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♪♪
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-It's not very often
an event comes along
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that brings everyone together.
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[ Camera shutter clicks ]
-Even insiders are surprised
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when it becomes one
of the most popular
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and profitable shows
in TV history.
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-We didn't know it was
going to be as big as it was.
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-Skipping "Friends"
is almost a crime in the '90s.
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-You couldn't escape it.
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-At one point,
the cast's on basically
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every single magazine.
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-We all crave
to have friends
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who will really be there
for everything.
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-But not all friends
are created equal.
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-The cast are not
being given the same paychecks.
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They're all out for themselves.
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-And production on the show
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becomes increasingly filled
with drama.
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-It's just a sausage factory.
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-The show's stars are singed
by the glaring spotlight.
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-It's just a very, very
strange thing to go through.
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-They are under
the vicious microscope
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of late '90s tabloid media.
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-And then the cast of
the world's favorite comedy...
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It can be a lot
to manage.
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-...is touched by tragedy.
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-Particularly,
if you're hiding a secret.
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-I'm doing great.
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I'm doing great.
Couldn't be better.
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Yeah.
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♪♪
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-How you doin'?
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[ Dial-up modems screeching ]
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♪♪
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♪♪
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[ Indistinct chatter ]
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-In the '90s,
America stops on Thursday nights
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as The Rembrandts sing 10
words, punctuated by four claps.
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[ "I'll Be There For You"
plays ]
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-♪ So no one told you
life was gonna be this way ♪
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[ Camera shutter clicks ]
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-The sitcom
about 20-somethings
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living in New York
is impossible to ignore.
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-Everybody watched "Friends"
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unless you were living
under a rock.
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-Fans are soon asking each
other, which "Friend" are you?
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The spoiled runaway bride?
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-[Scoffs] Well,
maybe I don't need your money.
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[ Phone call ends ]
Wait, wait, I said maybe.
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-A smart, obsessive compulsive?
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The science nerd?
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Maybe the charming,
dumb hot guy?
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-How you doin'?
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-Or eccentric musician?
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How about the funny one?
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-I'm not great at the advice.
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Can I interest you
in a sarcastic comment?
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[ Laughter ]
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-It's really very hard
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to overstate what
an exceptional hit it was.
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-How good of friends are you?
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-Not just in the States,
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but really all over the world.
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-30 years after its debut,
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the series continues
to make friends
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with new generations of viewers.
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-I find it amazing
that its continued to have such,
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uh, love and such an audience.
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[ Camera shutter clicks ]
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-It wasn't that they were
just beautiful people.
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It's that they created
something so magical together.
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-But the show's bright,
happy exterior
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hides shadowy
secrets behind the scenes.
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-We think the story of "Friends"
is going to end happy,
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but unfortunately it ends
with a surprise twist.
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[ Ambulance sirens wailing ]
-Requesting two additional units
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and a supervisor,
respond to Blue Sail Drive.
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-♪ Must See TV ♪
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Thursday, "Must See TV"
means no more repeats.
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-Get out!
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-"Friends."is born at the height
of NBC's dominance
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as America's
number one network,
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anchored by
a Thursday night lineup
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of hit comedies including
"Seinfeld"
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"Mad About You"
and "Frasier."
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It's all new comedy,
all night long.
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-Whoo!
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-We just related
to television
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very differently in the 1980s,
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in the early 1990s
than we do now.
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My name is Saul Austerlitz,
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and I'm the author
of "Generation Friends."
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That we would just, you know,
turn the TV on at 8:00
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and turn it off
at 10:00 or 11:00
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and not change the channel.
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It seems very alien now,
but NBC in particular
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became a real master of evenings
like this.
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[ Ceiling clattering ]
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-But the shows on primetime
are not being cast
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for audiences of all ages.
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-There were shows
about middle-aged people,
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doctors and lawyers,
kind of professional shows.
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And then there were shows
about families
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with mom and dad and the kids.
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Television, even in
the early '90s,
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really wasn't
about young people.
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-The president of NBC wants
desperately for that to change.
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-Warren Littlefield said
he started wondering about
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those people and
that age group and, you know.
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Where was the show about that
and for them?
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I'm Kelsey Miller,
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and I am the author
of the book,
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"I'll Be There for You:
the One About Friends."
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Some would say it was the
right moment for a Gen-X comedy.
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-Enter writers
and real life friends
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Marta Kauffman and David Crane.
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Along with their
producing partner Kevin Bright,
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Kauffman and Crane create
"Dream On," a hit for HBO,
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but they stumbled,
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trying to repeat that success
on network TV.
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♪♪
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-They're kind of wondering,
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is it worth it
for us to keep at it
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in terms of trying
to get a network series?
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-But they do.
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Pitching a new sitcom
to NBC
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they call
"Friends Like Us."
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The story draws upon
the writer's own experiences
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as 20-somethings living
in New York.
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-It's a show about
a time in your life
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and your friends
or your family,
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there is a sort of
inherent romance to that.
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-It's also a show
NBC's Warren Littlefield
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hopes can lure young adults
to NBC.
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So in 1993, he orders a pilot.
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But casting six actors,
all in their 20s,
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all trying to figure it out,
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proves to be
an unexpected challenge.
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-I read the script
and I was thrilled.
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It just seemed like fun.
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My name is Ellie Kanner
and I cast the pilot
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and the first season
of "Friends."
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And we were towards the end
of pilot season,
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so the pool was limited.
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It was frustrating because a lot
of actors were unavailable.
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-Kauffman and Crane already
have two performers in mind.
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28-year-old David Schwimmer
to play Ross
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and 30-year-old Lisa Kudrow
as Phoebe.
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But neither actor
is an easy yes.
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Schwimmer had been on
a really short-lived Fox sitcom
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called "Monty."
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-I'm going to be a chef.
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-Oh, really?
I want to be a jazz singer.
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[ Laughter ]
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-Schwimmer found it
to be kind of a dispiriting
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and unpleasant experience.
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-He really resisted
going back to television.
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Kauffman and Crane,
when they wrote "Friends,"
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they had him in mind,
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him and only him.
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And they had to really woo him
to get him back.
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-I think once he read
the script and heard
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that it was written for him,
he probably felt like,
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oh yeah, oh yeah, I can do this.
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-Casting Kudrow as Phoebe
presents a different problem.
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She's already got
a small part on the NBC
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Thursday night show
"Mad About You"
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as the waitress Ursula.
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-Do you think that this boy
should call his wife?
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-Yeah,
maybe he could tell her about
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that blonde girl
he's always bringing in here.
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-That's my wife.
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[ Laughter ]
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-Oh.
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[ Laughter ]
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-They worked it out so
Ursula could actually be sisters
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with Phoebe, twin sisters.
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-For the role of
aspiring actor Joey Tribbiani,
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Producers spot
26-year-old Matt LeBlanc,
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a relatively unknown actor
starring in
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a "Married with Children"
spinoff.
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-He's on a show called
"Top of the Heap" on Fox,
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and, you know, "Top of the Heap"
is not a particularly good show.
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[ Laughter ]
-Can't resist that nutty cat.
