Friends

Friends is a American Televised series , in 236 episodes 22 minutes, created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane and diffused between the September 22nd 1994 and the May 6th 2004 on the network NBC. In France, the series was diffused starting from the April 16th 1996 on Canal Jimmy, then on France 2, RTL9, Comédie!, AB1, France 4, W9, M6 starting from the January 2nd 2007, Club RTL and AB3 in Belgium

Synopsis

Monica, a young cooker of approximately 25 years, only lives in an apartment with Manhattan, in the Greenwich Village. It finds a news Colocataire in the person of Rachel, her old better Amie of the college, than it had lost sight of the fact since years. As a true spoiled child, Rachel never worked hitherto, and joined again with Monica only because it was found almost without resources after having left its been engaged in front of the furnace bridge.

However, from the bonds of friendship sincere (D) will appear between the two women, and Rachel will be integrated without difficulties into the group of friends of Monica, composed of Phoebe (the former joint tenant of Monica), Ross (the brother of Monica, secretly in love with Rachel), Joey and Chandler (these two last dividing an apartment located opposite that of Monica and Rachel, in the same building). All these young people have like common point to be Célibataire S.

Throughout the ten seasons of Friends , we follow the daily newspaper of these six characters, as well as the evolution of their relations and their professional life and emotional, with its batch of joys and disappointments.

Distribution

Jennifer Aniston (VF: Dorothée Jemma then seasons 9 and 10 Monika Lawinska) : Rachel Karen Green
Courteney Cox Arquette (VF: Marie-Christine Darah) : Monica E. To freeze
Lisa Kudrow (VF: Michele Lituac) : Phoebe Buffay
Matt Leblanc (VF: Marc To injure then seasons 9 and 10 Olivier Jankovic) : Joseph Francis Tribbiani known as Joey
Matthew Perry (VF: Emmanuel Curtil then seasons 9 and 10 Antoine Nouel) : Chandler Muriel Bing
David Schwimmer (VF: Michel Lasorne) : Ross Eustace To freeze

And the regular participation of

James Michael Tyler (VF: Marc Bacon) : Gunther
Elliott Gould (VF: Bernard Tiphaine) : Jack To freeze
Christina Pickles (VF: Tania Torrens then Liliane Patrick) : Judy To freeze
Maggie Wheeler (VF: Martine Regnier) : Janice Littman Guralnick
Jane Sibbett (VF: Marie-Martine Bison) : Carol To freeze/Willick

Characters

Main characters

Monica To freeze : sister of Ross and married to Chandler as of the last episode of the seventh season, mom of twins at the end of season 10, and chef. Obsessed by cleanliness and the competition, it was very large during its adolescence, which put it in position of development of his/her Rachel friend. His/her parents, and especially his mother, tend to forsake it vis-a-vis his/her Ross brother, which frequently puts it in position jealousy in its connection. In addition to Chandler, its first great love is Richard, a friend of his father.

Ross To freeze : brother of Monica and friend of Chandler, divorced three times during the series: his first wife, Carole, are lesbian and they have a son, Ben, born at the time of season 1, then comes Emilie (end of season 4, beginning of season 5). But especially Rachel, with which it was insane in love with the college without never daring to say to him, and with which it left during one year (seasons 2 and 3), and it ends up marrying it, after one evening too sprinkled in Las Vegas, which will lead to a third divorce (season 6). During season 7, they recouchent together, which carries out them to have a baby, Emma, born at the end of season 8. Ross is paleontologist, employed in a museum at the commencement of the series, then will become professor at the university, in Paléontologie. Impassioned sciences and of culture, it annoys all the group as soon as it starts to speaking about its work.

Rachel Green : friend of Monica, is at the beginning a spoiled child who is unaware of all the work world because his/her father finances all to him. She will reject this world by fleeing during the day of her marriage with Barry, a dentist, who would have forever put it at the shelter of the need. She takes refuge in Monica, her friend of childhood, and becomes waitress with the Central Perk where she will profit from the indulgence of Gunther, the manager, passionately and very discreetly in love with her. Thereafter, she will be engaged at Bloomingdale' S, then at Ralph Lauren. His/her two sisters, Jill and Amy, with which she does not get along very well, are both remained rot-spoiled, and Rachel will try to make them undergo the same change as she. She leaves with Paolo during season 1, with Ross seasons 2 and 3. She marries it at the end of season 5 and divorces then. She falls finally pregnant from Ross following a single night of love during season 7, which will carry out it to put at the Emma world. She leaves food at Joey (she had moved initially at Phoebe because Chandler had taken its place in the apartment of Monica), they will live a short love affair, but their common friendship will separate them. It is with Ross that she will live the most complications in love.

