Monica go to collect their stuff and Monica's stuff has been ruined because they've used it to stem a flood. Yet here we are. In this earlier episode, monica's got a box of stuff. There's a couple of things there. When these programmes were made in the olden days, the 90s, people didn't binge watch it, it was on once a week?
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, and the one with the Porsche is much later.
Speaker 1:Because the whole episode doesn't make sense in the canon of Friends, as the prom video will show later on. Monica has lost her job. Did you notice after the opening titles? Monica has that job interview with the creepy. Yes, and he.
Speaker 2:You want it all dirty Did you see who the actor was?
Speaker 1:No, I recognised him, but I couldn't. With the creepy, yes and he, you want it all dirty. Did you see who the actor was? No, I recognised him, but I couldn't. The actor is Patrick Kerr, or I would just imagine he says it, kerr, he was Noel on Frasier. Oh, of course. Yeah, I knew, I recognised him, and he's on a programme that's on at the moment on Apple TV called the Big Door Prize.
Speaker 2:Oh, Because you.
Speaker 1:It's at the moment on Apple TV called the Big Door Prize. You've said in previous episodes how good actors always crop up in these programmes and yeah, that was a pack of care. Because what put me off with that scene was the fact that she walks straight in and he asks her to create this salad and she immediately starts and I'd be like, oh my gosh, she hasn't washed her hands. She hasn't washed her hands or anything, and then she says I'll wash it later so no wonder he was getting all creepy about it yeah, so she asked her parents for money.
Speaker 1:She needs money because she's lost a job. And then they start going on about she's smart, she knows what to do, 10 of the saving and you just feel sorry, for that is a typical rich parent thing, isn't it? Whereas she's trying to live in the in new york city and it's set in the program that it's rent controlled her apartment, otherwise she'd never be able to afford it but she's still 20 something living in this really expensive city, yeah.
Speaker 1:So how was she supposed to save 10 of it? That's another story for another day because then ross is there agreeing with them, because he's always reverted back to childhood. Anyway, inside this box they find a videotape. Yeah, the videotape 2024,. What's? A VHS? Remember when our niece, five years old, found a box with her father's DVDs?
Speaker 2:in it.
Speaker 1:And she was like what's this? Is it a book? Do you mean? You don't just press a button and what you want comes on the screen? It's the high school prom and they also pull out. Now, this is something that's not nice. They pull out a swimsuit, don't they? And they say about monica, yeah, and it's not even that. I think this is why I found it uncomfortable to watch. There's fat jokes and there's jokes about a big nose. And how is that funny? Yeah, they made it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because it's none of that's funny it's their high school prom.
Speaker 1:They've got monica, they're making fun of her being, and in these scenes where they revert back to the past, she's always eating, yeah.
Speaker 1:And if she was eating all of the time. She'd be a lot bigger than that. Yeah, exactly, but she's eating a sandwich with her prom dress on. That is just. She's got all her makeup on. She's got her dress on. She would not be eating. She'd be. She's got all her makeup on. She's got her dress on. She would not be eating. She'd be. She's ready, yeah. And then Rachel comes in and they've given her this nose.
Speaker 2:Nose because she's had yeah, and then they make septum yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but she'd had plastic surgery, hadn't she? I think that was the implication. But why was it for a little time? That's not funny. It's not funny, is it? I just don't find stuff like that. Maybe it's my sensitivities, but I don't find that funny. And this is what I felt uncomfortable about the episode. I did think they tried to show how their relationship worked in that when she went over to greet her and she spilt mayonnaise on her and Rachel laughed at it and everything oh, don't worry, it's not on my dress I think they were trying to show that their friendship, how their friendship was and how it's still the same, okay, but in terms of continuity then, yes, ross and Chandler supposed to be friends from their college days.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so Chandler knew what Monica used to look like. He knew what Rachel used to look like? Ah, but he's making jokes Now. I know, in the canon of the storytelling, we don't know as an audience that they've known each other since college and we don't know that Chandler met Monica and Rachel when they were still in high school. And remember, it only comes out in the Thanksgiving episodes when they do the flashbacks, yeah's where they, so the continuity is gone completely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and ross has just finished his first year, so he obviously knows chandler. Yeah, and if this is their high school prom, or is it their junior or their senior prom? I don't understand, because you could sort of get away with it. If it was their junior prom, you could get away with it. If it was their junior prom, you could get away with it because you could say they hadn't met yet it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it makes no sense, because when they do the flashback episodes.