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[ Laughter ]
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-That Garfield is some actor.
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-Matt LeBlanc,
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he had the least amount
of experience,
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but he came in and was funny
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and he just kept getting better
and better.
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-Unlike LeBlanc,
26-year-old Courteney Cox
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is a seasoned
sitcom star
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known for her recurring role
on another NBC hit,
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"Family Ties."
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-And more recently,
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she had been in
"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective"
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with Jim Carrey.
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So they knew
that they wanted to cast
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Courteney Cox as Rachel.
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-That's right, she slotted
to play Rachel Green,
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the romantic lead
of the ensemble cast.
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00:07:55,642 --> 00:07:58,436
Cox suggests she's
better suited to play Monica,
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Rachel's career and cleanliness
obsessed roommate.
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Producers pretend to agree.
205
00:08:04,192 --> 00:08:07,237
-We said to ourselves,
okay, we'll let her read
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00:08:07,237 --> 00:08:09,197
and test to the network
for Monica,
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00:08:09,197 --> 00:08:10,407
but then we'll offer her Rachel.
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Then she was so good
when she was testing for Monica
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00:08:14,911 --> 00:08:17,831
at the network,
we were like, oh, wait a second.
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-Cox gets the role she wanted,
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but producers are stuck
trying to cast
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00:08:21,668 --> 00:08:23,712
the show's most critical role
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out of an increasingly
shrinking talent pool.
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-The challenge
in casting Rachel
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00:08:28,675 --> 00:08:32,512
was that we needed someone
who was gorgeous
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and could play this princess,
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00:08:35,473 --> 00:08:38,977
and yet be likable
and warm and funny.
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-Then Ellie sees
an up-and-coming actress
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who seems like the perfect fit.
220
00:08:44,524 --> 00:08:47,152
-When you look at
Jennifer Aniston,
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she's funny and you love her.
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We've seen hundreds of people,
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00:08:51,698 --> 00:08:54,576
but not quite like this.
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00:08:54,576 --> 00:08:57,370
-The 25-year-old Aniston nails
her audition.
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00:08:57,370 --> 00:09:00,123
There's just one problem.
226
00:09:00,123 --> 00:09:03,460
-Jennifer Aniston was committed
to another show
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00:09:03,460 --> 00:09:04,919
called
"Muddling Through,"
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00:09:04,919 --> 00:09:06,087
which was with
a different network.
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00:09:06,087 --> 00:09:07,922
CBS,
which we heard was...
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not great.
231
00:09:09,340 --> 00:09:11,301
-The rival networks cut
a deal.
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00:09:11,301 --> 00:09:14,804
NBC gets Aniston for six
episodes of "Friends Like Us,"
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00:09:14,804 --> 00:09:17,432
but if CBS picks up
"Muddling Through,"
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Aniston will be forced
to leave the NBC show.
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00:09:21,102 --> 00:09:23,146
-It was a very risky move.
236
00:09:23,146 --> 00:09:25,315
-Equally risky is
the producers gamble
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00:09:25,315 --> 00:09:27,484
on 26-year-old Matthew Perry,
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00:09:27,484 --> 00:09:30,695
who wins them over with
his charming take on Chandler,
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Joey's wisecracking roommate.
240
00:09:33,114 --> 00:09:35,533
-Matthew Perry was
also cast on another show,
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00:09:35,533 --> 00:09:39,496
a show on Fox called
"LAX 2194."
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00:09:39,496 --> 00:09:43,833
It was a futuristic show
about baggage handlers at LAX.
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-Enjoy Los Angeles.
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00:09:45,752 --> 00:09:47,170
-Oh!
-By the way,
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Griffith Park has
the best picnic areas.
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00:09:48,755 --> 00:09:51,633
-We're all sitting
around praying that the pilot
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00:09:51,633 --> 00:09:54,511
that Matthew Perry did
doesn't get picked up.
248
00:09:54,511 --> 00:09:56,805
There were a lot of actors
that just weren't available,
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so we had to take that risk.
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-With the cast,
tenuously assembled,
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00:10:01,434 --> 00:10:03,520
producers recruit
veteran sitcom director
252
00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:05,939
James Burrows
to direct the pilot.
253
00:10:05,939 --> 00:10:07,857
On May 4, 1994,
254
00:10:07,857 --> 00:10:11,319
The first episode of the show,
now simply called "Friends,"
255
00:10:11,319 --> 00:10:13,780
is filmed in front of
a live studio audience.
256
00:10:13,780 --> 00:10:16,366
-Hey everybody,
this is Rachel,
257
00:10:16,366 --> 00:10:17,575
another
Lincoln High survivor.
258
00:10:17,575 --> 00:10:18,910
-This is everybody.
259
00:10:18,910 --> 00:10:21,454
This is Chandler
and Phoebe and Joey.
260
00:10:21,454 --> 00:10:23,081
And you remember
my brother Ross?
261
00:10:23,081 --> 00:10:24,249
-Sure.
-Hey.
262
00:10:24,249 --> 00:10:25,416
-Hi.
Oh!
263
00:10:25,416 --> 00:10:27,335
[ Laughter ]
264
00:10:27,335 --> 00:10:29,796
-It just felt like magic.
265
00:10:29,796 --> 00:10:33,716
James Burrows really helped
them bond together
266
00:10:33,716 --> 00:10:37,178
and form this chemistry
that just came alive.
267
00:10:37,178 --> 00:10:39,347
-I just feel like
someone reached down my throat,
268
00:10:39,347 --> 00:10:41,140
grabbed my small intestine,
269
00:10:41,140 --> 00:10:43,601
pulled it out of my mouth
and tied it around my neck.
270
00:10:43,601 --> 00:10:44,602
-Cookie.
271
00:10:44,602 --> 00:10:46,020
[ Laughter ]
272
00:10:46,020 --> 00:10:48,106
-When news cameras
are invited to set,
273
00:10:48,106 --> 00:10:49,983
they capture the
real life camaraderie
274
00:10:49,983 --> 00:10:51,401
that's already developing.
275
00:10:51,401 --> 00:10:53,653
-They're just such hams.
That's the problem.
276
00:10:53,653 --> 00:10:55,029
They're doing a little skit
right now,
277
00:10:55,029 --> 00:10:56,239
pretending they're
going to do commentary.
278
00:10:56,239 --> 00:10:57,282
They just want to be on TV.
279
00:10:57,282 --> 00:10:58,491
-We're getting along great.
280
00:10:58,491 --> 00:10:59,909
We're having a great time.
281
00:10:59,909 --> 00:11:01,828
We hope to do this
for 6 or 7 years...
282
00:11:01,828 --> 00:11:03,121
or eight.
283
00:11:03,121 --> 00:11:04,497
-We didn't know
it was going to be
284
00:11:04,497 --> 00:11:06,082
as big as it was.
285
00:11:06,082 --> 00:11:08,585
You know, like, I
don't think anyone really knew.
286
00:11:08,585 --> 00:11:10,044
Maybe James Burrows knew.