Joey Tribbiani : joint tenant of Chandler, then of Rachel, is an actor not showing always a great talent, which owes its rare contracts with its advantageous physique or its agent, the extravagant Estelle Leonard. Its greater role will remain always that which it obtained in the series the Days of our life , in the role of Doctor Drake Ramoray. Joey is attaching, honest towards his/her friends, incompetent of dissimulation and naive, not to say stupid. It collects the adventures one evening without never sticking, with rare exceptions.

Chandler Bing : joint tenant of Joey and old friend of Ross, is intelligent and whimsical. He hates his trade, a very serious administrative station (none the Friends really does not know what it acts; he deals with reconfiguration of statistical data ). He has a genealogy difficult to assume: his/her mother writes novels with success hot and his/her father is disguised with Las Vegas. It is at the time of a meal of Thanksgiving that his/her parents announced their divorce to him, which makes it nourish a particular hatred towards this festival. In season 9, he resigns and chooses to work in publicity, which he finds much more interesting. Remained only and despaired for a long time so much so that everyone thinks it homosexual, it ends up leaving with Monica at the time of their stay to London for the marriage of Ross (seasons 4-5), and marries it at the end of season 7. They adopt twins Erika and Jack junior at the end of season 10. There will remain a long time haunted by its ex, horrifying it and sticking Janice, and its " Oh, my god!! "

Phoebe Buffay : former joint tenant of Monica, is most whimsical of the group. Given up by her father, she will live in the street after the suicide of her mother. She withdraws from them a past of beggar and SDF. Its past is mysterious, it would seem that she is even prostitute and that she has police records, but its information on this subject is evasive or whimsical, with the result that none dares to require some more. Masseuse, it likes to play of the guitar to the Perk Exchange (its more “famous” song is entitled You been able the cat , Smelly Cat in VO), it sings false and its words are of a frankness sometimes embarrassing. It maintains bad relationship with her sister twins Ursula, but gets along much better with her half-brother, Frank. She agreed besides to carry the triplets of Franck, married with an older woman, Alice. The first great history of love that one knows to him finds in the person of David, a scientist whom it meets in the first season, and who leaves in Minsk in a laboratory to carry out a dissection of particles… impossible to make. When it returns, it is too late: Phoebe leaves with Mike Hannigan, a lawyer reconverted as a pianist whom she will prefer in David and with which she will marry during season 10.

Other recurring characters

Gunther : work with the Central Perk (as manager), it is the character most frequently present of the series apart from the six main actors. In love with Rachel, it is sour with its applicants, in particular Ross, that it does not support. In season 2, one learns that Gunther had a short career of actor since he played the baby in Dallas (but was returned because he cried too much). At the origin, the role of Gunther should have been only one role of figuration. The titular actor of the role, James Michael Tyler, must his recruiting with the appearing single fact have been present one at the time of the casting which was able to use a percolator. Its fair hair platinum is also the fruit of a chance: the casting day before, one of his/her friends, apprentice-hairdresser, had tried out his talents on him.

Janice Littman Guralnick : former boyfriend of Chandler, it appears at each season. Its voice and especially its laughter are horripilants. Its sentence Oh My God (" Oh My God" in English) is known as on several occasions when it is astonished. Chandler also uses it him, especially when it makes a hazardous meeting with it. Joey does not support it, and it will have a short relation with Ross, but it is it which will put an end to it, wearies to intend it to complain. It will always remain very sticking with the Monica-Chandler couple.

Estelle Leonard : She appears regularly because she is to manage it of Joey. She is somewhat steamed and must have last around fifty. She is accro with the Cigarette. It is thanks to it that Joey had its role of famous Doctor Drake Ramoray in the series Of the days and the lives . She dies in season 10 of a pulmonary Embolie…

parents of Ross and Monica : Jack and Judy. They adulate Ross and are often odious with Monica at the point to forget its existence sometimes. It should all the same be noted that it is especially Judy which lowers his/her daughter, Jack does it much more involuntarily and awkwardly seeks to be caught up with when it realizes some: by offering its Porsche to him for example.

