When it comes to modern sitcoms, there are few shows that are more iconic thanFriends.
For most viewers, its the showsbeloved charactersthat continue to bring them back toFriends.
The tightly-knit group was often more like family than pals, as the title suggests.
Image via Annamaria Ward
However,this epic neighborhood almost never happened.
The shows esteemed production designer,John Shaffner, had to think on a budget.
But a slight change to his design forever changed the show.
Image via NBC
Thus, the legendary designer had to get creative to stay on budget.
Thus, it was essential for the set to include views of the city.
However, the budget didnt allow Shaffner the funds to create backdrops to fill the aforementioned windows.
To finish the sets, he took a trip into the Warner Brothers scenic art department storage.
There, he found backdrops that wouldnt break the budget and still work…sort of.
Could the rent BE any lower?
Image via NBC
Despite having to make compromises, Shaffner and his team created a very special spin on New York forFriends.
I mean, where else would you leave your apartment door unlocked?
The two were across the hall neighbors since the pilot, all the way up until the series finale.
Ross Geller, Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing, and Phoebe Buffay are six twenty-somethings living in New York City. Over 10 years and seasons, these friends go through life lessons, family, love, drama, friendship, and comedy.
However, originally, the two apartments werent laid out that way.
In fact, they werent originally neighbors at all.
According to Shaffners interview with AD, the set was quite different.
But Bright turned the idea down.
I think we should have another working space for the performance, Bright said.
And dont you think that ultimately the boys should live across the hall.
It was a moment we went, Oh, cant do that.
That joke will be too old, Shaffner explained.
So we dropped them down a few floors and never talked about it again.
Once the design was fully realized, the shows dynamic changed forever.
Many of these storylines would have been impossible without the set-up.
It is the final design that truly gaveFriendsa homey, close-knit feeling.
Perhaps the best example can be found in the series annualThanksgiving shows.
Friendsremains one of the most special shows in the history of television.
Friendsis available to stream on Max in the U.S.
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