The hilarious TV comedy series Friends showed its grand finale in 2004 but we still can't stop talking about it. That program has solidified its place in the history of popular culture as it essentially mapped out the young adults at that time for a whole generation. You can watch the episodes of this show repeatedly and still find them entertaining. Nuggets of things not noticed before await your attention. Interestingly, many die-hard fans of Friends might have no idea why a certain star from the movie Die Hard, acted in the comedy and made no earnings from it. Well, you'll know why. Let's see what other Easter eggs await you!
The Cast Suddenly All Became Related
In 1999, the producers of the beloved sitcom Friends applied their comedic bone to another task on the show, announcing the marriage of a cast member, Courteney Cox to actor David Arquette, and honoring the couple. Courteney and David's wedding was held between the fifth and sixth season of Friends, and Cox had attached Arquette's last name to hers. So for the first show of the new season, The One After Vegas, every other star had Arquette attached to their surname in the opening credits as well. So funny! Unfortunately, the marriage would break apart after 6 years.
When Your Long Buried Family Name Resurfaces
In the episode of Friends titled, The One With Chandler And Monica’s Wedding: Part 2, Jennifer Aniston's character, Rachel, was searching for a minister to marry Monica and Chandler at the last minute. Rachel could only locate a priest at the Anastassakis family's wedding, who performed Greek Orthodox ceremonies. So to get him to do it, Rachel would hide the truth and tell him Monica and Chandler were Greek Orthodox. The use of the name Anastassakis was in acknowledgment of it being Aniston's ancestral name. Her grandfather changed the family's surname after they migrated to the US. Some of Aniston's most commercially acclaimed acting was in the 2018 movie, Dumplin'.
Producers Just Want To Be Stars Too
On their table in Central Perk on later episodes of Friends, you'd see a 'reserved' sign. But in season three before the sign, in the episode The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy, the group would walk into their favorite hangout spot to find their couch already occupied by other people! They were Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the creators and executive producers of Friends! In fact, over the ten-year run of the show, they appeared on camera in cameo roles, like in season two, they were on The One After the Super Bowl Part 2. David Crane is also the executive producer and creator of the TV series Episodes that ended in 2017.
How Did They Do That?
Even millennials know it can be difficult to keep getting the spot you really love at the coffee shop. Yet the gang on Friends always managed to get their orange couch at Central Perk. That was because of the 'reserved' sign on the table - the five friends being regular patrons. We guess that 'Gunther' figured that since they'd spend about half of their time at the coffee shop, it would be worth it. Meanwhile, Chandler aka Matthew Perry, who is one of the actors shown here, had abdominal surgery sometime in June 2018 to fix a gastrointestinal perforation. We hope he has since recovered completely.
Now You See It, Now You Don't
Here's a good one we're sure you most likely did not notice. It's the apartment number switcheroo. Friends started in the first season with a number 5 on Monica’s apartment door, and number 4 was Chandler and Joey's apartment number. However, following that season, there were comments that for an apartment that was supposed to be upstairs, its numbers were too low. So for season two, the apartment number was changed to 20 and 19, respectively, once they saw the slip. Matt LeBlanc, who was the host of Top Gear, a show on BBC about cars, said he would no longer continue doing the show in 2019 to be with his family.
Just Call Him This Number Instead
Friends fans will remember the episode, The One In Vegas: Part 1, in which Joey Tribbiani, played by Matt LeBlanc, ran into a problem and had to place a phone call to Lisa Kudrow's character Phoebe Buffay, for help. Joey couldn't recall what his credit card PIN was. She reminded him that 5639 was the correct PIN. For people who belong to the generation called T9, who pressed letters on the phone to get numbers, you'll pick up that 'Joey' has the number 5639. Kudrow has acted in several movies after Friends. She was on Long Shot in 2019 as Katherine.
The Latest Things Being Shaken & Stirred Are On There On The Board
The majority of people who'd watched Friends would look out for what was written on the Magna Doodle in the apartment that Joey and Chandler shared. But maybe, it didn't dawn on them to take a good look at the chalkboard on the inside of Central Perk. But what would be written on it wasn't any less fantastic. If you watch episodes of the show now and stop the frames, frequently, you'll see various details in the background like recipes for drinks, and even sketches of King Kong. Maybe they were all part of the movie props! David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller, was seen on several 2018 episodes of Will & Grace.