287
00:11:10,044 --> 00:11:11,713
[ Airplane engine rumbling ]
288
00:11:11,713 --> 00:11:13,464
-He definitely seems
to know something,
289
00:11:13,464 --> 00:11:14,883
because after shooting
the pilot,
290
00:11:14,883 --> 00:11:16,467
Burrows charters a jet
291
00:11:16,467 --> 00:11:19,929
and flies the six actors
to Las Vegas to celebrate.
292
00:11:19,929 --> 00:11:23,183
During dinner, the director
makes a prophetic statement.
293
00:11:23,183 --> 00:11:24,601
[ Indistinct chatter ]
294
00:11:24,601 --> 00:11:26,019
-He says,
"Enjoy this weekend
295
00:11:26,019 --> 00:11:27,312
it maybe the last time
296
00:11:27,312 --> 00:11:28,938
you'll be able
to be out in public
297
00:11:28,938 --> 00:11:30,773
without people recognizing you."
298
00:11:30,773 --> 00:11:32,192
[ Indistinct chatter ]
299
00:11:32,192 --> 00:11:33,818
I think it's a kind of reminder
300
00:11:33,818 --> 00:11:36,362
that there's something
amazing about knowing
301
00:11:36,362 --> 00:11:38,573
that you're on the cusp
of this success,
302
00:11:38,573 --> 00:11:41,367
and also maybe something a
little bit terrifying about it.
303
00:11:41,367 --> 00:11:43,411
-But that success
is soon threatened
304
00:11:43,411 --> 00:11:46,497
by the producer's risky move
in casting Aniston
305
00:11:46,497 --> 00:11:50,168
knowing she had a possible
prior commitment at CBS.
306
00:11:50,168 --> 00:11:51,836
-On vacation, I found out.
307
00:11:51,836 --> 00:11:54,923
"Oh, by the way, just
so you know, when you come back,
308
00:11:54,923 --> 00:11:57,050
you're gonna have to recast
Jennifer Aniston,
309
00:11:57,050 --> 00:11:59,761
because they picked up
'Muddling Through.'"
310
00:11:59,761 --> 00:12:00,970
And I was like, "What?!"
311
00:12:00,970 --> 00:12:02,639
So we spent another month
312
00:12:02,639 --> 00:12:06,017
trying to recast
Jennifer Aniston,
313
00:12:06,017 --> 00:12:07,560
which we obviously could not do.
314
00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:09,229
And then at some point
they just said, "Okay.
315
00:12:09,229 --> 00:12:11,356
she'll do both shows
and let's see what happens."
316
00:12:11,356 --> 00:12:14,859
-But NBC's Warren Littlefield
isn't going to wait and see
317
00:12:14,859 --> 00:12:17,028
if "Muddling through"
muddles through.
318
00:12:17,028 --> 00:12:21,115
He actively tries to sink the
show using counterprogramming.
319
00:12:21,115 --> 00:12:25,495
-NBC had this unused cache
of movie adaptations
320
00:12:25,495 --> 00:12:28,706
of Danielle Steel novels that
they had never put on the air.
321
00:12:28,706 --> 00:12:30,625
-Once in a lifetime"...
-Jeffrey!
322
00:12:30,625 --> 00:12:32,961
a tragedy took her husband,
now a single mother,
323
00:12:32,961 --> 00:12:34,337
afraid to love,
324
00:12:34,337 --> 00:12:35,755
is torn between two men.
325
00:12:35,755 --> 00:12:38,299
-And decided that
they would run
326
00:12:38,299 --> 00:12:40,927
a whole bunch
of them in the slot
327
00:12:40,927 --> 00:12:43,054
that "Muddling Through"
was on on CBS
328
00:12:43,054 --> 00:12:45,306
to kind of kill off the show.
329
00:12:45,306 --> 00:12:46,641
-"Once in a lifetime"...
-It works.
330
00:12:46,641 --> 00:12:49,852
CBS cancels the sitcom
for low ratings.
331
00:12:49,852 --> 00:12:52,772
Aniston is now on the set
of "Friends" exclusively
332
00:12:52,772 --> 00:12:55,733
understanding
it's the cast's big break.
333
00:12:55,733 --> 00:12:57,735
-All the elements are
in place, so...
334
00:12:57,735 --> 00:13:00,154
if we -- if we blow it,
[laughs]
335
00:13:00,154 --> 00:13:01,281
it'll be really sad.
336
00:13:01,281 --> 00:13:03,408
-After hundreds of auditions,
337
00:13:03,408 --> 00:13:06,286
dozens of rewrites and months
of shooting,
338
00:13:06,286 --> 00:13:09,998
"Friends" debuts
on September 22, 1994,
339
00:13:09,998 --> 00:13:13,710
as part of NBC's can't miss
Thursday night lineup.
340
00:13:13,710 --> 00:13:16,337
And then it kind of misses.
341
00:13:16,337 --> 00:13:17,964
-It wasn't that big of a hit.
342
00:13:17,964 --> 00:13:19,966
It was just, you know,
it was finding its audience.
343
00:13:19,966 --> 00:13:22,510
-It did well, not amazing.
344
00:13:22,510 --> 00:13:26,097
-And then I'd say
at the beginning of the summer,
345
00:13:26,097 --> 00:13:27,515
everyone was talking about it.
346
00:13:27,515 --> 00:13:29,058
♪♪
347
00:13:29,058 --> 00:13:30,685
-It was the summer
rerun effect.
348
00:13:30,685 --> 00:13:33,771
And by the time they came back
for their second season,
349
00:13:33,771 --> 00:13:36,649
it had gone from pretty good,
successful,
350
00:13:36,649 --> 00:13:41,654
doing well show to something
closer to a phenomenon.
351
00:13:41,654 --> 00:13:44,949
-But the show's days
in the sun will be short lived.
352
00:13:44,949 --> 00:13:46,659
By the middle
of the second season,
353
00:13:46,659 --> 00:13:49,912
clouds form
as controversy brews.
354
00:13:49,912 --> 00:13:51,372
-Everybody was so afraid
355
00:13:51,372 --> 00:13:54,876
that people would come
bearing torches to NBC.
356
00:13:54,876 --> 00:13:57,003
♪♪
357
00:14:00,673 --> 00:14:01,924
♪♪
358
00:14:01,924 --> 00:14:03,176
-In the early '90s,
359
00:14:03,176 --> 00:14:05,720
a new generation
is coming of age.
360
00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,514
These former latchkey kids,
raised on MTV
361
00:14:08,514 --> 00:14:11,267
and now wearing flannel
and listening to grunge,
362
00:14:11,267 --> 00:14:13,353
are getting a bad rap
in the media.
363
00:14:13,353 --> 00:14:15,605
-They are angst ridden,
a bit bitter,
364
00:14:15,605 --> 00:14:19,192
and their chief talent seems
to be the ironic aside.
365
00:14:19,192 --> 00:14:22,111
-The title of Douglas Copeland's
1991 novel
366
00:14:22,111 --> 00:14:25,448
becomes the shorthand name
for these young adults.
367
00:14:25,448 --> 00:14:27,575
-Generation X
or the X generation,
368
00:14:27,575 --> 00:14:30,453
it is, I suppose you call
it a splinter generation
369
00:14:30,453 --> 00:14:32,622
from the baby boom at large.
