Losing Friends
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5 9 5 9 C M Y K 5 C M Y K 5 Television They won’t be there for you—not much longer, anyway. Behind the scenes as ‘Friends’ begins its final season, and great sitcoms become an endangered species. BY MARC PEYSER ou’d think it was a simple enough scene. Chandler, Joey and Rachel are in their apart- ment—that is, the apartment Joey and Chandler shared before Chandler moved in with Monica Yand Rachel had the baby and moved in Losing with Joey—and the guys are fighting. Joey wants Chandler to help him get a part in a commercial that Chandler’s advertising firm is shooting. Only Chandler doesn’t think that Joey is right for the role, so he lies about recommending Joey to his boss- es. When Joey finds out, he runs to his bed- room, returns with a tape of his last com- mercial and insists that Chandler and ‘Friends’ Rachel watch, even though: (a) it was for “male lipstick” that happened to be blue and (b) it was shot in Japanese. And—action! Except no one gets through much of the ac- tion. Matt LeBlanc, a.k.a. Joey, for those of you who’ve missed the first 223 episodes of “Friends,” can’t get the tape to stay in the VCR. “Piece of s––t,” LeBlanc yells. The audience giggles. Take two. LeBlanc comes out of his room, approaches the VCR—and the tape spits LAUGH IN The set is typically closed to outside photographers, but two weeks ago David Hume Kennerly was allowed in to capture GETTY IMAGES the gang in some of the last of the ‘must-see TV’ moments PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID HUME KENNERLY FOR NEWSWEEK OCTOBER 6, 2003 NEWSWEEK 47 Folio Mag Pg Vol MO SAT 12:10 PM ALL CHANGES ARE IN GREEN BOXES Folio Mag Pg Vol MO 046 D DQ N 0 CL 047 D DR N 0 5 9 5 9 C M Y K 5 C M Y K 5 Television “CSI,” takes the night after “Friends” re- relationships, the parents, the weddings, the Manhattan,” says executive producer Kevin tires, the whole must-see-TV idea sounds baby—we’ve followed their lives as if the Bright. “The network would say, ‘Can’t you People won’t come up to Brad as easily as they’ll come up pretty silly. But the future doesn’t look great gang really did hang out at the corner coffee create an older character—a cop on the beat for the sitcom anywhere. This is also the shop. “They were brilliant at crafting stories or the guy who owns the coffee shop—who —JENNIFER ANISTON to me. I’m in their living room every week. last year of HBO’s “Sex and the City.” that had you absolutely clutching your heart gives the friends advice?’ That’s not what this “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Frasier” and going, ‘Oh, my God, that’s the most show was about.” Other people just missed might call it quits next spring, too. Unless vulnerable moment I’ve ever seen,’ and then out. Craig Bierko (“Sex and the City”) was something hilarious hits the air soon—and you were falling on the floor laughing,” says originally cast as Chandler, but he turned back at him again. Bigger giggles. Bigger hear that “I’ll Be There for You” theme been out of the top 10—and it’s only gotten given the new crop of shows, what’s the Warren Littlefield, who ran NBC’s enter- it down—talk about an expensive career expletives. “Nice language,” Matthew Perry played about a billion times? Not many TV bigger. The Emmy. The spinoff. The chance of that?—think about where that tainment division when “Friends” debuted. choice. Aniston almost didn’t get to do the (Chandler) yells back, making the audi- characters have entered our living rooms movies (OK, maybe not the movies). No could leave us. The Emmy nominees for best “It’s a soap opera that’s also funny.” show at all. The producers wanted to hire ence, and LeBlanc, howl. The next time, and our hearts like “Friends.” Ross and wonder NBC is charging Super Bowl-size comedy are “Will & Grace,” “Curb Your En- This being Hollywood, there were plenty her, but she was committed to another sitcom LeBlanc aces the VCR and his line, but by Rachel. Chandler and Monica. Phoebe and ad rates, about $2 million per 30-second thusiasm” and—“Yes, Dear.” of geniuses who didn’t get it. “You have to re- called “Muddling Through.” “I even went to now Perry can’t resist the four-letter