Carol Willick : first wife of Ross. She decided to divorce when she discovered that she was Lesbienne. In the first season, it is confined of Ben , the son of Ross (conceived before their divorce), and marries in the second season her partner, Susan Bunch . Ross always has good contacts with Carol (with which it shares the guard of his/her son), but it hates Susan (this feeling being besides reciprocal), with which it reproaches for having " to him; volé" its wife.

Emma To freeze Green : the girl of Rachel and Ross, born at the end of the eighth season.

Ursula Buffay : sister twins of Phoebe. In spite of their family ties, the two sisters are very distant one of the other and resemble only physically. Ursula indeed seems a character little sympathetic nerve, dishonest person and liar. In the sixth season, it is pornographic film actress, under the pseudonym of… Phoebe Buffay.

Frank Buffay Jr : half-brother of Phoebe and Ursula. He is married in Alice and have three children: Leslie, Frank Junior Junior and Chandler. Alice and Frank which cannot have babies, it is Phoebe which carried the babies of its brother.

Mike Hanigan : Former lawyer become pianist, Mike appears for the first time in season 9, where he becomes the small-friend of Phoebe. It is via Joey that they met. Scalded by a divorce, Mike initially refuses to marry with Phoebe before recognizing that it is the woman of its life. They marry in the season 10 pennies snow, in the street. At the end of season 10, they announce that they want a baby.

Episodes

Comments

Creation

All starts in New York: two friends, Martha Kauffman and David Crane, seeing the success of some their plays in New York decide to migrate towards Hollywood to implement some flowering ideas of series. They there meet in 1989 Kevin Bright, producer and create Dream One . The series is a success and Warner Bros. Pictures and NBC sign the project. Friends Like Us (of the friends like us, initial title) will become legendary the Friends , the history of a band of buddies, three guy, three girls and their life of the every day.

The first diffusion, in 1994, directly conquers the public and the first season of the series obtains twelve nominations in Emmy Awards, and it is only the beginning of a long story. Indeed, ten years later, Friends is, financially speaking, the sitcom which will have had the most success in the history of television. During last seasons, each of the six main actors received a seal of a dollar million per episode.

However, the first visionnages carried out by televiewer-test (practical extremely current in the United States) had worrying results, since the panel put at contribution had judged that Friends missed of all: originality, intelligence and aptitude to be distracted. These first televiewers who were not very favorable to the diffusion of the series, recommended more humor, more proximity between the characters and the spectator, more older characters… And a coffee less funky that the Central Perk .

Success analyzes

The success of this series rests in particular on characters whom the public was not long in finding attaching: Ross, the timid and unhappy intellectual in love, Joey, the seducer who counts more on his physique than on his intelligence to like, Chandler, the joker with distributed variously accommodated, Phoebe, the eccentric one, Monica, the maniac of cleanliness and the arrangement, and Rachel, the lazy disordered one. Six friends see very often (in particular with the Central Perk, a coffee where they pass together the majority of their spare time), work, money, love speak, dispute, are supported, laughed and cry side by side. When one is not well, it is the group which is sad; when one is happy, the others smile. All in all, Friends is a history of friendship, solid bonds which are reinforced as time passes. It is the history of ordinary people (although relatively easy) that one sees evolving/moving with the wire of their daily newspaper. It is a simple history, in which the public can be easily found.

Friends is a sitcom (situation comedy), i.e. a humorous series whose action proceeds almost exclusively in the same decorations, nearer of the play filmed than of the feature film .

