Friends

You, Me, and TV

In this episode we break down the pilot episode of Friends, which was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and premiered on September 22, 1994. Friends is streaming on Netflix, and the pilot episode has three different titles, depending on where you look: “The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate,” “The One Where It All Began,” and “The First One.”

As always, we take a look at the Netflix description: “Love, laughter and the best friends you could ask for. Just like real life. But with really nice apartments.” And, boy, are those apartments nice.

We discuss some elements of the show’s original pitch including alternate show titles: “Insomnia Cafe,” “Friends Like Us,” and “Six of One.”

In addition to our detailed breakdown of the episode, we conclude the podcast with our casting choices for a reboot of Friends:

Mike’s Friends Reboot:
Ross - Colin Farrell
Chandler - Vince Vaughn
Joey - Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson / John Cena
Monica - Natalie Portman
Rachel - Jennifer Lawrence
Phoebe - Emma Stone

Gia’s Friends Reboot:
Ross - LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta)
Chandler - Mena Massoud (Aladdin)
Joey - Jimmy Tatro (American Vandal)
Monica - Kiersey Clemons (Easy)
Rachel - Sarah Hyland (Modern Family)
Phoebe - Danielle Macdonald (Dumplin’)

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