370
00:14:32,622 --> 00:14:34,624
-It's these 20-somethings
371
00:14:34,624 --> 00:14:37,126
that help make "Friends"
a ratings sensation.
372
00:14:37,126 --> 00:14:39,087
But in an interview
on the "Today Show,"
373
00:14:39,087 --> 00:14:42,006
the cast seemed reluctant
to be the voice of Gen X.
374
00:14:42,006 --> 00:14:43,633
-Between all of you,
you know, a lot of people say
375
00:14:43,633 --> 00:14:47,220
this is a hot show
for generation X.
376
00:14:47,220 --> 00:14:48,888
-Oh!
-I know, I know.
377
00:14:48,888 --> 00:14:50,556
-[Laughing] I know. I know.
-Oh!
378
00:14:50,556 --> 00:14:53,017
-Generation X, I guess,
implies that we're all aimless
379
00:14:53,017 --> 00:14:54,477
and we're just kind of
hanging out listening to,
380
00:14:54,477 --> 00:14:56,729
you know, music and watching
381
00:14:56,729 --> 00:14:58,147
"The Brady Bunch"
or something, I don't know.
382
00:14:58,147 --> 00:15:00,191
-But as the "Friends"
audience grows,
383
00:15:00,191 --> 00:15:03,611
it's clear the show's
appeal crosses demographics.
384
00:15:04,612 --> 00:15:06,447
-David Crane has this experience
385
00:15:06,447 --> 00:15:08,241
where he's walking
through LAX
386
00:15:08,241 --> 00:15:10,243
and sees the cast
of his show on
387
00:15:10,243 --> 00:15:12,453
basically
every single magazine.
388
00:15:12,453 --> 00:15:15,289
-It's the beginning
of "Friends" mania,
389
00:15:15,289 --> 00:15:17,542
and the cast and creators
Kevin Bright,
390
00:15:17,542 --> 00:15:21,462
David Crane and Marta Kauffman
are intent on cashing in.
391
00:15:21,462 --> 00:15:23,005
-It's a great thing,
on one hand,
392
00:15:23,005 --> 00:15:24,841
when your show
kind of becomes a name brand
393
00:15:24,841 --> 00:15:27,802
and you can stamp it on anything
and people want to buy it.
394
00:15:27,802 --> 00:15:29,720
-The cast are not being given
the same paychecks,
395
00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:31,180
they're all for themselves.
396
00:15:31,180 --> 00:15:33,057
They're trying to strike
while the iron is hot.
397
00:15:33,057 --> 00:15:35,685
They're trying to make deals
398
00:15:35,685 --> 00:15:37,687
with different brands
to do commercials.
399
00:15:37,687 --> 00:15:39,730
Matthew Perry
and Jennifer Aniston
400
00:15:39,730 --> 00:15:43,192
did an infamous Microsoft
Windows informational video.
401
00:15:43,192 --> 00:15:44,735
-And you are?
402
00:15:44,735 --> 00:15:46,779
-Uh, this Jennifer Aniston.
I'm Matthew Perry.
403
00:15:46,779 --> 00:15:48,114
We're here to see
Mr. Bill Gates.
404
00:15:48,114 --> 00:15:50,616
There is this massive,
massive tie-in
405
00:15:50,616 --> 00:15:52,034
with Diet Coke.
406
00:15:52,034 --> 00:15:53,661
-Match the name
under the cap
407
00:15:53,661 --> 00:15:55,663
with the "Friends" character
who drinks the Diet Coke
408
00:15:55,663 --> 00:15:56,956
in the Diet Coke commercial
each week,
409
00:15:56,956 --> 00:15:58,249
and you're a winner.
410
00:15:58,249 --> 00:15:59,876
-"Friends"
is popular enough
411
00:15:59,876 --> 00:16:03,212
to turn Aniston's '90s hairstyle
into the hottest thing
412
00:16:03,212 --> 00:16:06,257
since Farrah Fawcett's '70s
feathered blowout.
413
00:16:07,633 --> 00:16:10,845
-It's a look that launches
a wave of Rachel clones.
414
00:16:10,845 --> 00:16:12,555
-Yeah. You couldn't escape it.
415
00:16:12,555 --> 00:16:14,765
You saw Rachel
coming out of every door
416
00:16:14,765 --> 00:16:16,267
all across the country.
417
00:16:16,267 --> 00:16:19,479
But the haircut was part
of the pile-on effect
418
00:16:19,479 --> 00:16:23,191
that pushed "Friends" into
the realm of great overexposure.
419
00:16:26,611 --> 00:16:29,280
-One of the things that Crane
comes to realize in particular
420
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,782
is they kind of have
to forget about all of that.
421
00:16:31,782 --> 00:16:33,784
They just need to concentrate
422
00:16:33,784 --> 00:16:35,703
on making the best
possible version of the show.
423
00:16:35,703 --> 00:16:38,831
-And for Crane and Kauffman,
that means writing storylines
424
00:16:38,831 --> 00:16:40,917
in the show's second season,
425
00:16:40,917 --> 00:16:43,085
not usually seen
on a network sitcom.
426
00:16:43,085 --> 00:16:45,755
-David Crane is himself gay
427
00:16:45,755 --> 00:16:47,465
and is interested
in telling stories
428
00:16:47,465 --> 00:16:49,133
of gay and lesbian characters,
429
00:16:49,133 --> 00:16:51,928
and the thought
that they have is that
430
00:16:51,928 --> 00:16:55,556
it would be appealing
to tell this story
431
00:16:55,556 --> 00:16:59,477
involving Ross's ex-wife
getting remarried.
432
00:16:59,477 --> 00:17:01,521
-Carol,
Ross's ex-wife,
433
00:17:01,521 --> 00:17:06,609
she's recently divorced him
and come out as gay,
434
00:17:06,609 --> 00:17:09,612
and is now partnered
with a woman named Susan.
435
00:17:09,612 --> 00:17:13,366
-Actress Anita Barone
plays Ross's pregnant ex-wife.
436
00:17:13,366 --> 00:17:14,408
[ Laughter ]
437
00:17:14,408 --> 00:17:15,868
-Ross.
438
00:17:15,868 --> 00:17:17,161
That opens my cervix.
439
00:17:17,161 --> 00:17:18,204
[ Object clatters ]
440
00:17:18,204 --> 00:17:19,372
-But she quits the show
441
00:17:19,372 --> 00:17:21,082
after just one episode.
442
00:17:21,082 --> 00:17:23,960
-She has said
that she went off to pursue
443
00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,337
another job
or she wanted something more.
444
00:17:26,337 --> 00:17:29,131
-Barone is replaced
by a 28-year-old actress
445
00:17:29,131 --> 00:17:31,717
who just had her own
real life baby.
446
00:17:31,717 --> 00:17:35,179
-I am Jane Sibbett
and I play Carol on "Friends."
447
00:17:35,179 --> 00:17:37,974
I have just gotten home
from the hospital
448
00:17:37,974 --> 00:17:40,559
after delivering my son
after a 24-hour labor.