Among the formal constants of Friends , let us note:

the recourse to the recorded laughter which recalls that the American sitcoms are often recorded in public, which is partially the case of Friends : although the laughter and part of the voices is re-recorded in post-production, although certain scenes (outsides in particular) are carried out separately, and although the assembly of the diffused episodes is not carried out on line, Friends is turned in public and of a draft, at the conclusion of almost one week to repetitions. Turning vis-a-vis a public of approximately 400 people is spread out over approximately 5 hours (to obtain with final episode of a score of minutes) and is recorded by 4 to 5 cameras at the same time.

the use of one at the same time visual humor (cascades of David Schwimmer or Matthew Perry in particular) and verbal.

the recourse to running gags (comic of repetition), some are spread out over the ten seasons, such as the appearances of Janice, the fancy of Gunther for Rachel, conquests of Joey, etc

the systematic of events, strongly ritualized use, of the American folklore such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, but also birthdays, engagement and marriages, burials of unmarried life, the baby showers , etc - Friends is undoubtedly a good support for the training of the American culture. Also let us announce that Friends also had an influence on the American culture: the taste for the Coffee Shop , the aspiration with friendlier man-woman ratios, the fashion, the decoration of interior,… Nothing of all that is invented in Friends , but it seems that the series, by the ideal which she represents, was a model of art of living. coffee shop Central Perk were all over the world open besides.

the title of all the episodes of the series starts with " That which… " (in original version, " The one with/when/where/who… ")

Genesis of Friends

The ten seasons episodes of the series comprise many flashbacks, which make it possible to know, bit by bit, how the group of the Friends was gradually constituted, before the first episode.

Ross and Monica , as a brother and a sister, constitutes the hard core of this small community. The other members of the group incorporated themselves with this starting cell with the passing of years.

Rachel is a friend of childhood of Monica. Ross thus knew it very young person, and it very early tested an attraction, being transformed into a dumb love. Rachel was a friend close to Monica, but they were lost sight of the fact after the college. Whereas Rachel is promised in marriage, it meets by Monica chance with the bar which preceded the “ Central Perk ”, but these meeting again were without a future. Rachel does not even think of inviting Monica with its marriage.

Chandler becomes the 4th member of the group when it meets Ross at the university, and becomes his joint tenant. At the time of its first interviews with Monica, this one expresses interest to him, but it is distant. It even will emit a remark wounding on the obesity of Monica, which upsets it and determines it to find its line. Thereafter, their relations are standardized since Chandler ends up renting housing opposite that occupied by Monica. The scenario does not specify the detail of this situation, but it is probable that Monica announced to Chandler the vacancy of this housing, which proves their friendship. It is necessary to note an inconsistency of scenario when, in the first episode, Monica presents Chandler to Rachel: the scene gives the impression that Chandler and Rachel do not know themselves; however, at the time of many the flash-backs, it appears clearly that they had met on several occasions.

Phœbe joined the group later, while becoming the joint tenant of Monica (nevertheless, in episode 9.15, That which was made attack , we learn that Phœbe had met Ross first once when it was 14 years old, and had racketté it). However, she does not manage to support the maniaquery of the latter. Its departure in catimini releases the room which will make it possible Monica to collect Rachel.

Joey , finally, is the last to join the group, while becoming the joint tenant of Chandler. At the beginning, this one is not enthusiastic of this cohabitation (it will be learned that Joey was not the first choice of Chandler but Joey will settle following a misunderstanding), but the relation with Joey quickly becomes a cordial friendship. At the time of a flashback, one learns that the first day when Joey arrived, Monica dredges it and invites it to drink a lemonade. Joey understands, wrongly, that she wants to sleep with him, and strips itself quickly.

At the time of the very first episode, Rachel makes irruption out of wedding gown: it has just fled of its marriage, and it asks Monica to lodge it. The adventure of the Friends starts…

Recurring gags

One of the characteristics of the humor of Friends is the regular return, throughout the ten years of the series, of the same gags, exploited in all the conceivable ways. This process made it possible to cultivate complicity with the public which follows the series with the passing of years. The principal gags are the following:

Oh-my-god! ( Oh-my-god! ): Exclamation of Janice, each time it generally makes irruption in the life of Chandler, in a crashing to pieces way, and always in situations embarrassing for this last. By “contamination”, Chandler tends to be used itself this expression (to be noted that even in the French version, he says " Oh-my-god"). Rachel is the character who pronounced this expression the most, nevertheless, without imitating the phrased characteristic one of Janice.

That goes you? ( how ya doin'? contraction of How are you doing? ): Phrases systematically employed by Joey, with a great smile, to approach its future conquests, always successfully.