When Your Real Father Brings The Excitement
Only uber-fans would know what the parents of every actor in the comedy Friends looked like. Chances were, you didn't realize it when actor John Perry, Matthew Perry's real-life father, appeared in the show. John did a cameo for five minutes as Mr. Burgin, the father of Rachel's beau, Joshua. That's right - it was in the episode, The One With Rachel’s New Dress. John walks in on Rachael and Joshua just as she's putting on a more vogue outfit. As for John's son, Matthew Perry, in 2017, he played Mike Kresteva on The Good Flight.
This Is One Animal You Won't Need To Muzzle
Joey and Chandler loved to collect odd items for their apartment, the contents of which were an eclectic mix of things. One that they added to their possessions was a large and white figurine of a dog. In actuality, Jennifer Aniston was the figurine's personal owner. It was a gift from a friend who presented it to her when she was starting out as an actress as a form of good luck. When the comedy show became immensely popular, she gave it to them. Aniston used to be married to director and actor Justin Theroux, but in 2017, they separated, and eventually got a divorce.
Aping Around About An Ape
Ross, played by David Schwimmer, found himself looking for Marcel, his monkey pet in the episode, The One After The Superbowl: Part 2. If you were paying close attention while watching, you'd have noticed that in the middle of the search process, Joey, Ross, and Chandler triple up for a date at Marcel's, a classy restaurant. Perhaps without them being aware of it, the monkey was the chef in the kitchen preparing their meals? Anyway, David Schwimmer is set to appear in a drama film called The Laundromat, where Meryl Streep will play the lead character.
Serving Up Some Honor
After the events of 9/11, without breaking the imaginary wall that keeps actors from the audience, the Friends writers wanted to let it be known that they stood in support of New York City as their show was based there. So in a discreet manner, they honored the women and men whose lives were lost trying to save others by letting the Magna Doodle say 'FDNY,' and on the chalkboard, drawing a few members of the cast sporting the shirts that the FDNY wore. In 2018, the Friends cast member, Jennifer Aniston, was among the Hollywood actresses who got the highest paychecks.
The False Hint
Remember when Rachel was pregnant and Ross was the dad but they weren't together anymore? The two of them were going for maternity appointments but they decided they were going to let the kid's gender to be a surprise. However, they tried to pick names which caused arguments. The episode was The One When Joey Tells Rachel, and throughout the whole show, Ross was clad in a blue sweater, as some sort of a hint that they were having a boy. Well, as it would turn out, of course, Rachel and Ross would have a girl, Emma. In this photo, we see one of many brother-sister moments between Monica and Ross. Courteney Cox's latest movie was 2016's Mothers and Daughters.
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
This is another Ross Geller moment. Ross had sent this wedding invitation to Rachel via mail but she returned it to him. It made you wonder just how deep his affection was for her because surely he'd know how her name was spelled if he loved her a lot. On the envelope, the 'e' at the end of her surname, should not have been there. But with this envelope, avid Friends fans totally loved it because it was the one time the full address for Rachel and Monica was shown. Jennifer Aniston's fortune was quoted by Forbes in 2017 as being $200M, growing from $110M in 2007.
Be Careful What You Bet, It Might Come True
You might have caught Bruce Willis in the movie Reprisal in 2018, but did you catch him in Friends? Actor Bruce Willis once acted in the comedy for free, playing Paul Stevens, Rachel's beau. His being on the show was the result of losing a bet made with Matthew Perry that the movie they'd done together, The Whole Nine Yards would premier in the box office in the number one spot. Since he lost the bet, Willis not only had to be on Friends without pay, but a charity would be the recipient of his professional fee!
The Commercial Buried In The Pet Cemetery
Joey was always after that right part as an actor. One job he did as a model in The One Where The Underdog Gets Away episode had one of his pictures being used in an ad about an infectious disease transmitted through physical contact, giving him shock and embarrassment. If you look at the background of a variety of shots throughout the season, you'll see it there numerous times. Matt LeBlanc has had us laughing since 2016 on the TV situation comedy, Man with a Plan where he portrays Adam Burns.