'Friends' creators recall defending a Monica Geller plot point in pilot after NBC executive's objection
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Friends' co-creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, disclosed that they had to fight for Monica Geller's storyline in the opening episode, which showed her sleeping with someone on a first date.
The duo attempted to confront an NBC executive who had gone to considerable measures to try and disgrace Courteney Cox's character for sleeping with a co-worker on their first date before the pilot episode aired.
'Friends' co-creators recall defending Monica Geller for sleeping with co-worker on first date
Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the creators of the popular sitcom from the 1990s, disclosed about having to defend Courteney Cox's character against an NBC official in a retrospective interview with the British publication The Times.
In 'The Pilot', chef Monica got intimate with a co-worker nicknamed "Paul the wine guy" (John Allen Nelson) during their first date after he confesses that he hasn't had sex in two years.
Monica discovers that Paul made up the scenario to entice her into bed when she discussed the date with another co-worker.
Crane recounted to The Times, "The guy who was in charge [an NBC executive] said, 'We’re not going to like Monica because [in the pilot] she sleeps with a guy on the first date.' We made the argument that it makes her sympathetic."
He recollected that in an attempt to get public support, the network even looped in viewers.
"The network, in trying to prove that the audience wouldn’t like Monica if she sleeps with a guy on the first date, distributed a little questionnaire to the audience at our dress rehearsal," revealed Crane, adding, "And it was so skewed. The question was like: 'When Monica sleeps with a guy on her first date, is she a) a slut or b) a harlot?'"
The crowd, however, selected the third, unlisted, none of the above choices. "People wrote in saying: ‘No, it’s fine,'" noted the 'Episodes' creator.
'Friends' audience helped shape Monica Geller and Chandler Bing's relationship
The co-creators also revealed to The Times that the live studio viewers, especially in London, had an influence on a subsequent plot point involving Monica Geller and Chandler Bing's (the late Matthew Perry's character) marriage.
"We thought it would be a one-night stand. But they received such a strong reaction from the audience in London that it actually altered where we were going with the storyline," remarked Kauffman.
Crane added, "The cliche is that British people are incredibly reserved, but they were so welcoming [of the couple]."
In light of the latest events that have transpired since Perry's death in October 2023, Kauffman and Crane discussed his lasting legacy. The co-creators placed a strong emphasis on honoring the warmth and humor of the actor.
The ongoing narrative around the adored star is further complicated by the latest court update, which includes five arrests pertaining to the actor's ketamine overdose death.
Kauffman, Crane, and executive producer Kevin Bright released a joint statement following Perry's sudden death.
They wrote, "It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent. It's a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew's case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us."