Which the trade of Chandler? : The activity of Chandler has a relationship with the data processing and the “reconfiguration of data and the invoices statistical”, but it remains deeply mysterious. Fault of being able to answer this question at the time of a bet, Monica and Rachel will temporarily lose their apartment with the profit of Chandler and Joey.

the homosexuality of the Friends : Undoubtedly recurring of the gags of the series, which exploits the confusion of the relations of the Friends between friendship and seduction. Chandler is the main victim of these gags because of tastes considered to be not very virile and which make it take systematically for homosexual by people that it meets. But all the Friends are implied in scenes which go from the strong allusion (especially for the involuntary scenes of seduction between the girls) to more or less authorized kisses: Ross embraces Joey (to involve it to play a gay part), Monica embraces Rachel (the kiss is only evoked, it is not shown with the screen), but only in the original version, because in the French version they are Chandler and Joey which Monica and Rachel embrace (to regain their apartment lost at the time of a bet); Rachel kisses a character played by Winona Ryder (for ressusciter the one night memory of excess), then it is let embrace by Phœbe (which wishes to make a comparison). Other scenes go in the same direction: thus, Ross and Joey discover the pleasures of the common nap, being found in an awkward situation when they are caught in the act. It is not a question to make fun of the Homosexualité or the homosexual ones, but of laughing at the embarrassment caused by situations ambiguities. In addition, David Crane, one of the two creators of Friends , is homosexual. Lastly, it should be noted that, compared to the original version, the French version tends to attenuate or to even remove these allusions.

the obesity of Monica : Become very slender, Monica was an obese teenager. Many gags, memories and flash-backs are based on this contrast. Monica abruptly changed behavior following a wounding reflection of Chandler.

Ross and the dinosaurs : Ross is old a Nerd (fanatic of sciences). Its interest impassioned for the Dinosaur S, and the Paleontology in general, remains misunderstood of his/her friends.

Gunther sighs after Rachel : Gunther is the manager of the coffee Central Perk where the Friends like to be found. Although having right only to some counterparts spread out over ten years of series, Gunther expresses an impassioned, desperate love and silencer towards Rachel, which does not realize of nothing.

obsessions of Monica : The behavior of Monica is strongly affected by a series of manias: a tendency to the arrangement, the classification and organization which touches with obsession, the obsession of cleanliness, the refusal to lose control in any situation, an intense impulse of competition, the desperate need to be made love his/her friends, and to be regarded as a perfect hostess in particular. These character traits return the cohabitation with frankly difficult Monica, because of the multiple requirements which she formulates. Phœbe, which was its joint tenant, came from there to flee its apartment, which made it possible Rachel to recover its room. Chandler often hears ironic comments on its courage to share its life with Monica. On the other hand, the Friends can use and misuse the behavior of Monica, to find table open or to call upon its talents of organizing. Agreeing victim, Monica is shown very happy to give pleasure with his/her friends. But, in rare moments of clearness, it realizes that its compulsif behavior makes flee all his/her boyfriends, which explains why it is only most of the time. Lastly, it is difficult not to see in the maniaqueries of Monica, a consequence of the behavior of his parents in his connection.

Monica and his/her parents : The Geller parents are very proud of their son Ross and his academic success and academic, at the point to openly post it like their favorite, with the detriment of Monica. Humor related to this situation comes from the unexpected character of the affronts undergone by Monica. Thus, they immediately transform its room into sports hall after its departure of the family home, his/her father uses the paperboards containing the memories of childhood of Monica like stopping against the water which threatens its car in its garage. They go even until preferring to look after their bitch, rather than to pay a dental apparatus for their daughter teenager. The relation between Monica and his/her mother is particularly difficult. This one disparages his/her daughter by small keys, and it posts the total lack of confidence that it grants to him. She frequently underlines that Monica does not have according to her any hope to find a spouse. Monica comes from there to seek a surrogate mother near the mother of Rachel, without any success. In a crueler way, the mother of Monica called to Rachel which it is like the girl that it forever have, or it affirms in Ross that in the event of death of this last, it would be found without child.

sexuality and pornography: The Friends are described for the majority like regular or occasional consumers of Pornographie:

Joey shows the principal amateur of the kind, which involves many gags (re-examined which trail, paying video cassettes, films in the hotels…). He played itself a role of appear in the pornographic version of Pinocchio (episode 1 - season 1). He shares readily this attraction with Chandler. Thus, during a whole episode, both remain planted in front of their television, fascinated by a pornographic chain on the cable.
Monica accepts more or less well leaning it of Chandler, in particular when she on several occasions tells it to have surprised cherishing itself in front of their television. It shows however kindness while going to rent films X to give pleasure with Chandler, and even a “porn-shark” following a misunderstanding.
Compared to their relation, Monica and Chandler speak about the thing which they seldom make and that they never make. One does not know what it acts, one can only imagine it.
Rachel, while excavating in the wall cupboards of Chandler, finds " accessoires" , which makes it laugh. One will not know what it acts.
Ross is shown more discrete, but several episodes suggest that it also rents pornographic cassettes.
On its side, Rachel is in a delicate position when Joey discovers in its room a pornographic Romance to which it has recourse following one long period of Sexual abstinence (2 years!). However, it is defended crânement, by asserting the Masturbation like a legitimate form of sexuality.
As for Phœbe, it makes frequent allusions to the Sado-masochisme, by generally allotting the role of dominating. It thus shows a great expertise (fantasmée or real) in the use of a pair of Menotte S found in the room of Rachel.
the pleasure found in pornographic films seems to have an effect on the sexual practical of the Friends . Thus, Monica and Chandler are made surprise by Joey, whereas they are on the point of being filmed making love. In the same way, Rachel and Ross are shown very excited with the idea to view a cassette where they involuntarily recorded their frolicking. Lastly, the Friends do not resist temptation to view a sadomasochistic film where Ursula plays, the twin sister of Phœbe (by using the first name of the latter as pseudonym).

One had already broken! ( We were one has station-wagon! ): This counterpart of Ross, resulting from episode 3-15 will be the object of a regular recovery in the episodes and following seasons.

During this episode, Rachel emits the wish to stop one moment its relation with Ross, following a bad argument encouraged by the morbid jealousy of Ross. This last takes this sentence like a rupture and does not hesitate to spend the night with another woman. Taken on the fact by Rachel following a treachery of Gunther, the waiter of the Perk Exchange, it him rétorque then the famous " We were one has station-wagon! ".
Later, whereas its couple is rebuilt slowly with Rachel, it will always camp on this position. Lastly, his/her other friends will not miss to point out this event and this counterpart to him.

divorces of Ross : The series starts on the advertisement by Ross of its divorce with Carol, which revealed its homosexuality to him after several years of marriage. Depity, it will await then the end of season 4 to marry Emily hastily, a young British whom Rachel had introduced to him. However, by pronouncing the first name of Rachel lasting the ceremony instead of that of its been engaged, it puts a fast term at this union.

One year later, Ross Marie again, with Rachel this time. Except that the union is held in a vault in Las Vegas and that the two young grooms were completely drunk both. The following day, carrying out their error, they decide by mutual agreement to cancel the marriage, thus avoiding the divorce. Unfortunately, Rachel realizes quickly that Ross is not in a hurry with the idea to make the administrative approaches necessary and overpowers it of all the tares in front of the judge charged to come to a conclusion about their request. Alas, cancellation fails and Ross must undergo a third divorce procedure.

The rather particular situation of this thirty year young person, who has already three divorces with his prize list, does not fail to feed the jokes of these accomplices, in particular Chandler and Phoebe. But Ross does not hesitate either to make fun of its own situation (it decides that if he were a super hero, he would be " To divorce Guy" ; he thinks of creating a club for divorced men…).

the childhood of Chandler : Chandler badly lived the divorce of his/her parents in particular because of the homosexuality of his/her father. This one is the high-speed motorboat of a spectacle of transvestites in Las Vegas, one meets it at the time of season 7 when Chandler invites it to its marriage. Many allusions to his/her father are made by Chandler itself throughout the series.

Songs of Phoebe : Phoebe, guitarist and singer part-time, frequently give small concerts to the Perk Exchange. The words of its songs are often odd and sometimes awkward (especially when they evoke the suicide of his/her mother or the period of SDF which she knew). In an episode, Gunther, thinking that these songs make flee the customers, requires of Rachel to intervene so that Phoebe stops singing, which will give place to an argument. However Phoebe has a small number of fans, in particular the five close friends whom we know. Its most known song is Smelly Cat (translated into French by You been able the cat ). A recording company proposes even in Phoebe to make a clip, but " of it; malheureusement" , its voice is replaced by that of another singer. One wonders why?!!!

