Ross and Rachel
and airport intercept, 294
and audience’s enthusiasm for Friends, 84
breakup of, 142–43
and cliffhanger between third and fourth seasons, 203–4
delayed gratification of, 117–18, 239
and early chemistry of Schwimmer and Aniston, 51, 54, 56
and Friends! The Musical Parody, 324–25
and last season of show, 283, 285
and lobster analogy of Phoebe, 120, 121, 314
marriage/divorce of, 237–38
mismatch in, 227, 238
Monica and Chandler compared to, 226, 231
and new generation of fans, 313–14, 315, 316–17, 324
as parents, 274, 275
and pilot for Friends, 56, 58–59
and prom video episode, 120–22
and Rachel’s career, 274–75, 295
and Rachel’s eighteen page letter, 205–6
and Rachel’s going away party, 275
and Rachel’s imminent departure, 285
and Rachel’s pregnancy, 230, 273
Rachel’s sacrifice made for, 295
romantic optimism of, 275
and Ross’s creeping insecurity/possessiveness, 86, 140
and Ross’s new girlfriend, 118–20
and Ross’s wedding, 205–6, 207–8
and Ross’s youthful crush on Rachel, 58–59, 121, 182, 238
and season one’s plot ideas, 70
and series finale, 285, 286, 293–96
and sex scene in the museum, 140
shades of Jane Austen in, 89, 120
shorthand language of, 117
slow-burn of, in Season One, 84–86, 87, 88–90
and Vegas episode, 235, 236–37
“We were on a break!,” 141–42, 204, 238, 294
writers’ development of storyline, 88–89, 122, 142, 168, 203–4, 205
Rudd, Paul, 254
Rupp, Debra Jo, 172
Sagansky, Jeff, 14
Sakai, Richard, 67
Salamon, Reny, 129
Sarandon, Susan, 199
Sassa, Scott, 281
Savalas, Telly, 41
Schwimmer, David
Aniston’s chemistry with, 51, 54, 56
background of, 29, 145
and casting Friends, 29, 30, 31–32
and children of crew members, 191
and contract negotiations, 145–48, 280
and Donovan, 187
Emmy nomination of, 270
and ensemble spirit of show, 31, 145–46
and Episodes, 308
and fans of Friends, 98
and film roles, 100
and first read-through of pilot script, 49
and improved line on Rachel’s trifle, 194
and last scene in Central Perk, 285
and life after Friends, 301–2, 308
and Lookingglass theater company, 30, 145
on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 98
and prom video footage with wig, 121
reluctance to be a television actor, 30
and Rolling Stone cover, 99
See also Ross
Scream, 100–101
Seinfeld
Cox’s work on, 50
and critics’ reactions to Friends, 78, 110
early skepticism about, 9
and Friends time slot, 78
influence on sitcoms, 12–13
and Littlefield’s pursuit of next big series, 14
New York City as setting of, 2
origins of, 12
series finale of, 286, 290, 295–96
and sitcoms’ shift away from family shows, 12
and standards division of NBC, 111, 139
and television industry in mid-nineties, 10
Seinfeld, Jerry, 9, 12
Selleck, Tom, 196–97, 227–28, 234
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 267–70, 271
series finale, 285–88, 290, 293–96
set design of Friends, 108, 123–28
Sex and the City, 2, 295, 307
sexual content on Friends
Chandler and Monica’s bathtub scene, 217
Chandler and Monica’s hotel room scene, 212–13
Chandler’s masturbation scene, 229, 230
and character banter, 112
and crude talk in writers’ room, 247–48
Monica’s sex life, 62–63, 112
Phoebe’s pseudo-seduction of Chandler, 221–22
and queer stories on show, 115, 318–19
Ross and Rachel’s scene in museum, 139–40
Ross and Rachel’s series finale scene, 293
and standards division of NBC, 111
and transgender missteps, 228, 315
Shabbat candles on set, 191
Shaffner, John, 82–83, 123–25, 127–28, 132
Shales, Tom, 79, 104, 290–91
Sheen, Charlie, 199–200
She’s the One, 100
Shields, Brooke, 108–9
Short, Martin, 67–68
Sibbett, Jane, 73, 115–16, 135
Siebert, Leslie, 30, 31
Sikowitz, Mike
on being a writer for Friends, 157
and character development in Season One, 81
