MEWS

FRIENDS became a television phenomenon after premiering in 1994. Even though the entire cast has worked in TV and movies before, this show worked as a catalyst. It made them megastars immediately. It helped them to branch out into movies which they usually shoot during the show’s summer break.

However, some of the cast members found some success, and others didn’t. Only Jennifer Aniston found success in movies till the FRIENDS ended, while others either stepped away from the spotlight or tried television again. So, here is the list of movies that the cast of FREINDS did in between 10 seasons:

David Schwimmer – Band Of Brothers (2001)

After trying in rom-com career in the 90s, David Schwimmer starred in the landmark miniseries, “Band of Brothers” in 2001 produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. This mini-series revolved around the infantry regiment, as they navigate through training and then combat during World War II. David appeared in three episodes as Captain Sobel, but it was singled out for being miscast. Later, David focused on directing films and theatre.

Matt LeBlanc – Lost In Space (1998)

Matt LeBlanc didn’t face too much success in the side projects during FRIENDS. However, he was quite good in the role in “Lost In Space”, which was alongside Gary Oldman and William Hurt. In this, he was an action star that was very different from the character Joey. “Lost in Space” dethroned Titanic’s number after three months at the box office.

Jennifer Aniston – Picture Perfect (1997)

Just like in FRIENDS, Jennifer’s first movie, “Picture Perfect” was a rom-com movie. This movie did modest success in the box office and got mixed reviews. Jay Mohr, the actor in the movie said that it was a terrible experience because Jennifer disagreed with his casting.

Matthew Perry – The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Matthew Perry didn’t receive too much success in movies, but “The Whole Nine Yards” was one of his movies that received modest box-office success. This movie was a black comedy where Chandler was a dentist who came to know that his neighbor (Bruce Willis) is a hitman. They also attempted to make a sequel “The Whole Ten Yards”, but it flopped.

Lisa Kudrow – The Opposite Of Sex (1998)

Lisa Kudrow went all into an Indie movie with “The Opposite Of Sex”. In the movie, Lisa is the sister of 16-year-old Christina Ricci who is pregnant and seduces her gay half-brother’s boyfriend. After that, they run away and Lisa must track them down. This movie was critically received huge success. Lisa got nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, she won Best Supporting Actress.

Jennifer Aniston – Bruce Almighty (2003)

Jennifer finally did a blockbuster movie, “Bruce Almighty” after many modest box-office successes and independent movies. Jennifer plays the girlfriend of a frustrated reporter, Bruce, who briefly gets to see what it’s like to be God. This movie was a humongous box-office success, making it Jennifer’s highest-grossing film to date.

Jennifer Aniston – Office Space (1999)

Jennifer went more indie in 1999 and starred in the cult classic “Office Space”. This movie was about office workers which was a satirical black comedy. Jennifer played a restaurant waitress in the movie who shares the lead’s hatred of work-life, resulting to begin a relationship. This movie failed commercially but became a cult classic.

Lisa Kudrow – Romy And Michelle’s High School Reunion (1997)

“Romy And Michelle’s High School Reunion” is a cult classic movie that starred Lisa Kudrow. This movie revolves around two blondes who try to look cool at their high school reunion to impress their classmates. This movie achieved success critically making Lisa Kudrow in headlines.

Jennifer Aniston – The Good Girl (2002)

After starring in low-budget movies, Jennifer went with Sundance hit “The Good Girl”. Jennifer plays a depressed cashier but an affair with the new troubled new co-worker adds excitement to her life. This was a critically acclaimed movie for which Jennifer was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Courteney Cox – Scream (1996)

Cox didn’t make many movies during FRIENDS but she gave the biggest hit of them all. She was starred in the horror movie “Scream” followed by sequels, directed by the horror legend, Wes Craven. It was one of the most acclaimed horror franchises critically and commercially.

Author Kelsey Miller has written an absolute gift for you if you’re a FRIENDS fan. Her new book, “I’ll Be There For You” is all about FRIENDS. This book is thoroughly researched, reported, and written in an educational and fun way. It is an absolute treat for anyone who loved the show when it was on the air from 1994 to 2004 or caught up when it hit Netflix just a few years back.

However, this book is not just fun. It talks about the issues that the show did and did not cover. How the group stayed actual friends after the show went off the air. Little tidbits about characters that almost or did happen. How the show and its cast influenced viewers and what viewers can learn from watching the series today.

From how it dealt with “fat Monica” to Chandler’s transgender father, it covers it all. The show was much more than just “We were on a break!” But yes, that was there too. Rest assured, it will just open your eyes to TV’s past. You’ll still love the show after checking out her book while influencing the future for the better.