New York

The town of New York is a little the seventh character of Friends . However, the series is turned in studio with Burbank, in California. Filmed plans of New York are inserted between the sequences and the heroes of Friends attend typically New Yorkean places: the Madison Square Garden, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum off Art (“Met”). The building where the apartments of Monica and Joey are supposed to be exists with the angle of Bedford Street and Grove Street, in Greenwich Village , with Manhattan (). With some steps from there, the coffee-shop Central Perk is supposed being located at the angle of Christopher Street and the 7 {{E}} which occurred () - actually, at this address a chive (shop of cigars) named is Village Cigars (which one sees besides in the film Manhattan of Woody Allen).

Inconsistencies

the numbers of apartment at the time of the first episodes are 4 and 5. In the other episodes, the numbers are 19 and 20.

In the first episode, the character of ex-promised in marriage of Rachel is called Barry Finkel, whereas in the following episodes it is mentioned under the name of Barry Farber.

Always in the first episode, Monica presents Chandler to Rachel: the scene gives the impression that Chandler and Rachel do not know themselves; however, at the time of many the flashbacks (in particular in the episode 10. 11, That which betrayed the pact ), it clearly appears that they had met on several occasions.

In the episode 1. 09, That which speaks with the belly about his wife , the band of friends leaves the apartment of Monica temporarily, but when they try to return there, they do not manage to open the door because they forgot to take the key of it. However, in the following episodes, it seems that it is not necessary to have a key to open the door of outside.

In season 5, after Ross avoids attending Rachel, this one speaks about certain Kip, former joint tenant of Chandler, which was left the band because hated by Monica. Joey had not become acquainted with the five friends yet at that time, however it is known that it integrated the group well before Rachel.

In the episode 8. 01, That which had just said yes , Chandler notices that Joey has small feet; this one, obviously embarassé, rétorque that " all is not petit" , in other words that the size of its sex is not proportional to that of its feet. This counterpart leaves think that Chandler hitherto never saw very naked Joey; however, in the episode 6. 04, That which lost its beautiful insurance , Chandler helped Joey with doucher, this last which cannot all alone do it because of a hernia. Moreover, always in the sixth season, Joey explained to Rachel why at the time where they were joint tenants, him and Chandler made " Thursdays all nu".

In the episode 8. 23, That which had a baby - 1st part, Janice is about to be confined of the child of her husband, Sid. But curiously, in the episode 9. 21, That which made a test of fertility , Chandler and Monica finds Janice in a private clinic, where Sid makes a test of fertility.

In the episode 10. 5, That which wrote a letter of recommendation , Monica known as to have asked Chandler in marriage. However, it appears clearly in the episode 6. 25, That which made its request '', that it is Chandler which required Monica in marriage.

In the episode 10. 12, That which played the part of the father , Phoebe Marie. One can understand that his/her Ursula sister, with whom it gets along badly, does not attend the ceremony; but his/her Frank half-brother, with whom it however has good contacts, and his children are curiously them also absent, without no justification being given.

There is also a certain confusion about the age of the characters. Thus, in the episode 1. 23, That which failed to miss the childbirth , diffused for the first time on the American screens in 1995, Joey known as to be 25 years old; but in sixteenth episode of season following ( That which saw its life ), he says to be 28 years old, which appears incredible. In the same way, in the pilot, going back to 1994, Ross known as to be 26 years old, which means that it was born in 1968 or fine 1967; but in episode 8. 04 ( That which had a video ), it evokes the year 1983 as being the year of its 13 years, which wants to say that it was born in 1970.

Guests

See also: List of the guest stars in Friends

The popularity of Friends attracted towards this Sitcom a completely unusual number of appearances of actors of foreground. Let us quote for example: Tom Selleck, Robin Williams, Bruce Willis (which accepted the role following a bet won by Matthew Perry!), Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Noah Wyle, Jean-Claude Van Ram, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Reese Witherspoon, David Arquette (Husband of Courteney Cox, Monica in the series), Christina Applegate, Isabella Rossellini, Sherilyn Fenn, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Michael Vartan, Jennifer Saunders, Michael Rapaport, Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman, Kathleen Turner (which incarnates the disguised father of Chandler), Krista Allen, Freddie Prinze Jr., Selma Blair, Danny DeVito, Charlton Heston, Denise Richards, Helen Hunt, Chris Isaac, Ben Stiller, Jeff Goldblum, Alec Baldwin, Julia Roberts, Dedee Pfeiffer (sister of Michelle Pfeiffer), Brooke Shields, etc

Various other personalities made appearances there, like the mannequins Jill Goodacre and It Macpherson, the presenters Jay Leno, Donny Osmond and Dick Clark, the billionaire Richard Branson, the creator Ralph Lauren (which is the employer of Rachel), the princess Sarah Ferguson or Trudie Styler, the wife of the singer Sting.

