Even if you know every scene, conversation, and bloopers by heart, these little details about “Friends” may have slipped unnoticed.
The “Friends” fever soared through the world in the mid-nineties, prevailing into the early 2000s. Yet, viewers remained keen on keeping up with the show and its casts, several years after it went off-air.
Many fans can attest to binge-watching the NBC sitcom over and over again, to the point of knowing every word by heart and catching every blooper. Who could blame them, with ten seasons of spot-on romance and comedy?
Interestingly, no matter how many times one re-watches the NBC sitcom, there are some subtle details that could only be spotted when looking out for them specifically. As fans anticipate a possible “Friends” reunion in 2021, here are the fifteen most glaring overlooked details.
1. THE APARTMENT RENUMBERING
While the gang of six lived in the same apartment throughout the movie, the brief change in the number in front of their doors went uncredited. In the first season, the numbers of the male and female apartments were “5” and “4” respectively, which was questionable considering the ladies lived on a higher floor.
Luckily, the producers noticed this glitch on time and did some reshuffling, moving Chandler and Joey to apartment 19, and the girls to apartment 20.
2. THE ESTELLE ROLEPLAYER PLAYED A NURSE IN AN EARLIER EPISODE
Everyone who has seen “Friends” remembers Estelle as one of the casts, especially her role in Joey’s career. However, before she became a recurring character, the actress made a cameo appearance as a nurse in the season 1 episode titled, “The One With The Birth.”
3. RACHEL’S PASSPORT OR MONICA’S?
Rachel’s planned migration to Paris in the final season to start a new life saw a lot of obstacles, including a missing passport at the airport. When she eventually found the passport and checked in at the airport, the photograph on it looked more like Monica than Rachel. But since the airport security never pointed it out, the show creators definitely didn’t expect anyone to notice.
4. A FEMALE MONKEY PLAYED MARCEL
Two different monkeys played the role of the mischievous primate, Marcel. One was a male, named “Monkey” in real life, while the other was female, going by the name Katie. However, their resemblance made it possible to use them interchangeably, to represent the same character.
5. A PIECE OF “AIR FORCE ONE”
In an episode from season 6 titled “The One Where Paul’s The Man,” Joey approaches a dry-cleaner to hang his picture among other celebrities. However, the Russian clerk declined, expressing his dislike for Joey for staring in an anti-Russian movie.
Joey then pointed out a picture of Harrison Ford, from “Air Force One,” another anti-Russian movie. However, the clerk denied having seen the blockbuster, which could have been true. But the irony of the scene remained that the actor who played the clerk also appeared as Ilia Volok on “Air Force One.”
6. POTATO ON DISPLAY
Central Perk was famous for its supply of rich coffee. But it also served delicious cake treats, often displayed on the cake stand. Interestingly, in one episode, it appeared the coffee shop ran out of cake, as they put a large potato on the cake stand.
7. BEHIND MONICA’S CLOSET DOOR
The door to Monica’s closet seemed to hold some mystery, as evident in the episode, “The One With The Jam.” One scene from the episode showed movement behind the mysterious door, as if someone was walking past. Curious.
8. THE ONE WHO SPELLED “GREENE”
The heartbreaking moment when Rachel Green received an invitation to Ross and Emily’s wedding had another “Friends” surprise you might have missed. A closer look would reveal the misspelling of Rachel’s last name, with an extra “e” added at the end.
9. THE MAGICAL WEDDING GIFT
Remember the big box Monica received as part of her wedding presents? That must have been the most mysterious present ever, as in just one scene, the box appeared wrapped several times, even after Monica unwrapped it.
10. THE MUNCHY COFFEE
One hilarious moment you definitely overlooked happened in Central Perk. The scene showed a customer in the background seeping a cup of coffee, which was the natural thing to do in a coffee shop. However, right after sipping from the mug, the woman began chewing, making one wonder the brand of coffee served in the iconic coffee shop.
11. ROSS’S BACHELOR’S EVE JUST GOT STEAMIER
Chandler and the guys switched things up a notch higher at Ross’s bachelor’s party with their choices of decorative pieces. Particularly, it appeared the transparent balloons in the background were blown-up condoms. Way to ruin one’s childhood!
12. THE ONE WITH THE HOME
If you found Monica and Chandler’s new home in the suburbs familiar, you’ve probably spotted it before in another fan-favorite movie. Notably, the house the couple moved into was the same house used in the 1990 comedy classic, “Home Alone,” by John Hughes.
13. PHOEBE’S HALF-BROTHER PLAYED A DOUBLE ROLE
Although Phoebe never knew about the existence of her little half-brother until the second season of “Friends,” they had a brief run-in in an earlier episode. Giovanni Ribisi, the Frank Buffay role-player was the same guy who mistakenly dropped a condom in Phoebe’s guitar case in Season 2, Episode 6. Apparently, his outstanding performance took him from a mere extra to a supporting actor.
14. 5369 SPELLS JOEY
Joey was not exactly the smartest person on the block. In fact, he could hardly memorize his most-used four numbersꟷ his ATM pin. Perhaps, that’s why the digits, 5369, had to tally with the spelling of his first name, “Joey” on his phone’s keypad. Funny how he still couldn’t recall it.
15. THE HILARIOUS MESSAGES ON THE MAGNA DOODLE
The Magna Doodle on the wall of Chandler and Joey’s apartment doubled as a message board. Throughout the series, various hilarious messages and reminders appeared on the doodle, including grocery lists, subtle apologies, comic drawings, and even to-do lists.
Having exhausted this list of surprising details, how well do you rate your “Friends” knowledge?