449
00:17:40,559 --> 00:17:42,562
[ Telephone rings ]
And I got a phone call
450
00:17:42,562 --> 00:17:44,855
and it's my agent
and they said,
451
00:17:44,855 --> 00:17:47,400
"They would like you
to play the pregnant lesbian.
452
00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,944
I'm like, [gasps],
"That's awesome."
453
00:17:49,944 --> 00:17:53,030
Like, yeah, but they'd like
you to start tomorrow.
454
00:17:53,030 --> 00:17:56,033
And I just went,
"Uh, wow.
455
00:17:56,033 --> 00:17:59,787
Um...I'm kind of sore.
That was a big labor."
456
00:17:59,787 --> 00:18:02,498
and they're like, "Look,
they'll make it super easy.
457
00:18:02,498 --> 00:18:03,874
It's just two weeks."
458
00:18:03,874 --> 00:18:05,042
I just knew that I had to do it.
459
00:18:05,042 --> 00:18:06,836
-[Gasps]
Did you just feel that?
460
00:18:06,836 --> 00:18:08,129
-I did.
-Well, does it always...?
461
00:18:08,129 --> 00:18:09,630
-No, no.
That was the first.
462
00:18:09,630 --> 00:18:11,215
-One year before
Ellen DeGeneres
463
00:18:11,215 --> 00:18:13,092
comes out on her own sitcom...
464
00:18:13,092 --> 00:18:14,802
-I'm Gay.
465
00:18:14,802 --> 00:18:17,597
-...and almost 20 years
before gay marriage is legal
466
00:18:17,597 --> 00:18:19,599
in all 50 states,
467
00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:21,434
"Friends"
shoots an episode around
468
00:18:21,434 --> 00:18:23,394
Carol's same-sex nuptials.
469
00:18:23,394 --> 00:18:25,730
-We're, uh...
470
00:18:25,730 --> 00:18:26,897
We're getting married.
471
00:18:26,897 --> 00:18:28,608
[ Laughter ]
472
00:18:28,608 --> 00:18:30,484
-You didn't see a lot
in the way of gay and lesbian
473
00:18:30,484 --> 00:18:31,611
characters on television,
474
00:18:31,611 --> 00:18:33,571
and there had never been
475
00:18:33,571 --> 00:18:36,782
a lesbian wedding on TV
of any kind prior to this.
476
00:18:36,782 --> 00:18:40,077
-Nothing makes God happier
than when two people,
477
00:18:40,077 --> 00:18:42,580
any two people,
come together in love.
478
00:18:43,622 --> 00:18:45,541
-But NBC executives are worried
479
00:18:45,541 --> 00:18:47,710
not everyone will be happy.
480
00:18:47,710 --> 00:18:51,464
-There was a very large fear
481
00:18:51,464 --> 00:18:53,633
they would lose
all their audience
482
00:18:53,633 --> 00:18:57,678
and people would come bearing
torches to NBC.
483
00:18:57,678 --> 00:18:59,347
-We'd heard
that a couple of the affiliates
484
00:18:59,347 --> 00:19:01,849
were going to block
out the show.
485
00:19:01,849 --> 00:19:03,684
-What do you think about
certain stations
486
00:19:03,684 --> 00:19:05,186
not running the episode?
487
00:19:05,186 --> 00:19:09,190
-I just think it's --
it's sort of absurd.
488
00:19:09,190 --> 00:19:12,568
-NBC put a whole bunch of
hotline operators on,
489
00:19:12,568 --> 00:19:13,861
you know,
to be able to handle calls.
490
00:19:13,861 --> 00:19:15,237
-I don't really know
how they did it.
491
00:19:15,237 --> 00:19:17,323
-In the end,
I think it was two local
492
00:19:17,323 --> 00:19:19,158
NBC affiliates
wouldn't carry it.
493
00:19:19,158 --> 00:19:23,329
And I think they got
maybe one call that night.
494
00:19:23,329 --> 00:19:27,124
But essentially
the reaction was --
495
00:19:27,124 --> 00:19:29,251
So what?
What's the big deal.
496
00:19:29,251 --> 00:19:31,545
-For the queer community
in 1996,
497
00:19:31,545 --> 00:19:35,508
representation on a network
sitcom is a very big deal,
498
00:19:35,508 --> 00:19:37,218
and "Friends" wins
a GLAAD Award
499
00:19:37,218 --> 00:19:41,180
from the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation.
500
00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:43,724
But some still see
the episode as an assault
501
00:19:43,724 --> 00:19:45,601
on their religious beliefs,
502
00:19:45,601 --> 00:19:48,646
something Jane Seibert
experiences firsthand.
503
00:19:48,646 --> 00:19:50,731
-Almost all of my family
embraced it.
504
00:19:50,731 --> 00:19:52,316
There was no problem with it,
505
00:19:52,316 --> 00:19:53,776
even though we come from
506
00:19:53,776 --> 00:19:55,778
a very conservative
Christian background.
507
00:19:55,778 --> 00:19:57,655
But my dad and his --
508
00:19:57,655 --> 00:20:00,074
and his new wife
had a problem with it.
509
00:20:00,074 --> 00:20:03,577
And so instead
of watching "Friends,"
510
00:20:03,577 --> 00:20:07,832
he and she had Bible study
at their house
511
00:20:07,832 --> 00:20:11,585
starting about 7:30
on Thursday nights every week.
512
00:20:11,585 --> 00:20:13,671
-Merely playing a lesbian
on TV
513
00:20:13,671 --> 00:20:17,675
causes a deep rift
between Jane and her father.
514
00:20:17,675 --> 00:20:19,885
-I was not allowed
really to be
515
00:20:19,885 --> 00:20:22,179
near my father
for a little while.
516
00:20:22,179 --> 00:20:25,558
He didn't say
that he was proud of me, um,
517
00:20:25,558 --> 00:20:27,601
until he was on his deathbed
many years later.
518
00:20:27,601 --> 00:20:30,020
-But, um...
519
00:20:30,020 --> 00:20:32,857
♪♪
520
00:20:32,857 --> 00:20:34,775
It's fine.
That one comes up.
521
00:20:34,775 --> 00:20:36,569
You always want your --
your parents
522
00:20:36,569 --> 00:20:37,945
to be proud of you.
523
00:20:37,945 --> 00:20:39,321
[ Inhales deeply ]
524
00:20:39,321 --> 00:20:41,157
And he eventually got to that.
525
00:20:41,157 --> 00:20:42,867
♪♪
526
00:20:42,867 --> 00:20:45,828
So we've made our peace.
527
00:20:45,828 --> 00:20:47,413
-The lesbian wedding episode
528
00:20:47,413 --> 00:20:50,207
isn't the only standout
from season two.
529
00:20:50,207 --> 00:20:53,169
The one with the Prom video
was also a fan favorite,
530
00:20:53,169 --> 00:20:55,254
introducing
a recurring character
531
00:20:55,254 --> 00:20:57,339
that hurt some feelings
back then,
532
00:20:57,339 --> 00:20:59,759
but would be labeled
fat shaming today.
533
00:20:59,759 --> 00:21:03,179
-Where's Monica?