Debra OJ Rupp (Kitty Forman in the American series That '70s Show) made an appearance in the episode 3-18 " The One With The Hypnosis Tape" (or " That which car-hypnotisait" in VF). She plays there old the teacher of the brother of Phoebe and also her boyfriend whom it plans to marry. Phoebe will try to cancel their marriage because of their great difference in age (it is 18 years old, she 44).

Historical audiences

Friends is a series which, in term of audience, functioned always well for the NBC chain, which is one of the causes of its longevity on the waves. On average, the series gathered approximately 26 million people each week. The strongest audience was of 52.9 million televiewers (46% of market share) on January 28th, 1996 for the episode 2.12 The One After The Super Bowl (in French, That which finds its monkey ) diffused, as its original title indicates it, just after the Super Bowl. Season 2 was besides the season most followed with a phenomenal average of 31,7 million televiewers. Season 10 with an average of 27 million American then the season eight with an average of 26,7 million American follows. The Series Finale (i.e. the ultimate episode), as for him, gathered 52.5 million people (43% of market share) in front of their small screen on May 6th, 2004.

Contrary, the episode less looked of all the history of the series all the same knew to gather 15.6 million Americans (17% of PDM) in 2001 during season 7 (episode 7.21 " The One With The Vows"). Season 7 is besides the season which was followed (" seulement" 22 million televiewers) and this because of the appearance of a concurrent emission, innovating at the time: Survivor (the American Koh-Lanta ), diffused per same hour as Friends on CBS. But the series very quickly took again hair of the animal and thereafter knew only victories vis-a-vis Survivor .

Credits

The credits of the series, song rock'n'roll entitled I' L Be there for you (I will be there for you), interpreted by The Rembrandts, became a Tube. It is probably about the one of the most famous credits of televised series. This liked song of the public hardly evoke the joy of the actors which refuses to listen to it and which changes even station when she plays. The painful memory of their separation anchored in each rate/rhythm of the song. She was written especially for the series, a few hours only after to have written it the 6 Friends recorded already the credits. Friends Topic

Rewards and nominations

Derived series

A derived series ( spin-off ) proceeding with Los Angeles and having like title and hero Joey began on the American screens the September 9th 2004. Nevertheless, fault of having known to find a true success among the former spectators of Friends , the turning of this series abruptly stopped during the second season.

Lisa Kudrow has also her series which is called The Comeback , diffused on HBO, but this one has nothing to do with Friends . She plays there an actress has-been who makes film by a television team her return in new television series. But this series not meeting awaited success has just been withdrawn - temporarily for the moment - antenna.

For the anecdote, the series Of the days and lives ( lives Days off our ) in which Joey Tribbiani interprets Dr. Drake Ramoray, indeed exists, it acts of a Soap operated diffused since 1965. Besides John Aniston, the father of Jennifer, interprets one of the main characters of this series. In the VF of Friends , the original title, Days off our lives , is translated literally by the Days of our life .

In 2006, a rumor was spread in the press and on Internet, announcing that the chain NBC would have proposed to the 6 actors Friends the sum 5 million dollars each one for turning of 4 special episodes one hour, planned for 2007. The American chain contradicted information in a formal official statement at once.

In addition, the production of a second spin-off , entitled It' S.A. Guy Thing (taking again the characters of Joey, Ross and Chandler) was also contradicted by NBC in January 2006.

See too

Trivia Friends : board game

External bonds

American Official site of the series
French Official site of the series

Be-X-old: Сябры Simple: Friends

Random links:

Sextus Julius Africanus | Castle of Boissivière | Calinours with the country of the wonders | Fort Boyard (television game) | Divertissement_rituel