Speaker 1:They look as they do in this video. Rachel and Monica. Yeah, so, yeah, there are a few clumsy things and I think probably in a long-running series, when they decide to do flashbacks, it becomes a little bit inevitable that they mess slightly with things and it's frustrating to watch.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you hang on, that doesn't fit in with that. And remember in the old days I used to have all the videos for this. Do you know? I'm sure I've still got all the DVDs of these? Yeah, I've definitely got a box set of DVDs, but we used to record it. No, in the old days they used to do videos and it'd be half the series in one box set and half the series in another box set To fleece you as much as possible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, In this episode then. So we see Ross the geek. Now this is funny, Ross. Yes.
Speaker 2:And he's looking Young Ross Young.
Speaker 1:Ross is looking like a stalker, isn't he the way he's watching, and you get the really funny scene where he's sat on the stairs. Rachel asks him what he's going to be doing that summer and he's going to be working on his music. And you see him sat on the stairs with his little yammer on Playing the little keyboard.
Speaker 1:And then they do develop that later they get that right. Yes, monica's date has arrived, but Rachel's hasn't. Chip is not there. Jack and Judy persuade Ross that he should go and he doesn't want to go. No, because he's a college man. Yeah, but he knows how much it means to Rachel and he likes Rachel. He goes, gets dressed, picks up some flowers from Fars to give to her, which is thoughtful. Yeah, and just as he's coming downstairs, chip's there and they are leaving.
Speaker 1:And then Jack and Judy realise but ten years later, even less than 10 years later, rachel sees that Rachel is now seeing what happened. Yeah, and you just know it's bad, because they're saying I don't know how to turn this off. They know how upset Ross is going to be about this. And then it cuts out yeah, and Rachel sees this and, because she's a kind person, she realises that it wasn't just her who got clobbered. Yeah, but she didn't make him get clobbered. That wasn't her fault. She didn't know what was happening. No, but it's for his actions. Yeah, because he was going to do that for her when he had no need. Yeah, that she changes her mind and she goes to kiss him and then they get together and Phoebe says.
Speaker 1:I told you he's a lobster. Yeah, does this lovely little dance with the lobsters. She's his lobster and everybody's happy for them. Yeah, there was lots of loud cheers from the audience, the studio audience. Yeah, because this is what they wanted At that stage, but they didn't know it was going on for 10 years, so they had to split them up and that whole we were on a break. Oh, my goodness, they were on a break. If you can ask me, they were on a break. But for you to go from supposedly the love of your life to go and sleep in with some random woman in the same day, that's just within two hours yeah, that doesn't show you to be a nice no rachel should have walked away.
Speaker 1:She should have, she should have kept away, and. But I think, watching it and I was trying to think about how I viewed it when I first viewed it and I think at that time this is what I wanted. Oh, this is a nice, this is lovely. Yeah, but it's only then, with what happens, with the break and everything, when they get back together and all these different things happen and you think, please do not be with him Because I don't think their marriage would have lasted. No, were there any moments in the episode that you really liked? Yeah, I liked the casein of sunshine.
Speaker 1:I didn't like the bracelet storyline. There's three storylines going on in this and Friends is credited quite a lot with the ABC storylines. So there's three different storylines going on to keep people's interest. I saw it a lot in Cheers as well. After Diane left, there was three story strands going on. So you've got the main story. So, unlike in this, it's about the lobster. You've got your B story, which is in this is it could be the bracelet or it could be Monica needing the money. I mean, they're quite usually an A story is the main one, the B one is the second longest and the c is a short one, but in this one I'm being. The b and c stories are pretty much on the same level, isn't it?
Speaker 1:there's two and three scenes with both of them, so yeah monica a dodgy interview, monica asking parents for money and at the end ross giving her a dinosaur check, and then you've got the bracelet storyline. I think friends needed to do that, because obviously they've got six main characters.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when it was initially written, though, there was going to be four main characters, so they wouldn't necessarily have to come up with this three strand story structure. Now, it's common. Most sitcoms run with this three story strands, but in the beginning, guess which characters weren't going to be main characters? Joey and Phoebe Half-Rite. They weren't going to have Phoebe, and there was another one that wasn't going to be a main character Chandler. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Could you imagine if those two?
Speaker 1:So it would have been four main characters Monica, rachel Ross and Joey, and then there would have been two kind of characters that were in most episodes but not in everyone, and storylines not revolving around them. Although they did say, based on the number of lines, that Phoebe had the least lines. But I think, yeah, she probably did, but she did more of the comedic acting, didn't she? So she may well have had less lines, but when you get two Emmy nominations, yeah, she was the one getting all the Emmy nominations. She won an Emmy deservedly. So yeah, absolutely, because that character is really. It's not something you see very often on TV. No, and she showed that the character didn't really change that much. No, didn't? She kept true to that character and I know obviously a lot of that is to do with the writing, but what she was bringing to the part was giving them the ideas yeah, they didn't need to change her.
