To people of a certain age, endlessly repeated 90s sitcom Friends is so much more than just a TV show. It's a way of life; it's the default setting when there's nothing on the box - die-hard fans can pretty much communicate with one another effectively by using nothing but references to its many quotable lines.
What we're trying to say is: Could there be a more cult-like fan base?
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It's impossible to imagine the group with anyone missing, but it turns out two of them were originally supposed to just be supporting characters - Chandler and Phoebe almost failed to make the main cast.
Credit: NBC
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In the early stages of the show, Friends was supposed to focus on Ross, Joey, Monica and Rachel, with Chandler and Phoebe just popping up from time to time.
Knowing what we know now, it's safe to say that reversing that decision was for the best, given the popularity of the two characters among fans.
A poll at Comedy Central's Friendsfest in 2016, which was attended by 60,000 people, revealed that Chandler was the second favourite character out of the six, while Phoebe came in fourth.
Perhaps surprisingly, Ross took first place, while Joey came in third, Rachel was fifth and Monica, sister of the favourite character, was voted least popular.
The results didn't go down well with the rest of the British public and many fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration.
Got a taste for little-known Friends trivia now? Well, did you know that everyone's favourite moist maker-loving palaeontologist didn't even have to audition for the show?
If you thought David Schwimmer had to go through the conventional channels to get a place on the hit show, you could not be more wrong. ("You could try, but you would not be successful...")
In 2012, Friends' writer and producer, Marta Kauffman said: "Schwimmer had auditioned the year before for a pilot we were making, and he just stuck in our heads. That was an offer. No audition."
Credit: NBC
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What's more, Rachel almost didn't feature in the show's final series.
Apparently, Jennifer Aniston wanted to leave the show while Rachel was on a high and people were still laughing, adding that she wasn't sure how much life the character had left.
Thankfully, the producers managed to twist her arm and we got the happy ending we were all hoping for.
Featured Image Credit: NBCTopics: TV and Film, matthew perry, UK Entertainment, US Entertainment, Friends
