TV & Movies
The Friends Cast Was “Very Much Against” A Romantic Storyline
“It felt very incestuous to them.”
Three decades after its 1994 debut, Friends remains one of the most beloved, and most-streamed, TV shows of all time. However, some of the sitcom’s plotlines didn’t sit well with many — including the cast themselves.
Friends show writer Adam Chase recently discussed the sitcom’s 30-year-anniversary with The Guardian. During the interview, he recalled one particularly divisive storyline: the romance between Joey Tribbiani and Rachel Green in Season 10.
While brief, Chase revealed that cast members Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and the late Matthew Perry were “very much against” the storyline. “It felt very incestuous to them,” he added.
As fans may recall, Rachel (Aniston) and Joey (LeBlanc) began dating in the show’s 10th and final season after sharing a passionate kiss in the Season 9 finale, titled “The One in Barbados.” However, the couple called it quits early on in their relationship, realizing they were better off as friends.
The cast’s disapproval was previously disclosed in culture writer Kelsey Miller’s 2018 book I’ll Be There for You: The One About Friends.
“When [creators Marta] Kauffman and [David] Crane first approached the cast in Season 8 with the idea of Joey falling in love with Rachel, everyone balked,” Miller wrote. “LeBlanc said it felt incestuous.”
Friends’ executive producer and director Kevin S. Bright also discussed the cast’s reaction to the Joey and Rachel plot, telling Digital Spy in 2018 that LeBlanc “did not want to do that story.”
Bright added, “He was very firmly against it, saying that he’s Ross’s friend, and that the type of friend that Joey is would never go and take someone else’s girlfriend.”
A Fan-Endorsed Romance
While the coupling of Rachel and Joey was met with resistance, the romance, and eventual marriage, of Monica Geller (Cox) and Chandler Bing (Perry) was received a lot differently.
Speaking to The Guardian, Friends EP Andrew Reich recalled the moment Monica and Chandler’s romance was revealed, which was filmed in front of a live studio audience in London.
“It shook us,” Reich said of the live audience’s reaction to the storyline, which was so overwhelmingly positive that they decided to make it long-term. “We all just kind of looked at each other like, ‘Wow, this is much bigger than we thought.’”