fun. “Smelly Cat.” The sitcom was a hit the spot, for the May finale. Hard to believe At least we’ve still got another season of member, there was no show at this point the producer and said, ‘Please let me out “You f–––ing ass,” he ad-libs, and LeBlanc minute it debuted nine years ago—it’s never that, a decade after Rachel stumbled into “Friends” to help us forget our troubles. The that focused on 20-year-olds living single in of this. Let me do “Friends” ’,” Aniston says. loses it again. Take four. LeBlanc appears, the Central Perk coffeehouse after running sitcom probably won’t go down as one of the “The guy looked at me and said, ‘ “Muddling but before he can touch the VCR, the audi- LITTLE-KNOWN FACT No. 1 away from her own wedding, we’re still dy- greatest of all time—it’s not in quite the same LITTLE-KNOWN FACT No. 2 Through” is going to make you a star. That ence is roaring so loudly, you’d swear some- ing to know who she ends up with—Ross or league as “All in the Family,” “The Mary “Friends” show, I saw it. It’s not very good’.” one accidentally hit the laugh-track but- The producers hadn’t planned on Joey? Will Chandler and Monica have a Tyler Moore Show” or “I Love Lucy”—but it’s Phoebe hasn’t been romanti- Can you imagine anyone else playing ton. To screw up LeBlanc again, Perry and Chandler and Monica’s marrying baby? Read on and we’ll spill some secrets, one of the most consistently funny shows cally involved with any of the Rachel? Actually, Cox originally auditioned Jennifer Aniston (Rachel) have run away or even having a relationship. though you already know the essence: ever. “Even while we were shooting the pilot, other friends, but she might to play her, but she knew that wouldn’t and hidden in the kitchen. LeBlanc stops They were only going breaking up will be hard to do. “I can’t even I was like, ‘This is really good. I think I’ll buy have been. “Lisa and I had a work. (“I would have made her neurotic and looks around the empty room. to have a one-night think about it. I get anxiety,” says Aniston. myself a present,’ and I bought a Porsche,” pitch that Joey and and annoying,” she says.) When you meet “Good,” he says, trying to stifle a stand. “But people “It’s like a divorce nobody wants.” says Courteney Cox. “Friends” certainly de- Phoebe have been the actors, you can’t help but smile. “They’re f–––ing gone.” rooted for them,” As Chandler might say, could this be any serves more credit than it gets from the having casual sex see their characters peeking out They’re not, but they will says exec producer sadder? Well, yes. The folks at NBC are wags who dismiss it as “Seinfeld” lite. Unlike all along,” says from behind them. LeBlanc, like be all too soon. When “Friends” Kauffman. “They more than a little queasy about losing their with “Seinfeld” and most other comedies, we LeBlanc. “Nobody Joey, is so sweet and earnest, he goes off the air next spring, the ma- worked together.” No. 1 show and the linchpin of their Thurs- grew to care about the “Friends” characters wanted to go for that.” even liked working with Marcel the nia will be—oh, God, can’t you already day lineup. If CBS, home of “Survivor” and beyond their ability to make us laugh. The monkey. “The monkey was killer!” he 48 NEWSWEEK OCTOBER 6, 2003 PERRY BY WARNER BROS., CUP BY DAMIEN DONCK FOR NEWSWEEK KUDROW BY WARNER BROS., CUP BY DAMIEN DONCK FOR NEWSWEEK OCTOBER 6, 2003 NEWSWEEK 49 Folio Mag Pg Vol MO SAT 12:10 PM ALL CHANGES ARE IN GREEN BOXES SAT 12:10 PM ALL CHANGES Folio Mag Pg Vol MO 048 D DS N 0 CL ARE IN GREEN BOXES CL 049 D DT N 0 5 9 5 9 C M Y K 5 C M Y K 5 Television says. “Have you ever been around one, up LITTLE-KNOWN FACT No. 4 close? They are so much like people, it’s kind At the Center of the Sitcom Universe of trippy.” Lisa Kudrow isn’t dense like Phoebe—she went to Vassar—but she can be When the show was first spacey. “When we started, people would ask ‘Friends’ was cloned but never dethroned. Now, with a tele vision audience bored by written, the central me, ‘Who’s in your show?’ ” she says. “And generic comedies, the networks will try once again to strike gold. Cue laugh track. relationship wasn’t going I’d say, ‘There’s a couple of guys named to be Ross and Rachel.