Speaker 1:She was perfect yeah, she was. And the interaction she has with joey, yeah, some of the best material. Did you know that both the actors wanted them to run a storyline right at the end, like in the final season, that those two were sleeping together all the time the whole show? So they'd show bits of this programme and then show them not a necessary post-coital or kissing.
Speaker 2:They were together, yeah.
Speaker 1:They were hiding in a room because something was going on in the main space, but I think that was what the actors thought would be funny yeah and I think it would have been but obviously a lot of work. Yeah, but of course they had then the fact that she had mike. But it was in the history of the program not necessarily up to date?
Speaker 1:that would be really good I probably thought I felt it was too much work to actually do that. Do you have a favourite character from Friends? I think I'm going to be boring to say Monica or Rachel. I like how anal Monica is. I'm not that way, but you know how she needs things to be tidy. Actually, I do like things done a certain way, but I'm not Remember the I think it was in the first season where she's laying in bed because her shoe's strewn in the main living space and she wants to tidy it up.
Speaker 1:I'm not like that and I like the way Rachel should be annoying because she comes from a rich family, she's been spoiled and she's not. She's just really kind. Yeah and she's the character with the biggest journey, although she doesn't change her core. What about you? Yeah, and I think in this particular episode it's said with the whole mayonnaise and how she laughs it off and says, oh don't worry, it's not on my dress, sort of thing, and that just shows that she's always been a kind person and they continue with the character.
Speaker 1:I don't particularly have a favorite character. I have a least favorite character and that hasn't changed. My least favorite character has always been Ross. Yeah, and that's nothing to do with David Schwimmer no, no because he's brilliant.
Speaker 1:He's brilliant and I think if he wasn't such a good actor, I would hate Ross even more. And I haven't changed that from watching it from when it was originally on to now when I'm watching it. I like them all and I think that's the beauty that they're all worthy of their part. Oh gosh, yeah, not just the actors who are brilliant. Yeah, the characters, but maybe it wouldn't have been as successful if the actors hadn't been so strong. Undoubtedly, and indubably.
Speaker 2:Undubably.
Speaker 1:Undubably, undoubtedly, yeah. You see some interviews or you see some articles and that somebody was going to play the part of Joseph and you're just like, yeah, I can't see that and they probably would have made it work. Don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2:Because they were all talented actors.
Speaker 1:Alternate timeline. However you're like, I can't see anybody else but say Matt LeBlanc, I don't see anybody else being Joey. And now it's time for everybody's favourite part of the show. No, your favourite part of the show. No, your favourite part of the show, the quiz, your favourite part. Do you want to go first? Yeah, how much is Joey paying Chandler back in the opening scene? Something like $812. It is $812. Do it Go on? This is a nice easy one for you.
Speaker 2:Oh, for me is it who doesn't share food.
Speaker 1:Joey doesn't share food. Joey doesn't share food, apart from one episode where they get it wrong when he offers. He said, oh I'm sorry, and he offers somebody some pizza. This is what I mean the continuity. It mustn't be, wrong, no, okay, what a jack and judy. Turning monica's room into a gym. A gym, that's right. What does Monica's father call her? Oh, oh, gosh, let me think. Oh, I'm going to kick myself, aren't I Go on. Then he often says to her oh, our little harmonica.
Speaker 1:Our little harmonica. That was me kicking myself. Go on. What does the inscription on the bracelet state? To my best bud, to my best bud, is that your question three? It is my question three, guess what? My question three is what's inscribed on the bracelet? Joey, gave you a chance, whoa.
Speaker 2:Great minds, you have to skip to the next one.
Speaker 1:So what is on Phoebe's cardigan in this episode? Phoebe's cardigan in this episode.
Speaker 2:Phoebe's cardigan.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh my gosh, it's a lovely cardigan, is it? I can't remember. Is it a heart? Is it a lobster? No, so that would be two.
Speaker 2:Yeah, those two on the nose, wouldn't they?
Speaker 1:I don't know. So it's white or it's cream. And then on the main part you've got poodles. Ah, do you know? I'd never picked that up. That's the type of thing you pick up. What colour is young Monica's prom dress? It's red and it's got little bits on it. I just asked the colour. Which tennis player is behind this Jack Geller comment? See, that was another one I didn't like Steffi Gra. Yeah, do you see how I phrased it?
Speaker 2:differently. Yeah, I know yeah.
Speaker 1:I find it really uncomfortable. Yeah, it's not good. No, my final one how many questions?