early writing career of, 68–69
on joke writing, 154
on moments of humanity, 168
on quick wits of writers, 161–62
and sex scene in the museum, 140
Silver, Joan Micklin, 17
Silveri, Scott, 158, 297–98
Silverman, Jonathan, 29
Simpson, Homer, 290
Simpsons, The, 67
Single Guy, The, 104
Singleton, John, 10
sitcoms
audience size for, 299
Burrows as master of, 47, 55, 106
changing characters in, 253
and death-of-the-sitcom discussions, 289
delayed gratification in, 117
and drama/comedy balance, 292
Friends’ departure from norms of, 289, 291, 292
and past lives of characters, 180
Seinfeld’s impact on, 12
series-long story arcs in, 291
shift away from family shows, 11–12
trends in, 12
Skloff, Michael, 17, 18, 65–66, 105
Slate, 289, 291, 315–16
“Smelly Cat” song, 163–64
Smithsonian’s request for memorabilia, 288
Sorkin, Aaron, 301
soundtrack album of Friends, 105
Stanley, Alessandra, 288–89
Starbucks, 11
Steel, Danielle, 47
St. Elsewhere, 8
Sternberg, Adam, 319, 321
Stevens, Todd
and contract negotiations, 279
crew member fired by, 188–89
and guest performers, 197
and Lyle, 241, 243–44
and post–Super Bowl episode, 108
and prom video of characters, 120–21
and security concerns in London, 211–12
and starlight in museum scene, 139
Stewart, Joe, 123
Stiles, Ryan, 44
Stipe, Michael, 65
Storm, Jonathan, 103
Strauss, Jeff
and audience, 74
and Crane, 162–63
and Dream On, 53–54
and Marcel the monkey, 93
and Pat the Cop, 26
and pilot for Frie
nds, 53
story ideas drawn from personal life of, 72, 81, 164
on writing staff, 70, 193–94
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 301
style on Friends, 123–37
and costume design, 131–37, 308, 314
and the Rachel haircut, 128–30
and set design/decor, 123–28
success of Friends, 97–116
and Emmy awards, 270–71
and imitators of show, 104
and media coverage of Friends, 98–100
and Oprah Winfrey Show, 98–99
and product promotions, 101–2
and ratings, 99, 106, 270, 277
and revenue, 146, 270, 277
and Rolling Stone cover, 99
and theme song, 104–5
and ubiquity of show/stars, 102, 137
unprecedented levels of, 282
and VHS sales, 210
Suellentrop, Chris, 289, 291–92
Super Bowl 1996, 108
Susan (Carol’s girlfriend/wife), 114, 115–16
syndication of Friends, 99, 146, 149, 270
Tarantino, Quentin, 10, 290
Tartikoff, Brandon, 8, 9
television industry
attitudes toward, in mid-nineties, 10, 100
and fashion trends, 130–31
frequency of failure in, 32
and movie vs. television stardom, 100, 101, 130–31
shift away from family shows, 11–12
and variety shows/specials, 19–20
See also sitcoms
terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, 267–70, 271
Thanksgiving episodes, 72, 81, 197
TheaterWorksUSA, 17–18
theme song of Friends, 65–66, 104–5
They Might Be Giants, 65
30 Rock, 313
Time magazine, 78
time slot of Friends, 78, 103, 108
Tinker, Grant, 11
title changes of show
Bleecker Street, 24
Friends, 63
Friends Like Us, 25
Insomnia Café, 23, 24–25
Six of One, 54
title/credit sequence, 65–66, 79–80, 311
titles for episodes, 70–71
Tom, Lauren, 103, 106
The Tonight Show, 290
Toomin Straus, Amy, 177, 180, 213
Torre, Sasha, 103
transgender missteps of Friends, 228, 315
Travolta, John, 10
Treeger, Mr. (building superintendent), 287
trivia game episode, 173–78, 179
Trump, Donald, 218, 249, 290, 320
Tucker, Ken, 77–78, 79
Turner, Kathleen, 228
TV Guide, 171
TV Land, 290
Tyler, Aisha, 103, 262
Tyler, James Michael, 95
ubiquity of Friends, 102, 137
Ungerleider, Ira, 67–68, 92–93, 150–51, 180
Union, Gabrielle, 103
Universal, film archive of, 18, 20
Ursula (Mad About You), 34, 64
Van Damme, Jean-Claude, 108, 109, 167
variety shows/specials, 19–20
Vartan, Michael, 197
Veronica’s Closet, 149–50, 298
Vogue, 131, 136
Warner Bros.