-Over here, Dad!
534
00:21:03,179 --> 00:21:05,014
-Wait.
How do you zoom out?
535
00:21:05,014 --> 00:21:07,141
[ Laughter ]
536
00:21:07,141 --> 00:21:08,768
There she is!
537
00:21:08,768 --> 00:21:10,311
-Mm. Fat Monica.
538
00:21:10,311 --> 00:21:11,562
[ Rapid footsteps approaching ]
539
00:21:11,562 --> 00:21:14,190
[ Laughter ]
540
00:21:14,190 --> 00:21:16,317
I mean,
she's just a walking fat joke.
541
00:21:16,317 --> 00:21:18,527
-Monica, why don't
you finish off these pies?
542
00:21:18,527 --> 00:21:20,070
I don't have any more room
in the fridge.
543
00:21:20,070 --> 00:21:21,864
[ Laughter ]
544
00:21:21,864 --> 00:21:24,825
-When I was a younger person,
545
00:21:24,825 --> 00:21:29,371
like, a small fat child,
basically, and teen,
546
00:21:29,371 --> 00:21:32,583
I looked at her
and felt enormous shame
547
00:21:32,583 --> 00:21:36,462
and probably laughed
louder than anybody in the room.
548
00:21:36,462 --> 00:21:37,880
You know?
549
00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:41,175
Anytime you put
a thin person in a fat suit,
550
00:21:41,175 --> 00:21:45,763
you're already miles
in the wrong direction.
551
00:21:45,763 --> 00:21:48,474
-But for the cast,
"Friends" launches their careers
552
00:21:48,474 --> 00:21:50,100
in the right direction,
553
00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:52,436
including lead roles in movies.
554
00:21:52,436 --> 00:21:54,772
Although that's
a mixed blessing.
555
00:21:54,772 --> 00:21:57,525
Matt LeBlanc's role
opposite a chimp in "Ed"
556
00:21:57,525 --> 00:21:59,068
gets universally panned.
557
00:21:59,068 --> 00:22:00,653
-Bad Monkey!
-[ Ed chattering ]
558
00:22:00,653 --> 00:22:02,571
-But Courteney Cox
helps kickstart
559
00:22:02,571 --> 00:22:04,198
the "Scream" franchise,
560
00:22:04,198 --> 00:22:06,575
and Matthew Perry receives
generally good reviews
561
00:22:06,575 --> 00:22:09,078
for his role on the
rom-com "Fools Rush In"
562
00:22:09,078 --> 00:22:10,454
opposite Salma Hayek.
563
00:22:10,454 --> 00:22:12,081
-Uh, how've you been?
564
00:22:13,332 --> 00:22:15,626
-Pregnant.
-Really?
565
00:22:15,626 --> 00:22:17,253
-But Perry's jump
to the big screen
566
00:22:17,253 --> 00:22:19,004
comes at a cost.
567
00:22:19,004 --> 00:22:22,216
During filming, he injures
his back in a jet ski accident
568
00:22:22,216 --> 00:22:24,260
and is prescribed a painkiller.
569
00:22:24,260 --> 00:22:26,428
It leads to an opioid addiction
570
00:22:26,428 --> 00:22:29,098
he will struggle
with long after "Friends."
571
00:22:30,724 --> 00:22:32,017
-"Friends" Matthew Perry
572
00:22:32,017 --> 00:22:34,144
admitted an addiction
to painkillers.
573
00:22:34,144 --> 00:22:38,315
-When I heard about
Matthew Perry's struggles,
574
00:22:38,315 --> 00:22:39,733
I was heartbroken.
575
00:22:39,733 --> 00:22:42,987
-As "Friends" continues
its fast descent,
576
00:22:42,987 --> 00:22:47,199
Matthew Perry is in the throes
of a slow decline.
577
00:22:47,199 --> 00:22:51,161
-Fame is a very dangerous
substance.
578
00:22:51,161 --> 00:22:53,163
If fame came in a bottle,
579
00:22:53,163 --> 00:22:55,749
It would have to have
all kinds of warnings on it.
580
00:22:55,749 --> 00:22:57,543
[ Indistinct chatter ]
[ Pills rattle ]
581
00:23:02,214 --> 00:23:03,799
-The '90s ushered in
a new golden age in Hollywood,
582
00:23:03,799 --> 00:23:06,844
with celebrities earning
record setting salaries.
583
00:23:06,844 --> 00:23:08,929
-Cable guy!
584
00:23:08,929 --> 00:23:11,765
-In 1995,
after a string of hits,
585
00:23:11,765 --> 00:23:15,394
Actor comedian Jim Carrey
is paid $20 million
586
00:23:15,394 --> 00:23:18,480
to star in a movie directed
by Ben Stiller.
587
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,691
It's the most in history.
588
00:23:20,691 --> 00:23:22,276
-$20 Million Man.
589
00:23:22,276 --> 00:23:24,069
Everyone's wondering --
Is he worth the money?
590
00:23:25,112 --> 00:23:28,449
-Studio executives whine
about rising talent costs,
591
00:23:28,449 --> 00:23:31,201
labeling it
a "dangerous precedent."
592
00:23:31,201 --> 00:23:33,954
It's against this backdrop
that the cast of "Friends"
593
00:23:33,954 --> 00:23:36,790
renegotiate their contracts
with Warner Brothers,
594
00:23:36,790 --> 00:23:39,043
the studio making the show.
595
00:23:39,043 --> 00:23:42,838
A third season rides on them,
making a deal.
596
00:23:42,838 --> 00:23:45,883
-The actors weren't
being paid equally at the time.
597
00:23:45,883 --> 00:23:47,176
They all had their own
separate deals
598
00:23:47,176 --> 00:23:48,802
worked out
by their own agents.
599
00:23:48,802 --> 00:23:49,762
That's how it worked.
600
00:23:49,762 --> 00:23:52,097
But their show
601
00:23:52,097 --> 00:23:54,183
is just getting bigger
and bigger and bigger.
602
00:23:54,183 --> 00:23:59,021
They realized that the pay issue
could so quickly
603
00:23:59,021 --> 00:24:01,190
and almost inevitably
would tear them apart
604
00:24:01,190 --> 00:24:02,566
and pull the show out
from under them.
605
00:24:02,566 --> 00:24:04,234
Nobody wanted that to happen.
606
00:24:04,234 --> 00:24:06,820
David Schwimmer comes in
and says, "Hey,
607
00:24:06,820 --> 00:24:09,948
I think we really need to make
some decisions about
608
00:24:09,948 --> 00:24:11,992
how we're going to operate
as a team."
609
00:24:11,992 --> 00:24:14,244
And they decide then
and there
610
00:24:14,244 --> 00:24:16,497
they're going to do
all negotiations together.
611
00:24:16,497 --> 00:24:18,916
They're going to speak
as one voice.
612
00:24:18,916 --> 00:24:22,920
It led to them
getting enormous paychecks.
613
00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,132
-And ownership in the show.
614
00:24:27,132 --> 00:24:29,468
Their collective bargaining
eventually nets
615
00:24:29,468 --> 00:24:33,222
the six actors a percentage of
the show's syndication profits,
616
00:24:33,222 --> 00:24:37,935
and a per episode salary that
will grow to over $1 million.