Speaker 2:are you doing?
Speaker 1:I've got loads You're supposed to do five each man, yeah, but I get carried away. I love the quiz. Okay, what song is young Ross playing on the keyboard? Axl F, which is from Beverly Hills Cops soundtrack by Harold Faltermeyer? That's my question. Seven Go on. What's Ross going to do that summer? He's going to work on his music, his. Do you know who won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor on a comedy series for an episode of Friends? Oh my gosh, it could be so many people. It could Go on then. Bruce Willis no way there are others nominated. Can I ask, though, if Julian Chandler's favourite film was Die Hard, why didn't he even say oh, you look like the guy from my favourite film? Exactly that bit wrong. Okay, I think that concludes the quiz. Oh, I'm so sorry, amanda, and it's jingle time. Hit it, mand. Let's see what it'll be this week. Geek corner, geek corner, geek, geek, geek, geek corner. Yeah, that might be the fourth different iteration of the jingle, however many episodes there have been.
Speaker 1:That's how many versions there are, and I'm sure you have a fact to tell me I've got a couple actually.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's overstepping again. I don't want to overstep too much.
Speaker 1:Overstepping again. Go on. I mean so the show was nominated for 62 Emmy Awards. That is huge, yeah, but only won six, including one for outstanding comedy. Yeah, only two of the core actors won Emmys for acting. Lisa Kudrow was one of them. Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Arniston. The show also won a BAFTA in 1998 for Best International Programme. Okay, so I'll give you some facts. I've tried to find facts that you might not know, but I think you might. The show's working titles were? Can you name some of them? Oh, something in the cafe, insomnia Cafe. Yep, friends Like Us, and Six of One near cafe. Yep, friends like us, and six of one. James burroughs, the famous director and author of the book directed by james burroughs. He directed the first episode, and 14 others took the cast the main six of the cast to las vegas. Before the first episode aired, they dined at spago.
Speaker 1:I think it's spago, or spago inside caesar's Palace to enjoy their last shot of anonymity, because he told them it's going to be so huge, oh, enjoy being anonymous while you can, yeah that's what he basically told them.
Speaker 1:Although Courtney Cox was slightly known, wasn't she Slightly known? Yeah, yeah, and I think, wasn't Jenna Aniston in a show? Wow, there is a fact about that. She was the last one to be cast, but they took a risk of filming with her because she was already on a show called muddling through. If that show had been picked up for a second season, then she would have been contracted to stay on that show and she couldn't have done Friends and they would have had to reshot some of the Friends episodes Because Jennifer Aniston had said that she had lots of her friends texting her saying I'm auditioning for your role. Yeah, so she knew it was happening because, as you said, she was contracted to the other show. But it's been speculated, implied that the NBC countered this programme muddling through with Danielle Steele TV movies, which were huge at the time, to kill that show.
Speaker 1:Oh because they wanted her.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So whether that's true or not, we'll probably never know. Lisa Kudrow was in the pilot of Frasier Elaine Ross. It didn't work out and she was replaced by Perry Gilpin. Kudrow felt that it was because James Burroughs didn't like her when she got the part on Friends. She was convinced she would be replaced again when she found out Burroughs was involved. Burroughs, though, stated that it wasn't anything against Kudrow, it was a business decision and actors are recast all the time.
Speaker 1:This is one Americans would know, but not necessarily here. So Friends really took off in the second series. In the US I think it wasn't really that big in the first season, but they Reruns the reruns in the summer. It was picked up and then it was huge in the second season. So Diet Coke wanted in. On the summer it was picked up, and then it was huge in the second season. So Diet Coke wanted in on the action. They paid $30 million on a campaign to hit the French generation. That would have been us if we weren't American. Apart from product placements, they were holding viewing parties on college campuses and had the cast engage with a series of ads which aired in January 1996. Each week Diet Coke instructed viewers to watch with a soda Pepsi probably and decide who drunk the Diet Coke from Monica and Rachel's apartment, and they could win the prize of watching a taping of the show Big stakes.
Speaker 2:Big stakes.
Speaker 1:It culminated in the show one after the super bowl, which aired. Go on, when did air after the super bowl? With a host of famous faces? Guess who drunk the diet coke man? Who was it? Rachel? No, there's a couple of serious ones here. I think they're interesting to be put on here.
Speaker 1:After 9-11, the producers were unsure how to deal with it. Friends had shied away from more difficult subjects, but this was set in Manhattan. They decided they would acknowledge that in the Friends world. It did happen, but only in visual cues. American flags went up in Central Perk. The cast would occasionally wear apparel stating united we stand or fdny. They left newspapers out on coffee tables which showed that the characters were glued to the news. On the magna doodle on the back of joey's door would be a message direct to the audience with flags or I heart NY or pictures of the Statue of Liberty, and that went on throughout season eight.