and casting Friends, 27, 28, 31–32, 45, 46
and Central Perk set, 319
and contract negotiations, 147, 148–49, 277–82
and Friends pitched to NBC, 24
and Kauffman/Crane’s pilot pitches, 15
Perry’s contract with, 44
and pilot commitment required of NBC, 24
and revenue from Friends, 146, 270, 277
and series finale, 286, 288
and syndication of Friends, 146, 149, 270
and VHS sales, 210
Washington Post, The, 79, 104, 290–91
Wayans, Damon, 20
Weather Girls, 20
Weinstein, Harvey, 10, 249
Weiss, Ben, 179
Wells, John, 103
Wernick, Sandy, 279, 280
West Village, 1–3, 4
Wheeler, Maggie, 94–95
Whitfield, Mitchell, 31, 56
Wildmon, Donald, 115
Will & Grace, 31, 113, 281, 289
Willett, Claire, 313–14
Willis, Allee, 105
Willis, Bruce, 273
Wilson, Owen, 197
Winfrey, Oprah, 98–99, 102
Winkler, Henry, 30
“With or Without You” (U2), 141
writing team for Friends, 153–68
antics of, 158
and Burrows, 106–7
and cast of show, 162, 163–64, 211
and character development in Season One, 80–82
and comedic effect of exhaustion, 160–61
competitive/collaborative spirit of, 156–57, 163
and contradictions in series, 317–18
and creators’ emphasis on quality, 153, 155, 163
creators’ trust in enthusiasm of, 161, 166
crude humor of, 242, 243, 244, 246–47
and culture of writers’ room, 156–58
and drama/comedy balance, 168, 292
and fans of Friends, 98
and feminist writers, 167–68
and fine-tuning script, 188, 189, 191, 192–94
and full run-through by cast, 188
gratitude expressed via skywriter, 284
and guest performers, 197
intensity of, 159
and interlocked story lines, 155–56
and language prohibitions, 22, 37–38
and last season of show, 284–85
and Lyle’s lawsuit, 244, 245–48
and Marcel the monkey, 92–94
and Minnesota proposal, 213–14
and moments of sentiment, 168
and Monica and Chandler storyline, 207–9, 213, 217, 229–30
and notes on performance, 163–64, 188
and Phoebe’s surrogate pregnancy, 171–73, 176
plotting season one, 70–72
process of, 140, 156, 163
and product promotions, 101
punitive schedule of, 153, 154–55, 157–58, 159–60, 242
quick wits of, 161–62
recruited by Kauffman and Crane, 66–70
and Ross and Rachel storyline, 88–89, 122, 142, 168, 203–4, 205
and “the schmuck bait,” 173–74
and series finale, 286
and sexual content, 111–12, 139–40
and slow reveal of past lives, 180–83
and standards division of NBC, 110–11
and state of scripts through the season, 189
story ideas drawn from personal lives of, 71–72, 164–65
and storylines killed by actors, 161
and trivia game episode, 173–74
and writers’ assistants, 241–42
See also Crane, David; Kauffman, Marta
Wyle, Noah, 31
Yang, Alan, 315
youth market/culture, 8–9, 10, 13–14, 66, 291
Zurawik, David, 79
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Saul Austerlitz is a freelance writer whose work has been published by The Boston Globe, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Slate, and the Los Angeles Times. He is a graduate of Yale (BA, film studies, 2001) and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (MA, cinema studies, 2003),
and an adjunct professor of writing and comedy history at NYU.
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