617
00:24:37,935 --> 00:24:39,770
-It was unprecedented.
618
00:24:39,770 --> 00:24:41,814
Certainly the biggest paychecks
619
00:24:41,814 --> 00:24:43,273
that an ensemble cast
had been getting.
620
00:24:43,273 --> 00:24:45,359
-The group scored a huge win,
621
00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:46,735
but for Matthew Perry,
622
00:24:46,735 --> 00:24:48,654
there's one battle
he's fighting alone.
623
00:24:48,654 --> 00:24:50,406
[ Liquid sloshing ]
624
00:24:50,406 --> 00:24:53,075
A struggling alcoholic
since the age of 14,
625
00:24:53,075 --> 00:24:56,286
Perry's new dependence
on the prescription drug Vicodin
626
00:24:56,286 --> 00:25:00,582
leads the actor
to check himself into rehab.
627
00:25:00,582 --> 00:25:03,419
After a 28-day stay,
he gets back to work.
628
00:25:03,419 --> 00:25:06,797
-Well, hello, Matthew.
-Well. Hello there.
629
00:25:06,797 --> 00:25:08,173
-How are you?
-Good.
630
00:25:08,173 --> 00:25:11,260
Perry even lands
a dream gig hosting "SNL."
631
00:25:11,260 --> 00:25:13,053
In an interview backstage,
632
00:25:13,053 --> 00:25:16,473
he reassures fans
that this Friend is on the mend.
633
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:20,352
-I'm doing great.
I'm doing great.
634
00:25:20,352 --> 00:25:22,438
Couldn't be better.
Yeah.
635
00:25:22,438 --> 00:25:25,149
-Perry remains clean
for 18 months
636
00:25:25,149 --> 00:25:28,861
until he says one
casual drink ends his sobriety.
637
00:25:28,861 --> 00:25:32,322
Like all addicts, Perry
is locked in a lifelong battle,
638
00:25:32,322 --> 00:25:34,867
one he will lose.
639
00:25:34,867 --> 00:25:38,245
-I think that being
that celebrity
640
00:25:38,245 --> 00:25:40,456
and struggling with addiction
is its own challenge.
641
00:25:40,456 --> 00:25:41,832
-At one point,
642
00:25:41,832 --> 00:25:43,584
Perry is consuming
a bottle of vodka
643
00:25:43,584 --> 00:25:45,794
and 55 pills a day,
644
00:25:45,794 --> 00:25:47,671
the effects of which
he tries to hide
645
00:25:47,671 --> 00:25:49,840
from the cast and crew
on "Friends."
646
00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:53,093
-When you see what happened
to Matthew Perry,
647
00:25:53,093 --> 00:25:56,346
the sequence of events of
how he got into the trouble
648
00:25:56,346 --> 00:25:59,308
he got into,
it's all pretty understandable.
649
00:25:59,308 --> 00:26:00,934
My name is Robert Thompson.
650
00:26:00,934 --> 00:26:03,270
I'm a professor of television
in popular culture.
651
00:26:03,270 --> 00:26:06,190
For a guy who was having
652
00:26:06,190 --> 00:26:08,692
the substance abuse problems
that he had,
653
00:26:08,692 --> 00:26:13,280
he retained a remarkable ability
to do his job.
654
00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:14,531
-Stop, stop, stop!
655
00:26:14,531 --> 00:26:17,326
-Oh, sorry.
Do you need a break?
656
00:26:17,326 --> 00:26:19,328
-He was pretty clear
657
00:26:19,328 --> 00:26:23,749
that he did not use
or drink on the job.
658
00:26:23,749 --> 00:26:27,419
He, you know, many times was
profoundly hungover at work.
659
00:26:27,419 --> 00:26:30,464
And that that affected
his performance at times,
660
00:26:30,464 --> 00:26:34,176
you know, having to put
his hand on a table
661
00:26:34,176 --> 00:26:36,595
before the
you can see him shaking.
662
00:26:36,595 --> 00:26:39,640
He's talked about
cast members confronting him
663
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,309
and saying they could smell
alcohol on him.
664
00:26:42,309 --> 00:26:45,646
-He would have weight gains,
alcohol use.
665
00:26:45,646 --> 00:26:48,982
He would have then weight losses
with his Vicodin use.
666
00:26:48,982 --> 00:26:50,359
-By the end of the decade,
667
00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:52,236
producers Kauffman,
Crane, and Bright
668
00:26:52,236 --> 00:26:53,904
have their own struggles,
669
00:26:53,904 --> 00:26:56,740
namely overcoming
a glaring lack of diversity
670
00:26:56,740 --> 00:26:58,408
within the all-white cast.
671
00:26:59,576 --> 00:27:00,911
-There are a couple
672
00:27:00,911 --> 00:27:03,205
of non-white performers
who come in.
673
00:27:03,205 --> 00:27:06,333
Gabrielle Union plays
a love interest.
674
00:27:06,333 --> 00:27:07,876
-Hi.
675
00:27:07,876 --> 00:27:09,336
Are you moving in
or moving out?
676
00:27:09,336 --> 00:27:10,587
-Moving in.
677
00:27:10,587 --> 00:27:12,714
-Aisha Tyler comes in
later on.
678
00:27:12,714 --> 00:27:14,883
-Oh, hey, you guys,
this is Charlie.
679
00:27:14,883 --> 00:27:17,845
-As a woman
who is interested in Ross,
680
00:27:17,845 --> 00:27:20,222
but also interested in Joey,
681
00:27:20,222 --> 00:27:22,975
but none of them
stick around for very long.
682
00:27:22,975 --> 00:27:24,518
-When people say that,
683
00:27:24,518 --> 00:27:25,936
oh, you know,
it was a product of its time.
684
00:27:25,936 --> 00:27:27,146
I think you'd say, yes.
685
00:27:27,146 --> 00:27:28,397
It was a product of its time,
686
00:27:28,397 --> 00:27:32,985
which was a
not very inclusive time.
687
00:27:32,985 --> 00:27:35,612
"Friends" had the standing,
I think, to make changes
688
00:27:35,612 --> 00:27:39,616
and chose
not to make some of them.
689
00:27:39,616 --> 00:27:42,828
-That begins to change
in the show's seventh season,
690
00:27:42,828 --> 00:27:47,583
when NBC directs Warner Brothers
to broaden the hiring pool.
691
00:27:47,583 --> 00:27:51,795
-That year, NBC
had started a diversity mandate.
692
00:27:52,838 --> 00:27:54,631
They were encouraging
their shows
693
00:27:54,631 --> 00:27:58,385
to hire at least one person
of color per writing staff.
694
00:27:58,385 --> 00:28:02,472
I think that that was a big
reason why I got called in,
695
00:28:02,472 --> 00:28:05,642
you know, given that I
hadn't ever written on a sitcom
696
00:28:05,642 --> 00:28:07,561
and, you know,
was not a joke writer at all.