Here is the list of five ways FRIENDS changed TV and the world. Let’s check it out:

After 9/11, FRIENDS Helped To Change How The World Viewed America

In an interview with Good Morning America (GMA), Miller tells that there actually has been some research on that. She said, “Friends’ was having a stronger impact on positive attitudes toward views on America. Yeah, this is a show we can all kind of watch in our heads without thinking about it.” She further added, “But there really is a lot we can learn from it and it also stands as this huge historical marker from that era.”

There was no doubt that the gang was really influencing the world and shedding a fun, silly light on this country, while Miller dedicates a full chapter on what happened to Television after 9/11. She added that after that national tragedy “everything kind of stopped and had to recalibrate.”

Miller said, “Friends’ was in a really unique position and they handled it uniquely. Before the attacks happened, the show was probably going to wrap up after the next season. The audience was drifting away and it seemed like it was time to go, but afterward, viewers came flooding back to it.”

According to Miller, the audiences were glued to the news and also glued to FRIENDS because after all, it was New York, familiar, unchanged, and really good comedy. The show organically added tributes like American flags in the background and New York Fire Department (FDNY) shirts as well. However, it did not attack the storyline and just let it represent the pride of New York and its heroes at that time.

The One Where Two Women Got Married

Miller also added a chapter in her book that focuses on the union between Ross’s ex Carol and Susan. In 1996, the marriage took place which was definitely ahead of its time. However, looking back, it also feels very conservative the way it was handled.

The wedding scene actually only lasted about 60 seconds and the duo wasn’t allowed to kiss after getting married. And also, since Ross’s ex married a woman, there were tons of gay jokes. Miller said, “When I was first writing about the revival of the show in 2014, 2015, everybody was talking about the homophobia.”

She continued subtly, “The one with the lesbian wedding was definitely a ground-breaking episode. Newt Gingrich’s sibling actually plays the officiant, which is kind of crazy if you think about Newt Gingrich in the 1990s on this topic.”

Let’s Talk About Chandler’s Family And “Fat Monica”

Well, every FRIENDS fans know that Chandler’s father left his mother for the pool boy. And, later he decided that she was a trans woman. However, it was played by Kathleen Turner and not a female trans woman. When she would appear in the series, there were some trans zingers thrown on her, just like gay jokes.

And then there was “fat Monica”. It was Ross’s sister’s old nickname, and it is very easy to guess why because she was overweight in her younger years. Miller said that she spoke to fans and producers regarding this polarizing issue.

She said, “A lot of people were obviously offended by her and a lot loved her. It’s not cut and dry, and it’s the same with Chandler’s dad.” She continued, “One woman I spoke to, a trans woman, who wasn’t out yet while still in college, was saying, ‘There was literally nothing else for me to watch.'”

Chandler’s family may have seemed offensive to some in the past, but many realized the fact that this representation of the trans community was needed and deserved. She said, “She told me, ‘Yeah looking back, it’s horrible how they treat her and the fact she’s such a joke,’ but at that time, the only places you saw trans characters was on ‘Law & Order’ and they would be a murder victim.”

One For All And All For One

In TV history, the cast of FRIENDS is notorious as the one that made sure they all got equal pay that is $1 million per episode. You can see the influence of unity in shows like “The Big Bang Theory” and more. There also casts did the same thing and made sure the whole on-screen family is taken care of.

Miller said, “FRIENDS also really created an archetype for this gang-type situational comedy. Not that it hadn’t been around before, but shows like “New Girl” and “Big Bang” definitely take their cues from FRIENDS.”

After that many really good shows centered on friendship. She said, “A lot of people talk about ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ … Even in shows like ‘Girls,’ the whole concept really does mirror ‘Friends’ in a 21st century way. It’s just about a group of girls going through the same period of their life that the characters on FRIENDS were.”

Did FRIENDS Influence The Marvel Cinematic Universe?

We all know this a huge stretch but let’s take a look into it.

Did you know that Ursula, Phoebe’s sister pre-dates the show? She was featured for a full year on “Mad About You” before the show launched. But to make Lisa Kudrow part of the cast, the network decided to share her for FRIENDS. Miller admits, “It makes it seem like TV was such a quaint, tiny town back in the day. For a while, there were times she’d be on both shows on the same night.”

There was also a famous blackout night, where all the shows in New York dealt with a blackout. She said, “It was NBC [that] realized our entire Thursday night takes place in the same universe, why don’t we do this? They did a lot of fun crossovers, like the episode where the “ER” doctors just sort of fly in and they are fixing Rachel’s sprained ankle. I love it, think they did a really great job.”

So, long before Iron Man and Captain America were making cameos in Marvel films, the cast of FRIENDS was doing some similar things.