Speaker 1:This is another kind of bleak one. Did you know about the court case Imani? Lyle was an experienced writer's assistant and brought on to take detailed notes during writers brainstorming sessions that they can then look back on when coming up with storylines and dialogue. During her time there, lyle said the mostly white male writers made frequent sexual and racist remarks, including graphic details from their own sex lives. What she said was acknowledged, so they were doing it. However, the court ruled that writers were not harassing Lyle because the comments were not directed at her or were made about her. That's okay then. Yeah, but she was still tasked with recording every single word mentioned in the room. The court said it is, in fact, a necessary part of the creative process.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:And you do think things have changed today. This became widely known throughout Hollywood as the Friends case and used for years by managers and in HR training to impress on new hires that free speech in creative environments is protected, even language that people may consider as sexual harassment or insensitive. Oh, my goodness, I know it's something you don't think about.
Speaker 1:So I'll try and end on a nicer one 52 million Americans tuned in for the finale. To put that in perspective, the population of the UK is 67.7. Wow, so, yeah, huge, huge. Following on from that, yeah, marta kaufman opened up about two specific episodes that make her cringe because, talking about problematic episodes, lack of diversity, etc. The first episode that she felt was cringeworthy now was the one with the jam, which was a season three episode and centres around Phoebe falling for a man named Don, unaware that he's actually the stalker of her twin sister, ursula. The treatment of stalking in this episode is really aged badly. And then the other episode that she cites as as being off is the one with the chicken pox, which is from season two. Phoebe gets chicken pox just as her navy officer boyfriend comes to visit. So the laughter stems from stems from the inconvenience at the gang's attempts to keep phoebe hidden. Lots of viewers have pointed out that this episode actually reinforces negative stereotypes about masculinity. Okay, years ago, friends were was lauded for their progressive portrayal of young adulthood.
Speaker 1:And now we're looking at again and actually with a much more critical lens, thinking actually some of this is not right, but it actually just. It encourages conversation, which can't be a bad thing. No, you're right. Unfortunately, it can sometimes reinforce biases. Let's face it, friends and all programs like it, they're only bits to fill in for the efforts. I know we all think the programs are the thing and the adverts are the thing we've got to put up with. Actually all these programs are the gaps for the adverts.
Speaker 2:They're the fillers.
Speaker 1:They're the fillers for the adverts and that's why they're young and attractive, all of them, because that's what they think attracts people to watch adverts, absolutely. One thing I didn't mention when and it's my fault, I didn't mention at the beginning and I should have was the fact that I spoke about when it aired, but of course it aired in the UK after America.
Speaker 2:Much longer after America. So when?
Speaker 1:it started in 94, we didn't see it until the middle of 95, and season two wasn't on until 96, in in the july, when they filmed that in 95. Yeah, as the seasons went on though, it became more aligned, so when the finale happened we saw it. I think it was the next day.
Speaker 1:I have a feeling I think it was the next day, because channel four was the main channel that showed it. But two, two of the seasons were actually shown on Sky 1. I didn't know. Oh, yes, it did. I remember now because they were on almost immediately after America. Yeah, so they started showing them in January. Yes, but it went back to Channel 4 by the end. Yeah, the final four seasons went back to Channel 4. So it was mainly a Channel 4 show. Friday night, 9 o'clock, 9.30. 9.30. I started watching it when it wasn't that well-known. Yeah, no, people weren't watching it. See, even then we knew you've got to give series a chance. You can't just expect to love it from the first episode.
Speaker 2:No, you can't A chance, yes, you can't just expect to love it from the first episode. No you can't, because there's all that establishment.
Speaker 1:I love Ted Lasso from the first episode. But establish your characters.
Speaker 2:Establish your characters.
Speaker 1:What's it all about, alfie? Thank you for joining us. Remember, we get a lot of this stuff on the internet, and did you know the internet can lie. But I've also got some of my information from directed by james burrows, which I thoroughly recommend, and I'll be there for you by kelsey miller. You can find us on instagram at tv comedy pod, or you can visit the website at thattvcomedypodcastcom or email us at thattvcomedypodcast at outlookcom. Thank you for joining us. Bye, bye.
Speaker 2:That TV Comedy Podcast was presented by Amanda Davies and Jacquie J Sarah. It is a Delciously Bright podcast produced by Jacquie J Sarah. For extended episodes and exclusive content, become a subscriber at patreoncom/ that tv comedy podcast
