Two a long time have passed given that “The Last A single.”
The series finale of “Friends” aired 20 yrs ago, on May perhaps 6, 2004.
And all these several years later, the display is nevertheless beloved.
“Friends,” which ran for 10 seasons, was about a group of six pals dwelling in New York City.
The forged included Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Inexperienced, Courteney Cox as Monica Gellar, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, David Schwimmer as Ross Gellar, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, and Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing.
Perry died at age 54 on October 28, 2023. He was uncovered submerged and unresponsive in a very hot tub at his Los Angeles dwelling. A variety of prescriptions ended up uncovered in his process like ketamine, which was ruled as the result in of his death.
The “Friends” forged came with each other to mourn Perry after his tragic passing.
On the 20-yr anniversary of the sitcom’s stop, creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane did an job interview on These days where they disclosed that some elements of the script for the finale leaked before the episode aired.
“Oh my god, we tried so tough to keep it a mystery,” Kauffman explained. “We were desperate to retain it a solution and it bought out. And it was an inside position.”
Listed here are a lot more pleasurable details about the “Friends” sequence finale that even super supporters of the demonstrate may not know about.
Matthew Perry required to say the remaining line
In his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Significant Terrible Matter,” Perry disclosed that he requested Kauffman to give him the remaining line of the sequence.
“No a person else will care about this besides me,” the actor wrote in his ebook, released one particular yr prior to his loss of life.
Perry’s want was granted, as the Period 10 finale ended with Chandler and Monica declaring goodbye to their empty condominium together with Rachel, Phoebe, Joey and Ross.
Rachel suggests they all go get a closing cup of espresso right before Chandler and Monica go away New York Metropolis and go to live in the suburbs with their youngsters.
“Sure,” Chandler responds. “Where?” As devoted viewers know, the team would generally meet up with up at their nearby Central Perk espresso location.
The forged cried
Filming the final episode of “Friends” was really psychological for the six main stars.
“I really don’t feel we’ve at any time taken a lot more time in hair and makeup in in between scenes,” Aniston reported all through an job interview with Oprah Winfrey. “Also, that truth that we stored crying all our makeup off, more than and about once again.”
Schwimmer uncovered that he retained his composure until the solid did their pre-display ritual huddle.
“I started to shed it. That was the second I was dreading,” he said.
Exclusive guests had been on the set
The “Friends” producers invited folks outdoors the principal forged to witness the taping of the closing episode.
Hank Azaria and Maggie Wheeler, who performed Phoebe’s ex, David, and Chandler’s ex, Janice, respectively, had been both there. So was David Arquette, who was married to Cox at the time.
Wheeler instructed Individuals that “the energy” on set during the closing episode “was just unbelievable.”
Brad Pitt, who made a visitor appearance during Season 8 while he was continue to married to Aniston, did not show up at the closing taping due to the fact he did not want to be spoiled by the show’s ending.
“He [Brad] said, ‘Don’t convey to me something!’ ” Crane claimed in an job interview.
The cast’s spouse and children and mates ended up also on set for the finale.
There were multiple wrap get-togethers
The solid and crew of “Friends” threw three major events to celebrate the show’s finish.
Aniston and Pitt hosted a dinner occasion at their household on January 19, 2004, a few times immediately after the very first section of the finale concluded production.
The evening in advance of filming formally wrapped on January 22, the solid and the crew acquired alongside one another at Sole in West Hollywood.
The 3rd and final celebration took place on January 24, the day immediately after creation on the collection concluded, at the Park Plaza Resort in NYC. The Rembrandts executed the show’s topic music, “I’ll Be There For You,” at the celebration.
The rankings ended up substantial
52.5 million viewers tuned in dwell to check out “The Past One” on May well 6, 2004. The episode was the most viewed leisure telecast in 6 a long time, as effectively as the most viewed in general series finale in U.S. Television background, behind the finales of “M*A*S*H,” “Cheers,” and “Seinfeld.” The sequence finale is the 2nd most viewed “Friends” episode, behind “The A person Following the Superbowl” which scored 52.92 million viewers.
Rachel and Ross had been normally going to conclusion up together
Just after being on and off as a pair due to the fact Period 1, Rachel and Ross bought back again jointly for the duration of the series finale. Rachel was intended to move to Paris for function, but Ross chased immediately after her and confessed his really like for her at the airport. Rachel obtained on the aircraft — but then she bought off the airplane, and amazed Ross at his apartment, where by they kissed.
“The only factor we totally knew from quite early on was that we experienced to get Ross and Rachel together,” Crane explained in an job interview with Amusement Weekly in 2014. “We experienced dicked the viewers close to for 10 decades with their ‘will they or will not they,’ and we didn’t see any benefit in annoying them.”