697
00:28:07,561 --> 00:28:11,064
I'm Patty Lin,
and I was a writer on "Friends,"
698
00:28:11,064 --> 00:28:12,566
and I am the author of
699
00:28:12,566 --> 00:28:14,902
"End Credits:
How I Broke Up with Hollywood."
700
00:28:16,486 --> 00:28:20,574
The word diversity higher wasn't
really being used at that time,
701
00:28:20,574 --> 00:28:22,534
but that's essentially
what I was.
702
00:28:22,534 --> 00:28:25,954
I was the only person of color
in that room.
703
00:28:25,954 --> 00:28:28,373
To my agent,
this was a no brainer.
704
00:28:28,373 --> 00:28:30,584
Like, of course you're going
to take the job, you know?
705
00:28:30,584 --> 00:28:32,836
It was the most popular show
on TV.
706
00:28:32,836 --> 00:28:34,254
-In July of 2000,
707
00:28:34,254 --> 00:28:36,381
Patty Lin
steps into "Friends" offices
708
00:28:36,381 --> 00:28:38,800
for her first day on the job.
709
00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:43,430
-The predominant emotion that
I was feeling was just fear.
710
00:28:43,430 --> 00:28:47,935
-What she faced is captured
in a 1995 E! television special
711
00:28:47,935 --> 00:28:49,895
that goes inside the show's
writers room,
712
00:28:49,895 --> 00:28:53,315
showing Kaufman and Crane's
relentless refinement
713
00:28:53,315 --> 00:28:55,442
of every episode.
714
00:28:55,442 --> 00:28:57,527
-Say, it's Monica saying,
I feel really bad,
715
00:28:57,527 --> 00:29:00,906
you know, we --
we should all be together
716
00:29:00,906 --> 00:29:03,367
and say, Ross says, look...
717
00:29:03,367 --> 00:29:06,870
-Then it seems like Monica is
the only one who's feeling bad.
718
00:29:06,870 --> 00:29:08,538
-You create an outline.
719
00:29:08,538 --> 00:29:10,999
The writer who was assigned
that episode
720
00:29:10,999 --> 00:29:13,251
would then go off
with that outline
721
00:29:13,251 --> 00:29:15,629
and write the episode
by themselves.
722
00:29:15,629 --> 00:29:17,255
Bring it back,
723
00:29:17,255 --> 00:29:19,549
and then,
the rest of the episode
724
00:29:19,549 --> 00:29:21,134
was written by committee.
725
00:29:21,134 --> 00:29:23,011
-Lin says when a writer
takes a script
726
00:29:23,011 --> 00:29:24,972
into the "Friends"
writers' room,
727
00:29:24,972 --> 00:29:28,600
it's likely neither of them
will come out in one piece.
728
00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:32,646
-The industry jargon for
writing a script by committee
729
00:29:32,646 --> 00:29:34,356
is called a "gangbang."
730
00:29:36,525 --> 00:29:39,903
♪♪
731
00:29:39,903 --> 00:29:43,282
To watch it just get picked
apart and, you know,
732
00:29:43,282 --> 00:29:46,076
rewritten right in front of me.
733
00:29:46,076 --> 00:29:48,495
And to have to participate
in that,
734
00:29:48,495 --> 00:29:53,041
it's a certain brand of hell
that I wouldn't wish on anyone.
735
00:29:53,041 --> 00:29:55,168
-When cameras
from the Discovery Channel
736
00:29:55,168 --> 00:29:56,712
are permitted to film
behind the scenes
737
00:29:56,712 --> 00:29:59,214
during a live taping
in season six,
738
00:29:59,214 --> 00:30:00,924
it provides rare insights
739
00:30:00,924 --> 00:30:03,468
into Crane and Kaufman's
writing process,
740
00:30:03,468 --> 00:30:04,761
one that the actors
741
00:30:04,761 --> 00:30:06,972
and the writers
experience differently.
742
00:30:06,972 --> 00:30:08,307
-Oh,
you don't think it's funny
743
00:30:08,307 --> 00:30:09,891
to play that kind of bum.
-Switch?
744
00:30:09,891 --> 00:30:11,268
-Let's just get married,
I guess.
745
00:30:11,268 --> 00:30:12,894
-Let's get married.
Married, I guess.
746
00:30:12,894 --> 00:30:14,354
-It didn't feel funny.
747
00:30:14,354 --> 00:30:15,897
-All of the writers
748
00:30:15,897 --> 00:30:17,899
would go down
to the soundstage
749
00:30:17,899 --> 00:30:20,944
and, uh, and be there
for the -- for the taping.
750
00:30:20,944 --> 00:30:24,865
-What happens is you're doing
the scene.
751
00:30:24,865 --> 00:30:27,659
Audience reacts,
director calls, "Cut!"
752
00:30:29,119 --> 00:30:32,247
If a joke went well,
you'd hear, "Moving on."
753
00:30:32,247 --> 00:30:34,416
-If a joke fell flat,
754
00:30:34,416 --> 00:30:37,461
we would then have to huddle
on the side of the bleachers
755
00:30:37,461 --> 00:30:39,046
and come up with a new joke.
756
00:30:39,046 --> 00:30:41,798
-We cannot stay married.
757
00:30:41,798 --> 00:30:44,301
-That process of rewriting
the show in real time
758
00:30:44,301 --> 00:30:46,678
is also captured by
Discovery Channel's
759
00:30:46,678 --> 00:30:47,721
on-set footage.
760
00:30:47,721 --> 00:30:48,930
-Is there anything funnier
761
00:30:48,930 --> 00:30:50,599
than stop saying
the word marriage?
762
00:30:50,599 --> 00:30:52,309
-And you see pencils
scribbling and everybody's,
763
00:30:52,309 --> 00:30:53,643
like, trying to throw out jokes.
764
00:30:53,643 --> 00:30:55,771
It's amazing.
The machine of comedy.
765
00:30:55,771 --> 00:30:59,274
-It was the most stressful
part of the job for me.
766
00:30:59,274 --> 00:31:04,488
Just the -- the grind of
having to produce this material.
767
00:31:04,488 --> 00:31:06,865
It's just a sausage factory.
768
00:31:06,865 --> 00:31:08,992
And I think
that that's the sort of thing
769
00:31:08,992 --> 00:31:11,203
that a lot of people
don't want to hear.
770
00:31:11,203 --> 00:31:12,621
-Two years later,
771
00:31:12,621 --> 00:31:14,331
a member of the "Friends"
writers' room
772
00:31:14,331 --> 00:31:15,916
will accuse the producers
773
00:31:15,916 --> 00:31:18,126
of NBC's most profitable sitcom
774
00:31:18,126 --> 00:31:19,795
of shameful conduct.
775
00:31:19,795 --> 00:31:22,339
-She complains
and files a lawsuit.
776
00:31:22,339 --> 00:31:24,341
-And she will find herself
up against
777
00:31:24,341 --> 00:31:26,843
some of the biggest names
in Hollywood.
778
00:31:26,843 --> 00:31:28,678
♪♪
779
00:31:33,350 --> 00:31:34,643
-In the late '90s,
780
00:31:34,643 --> 00:31:35,977
pharmaceutical giant
Purdue Pharma
781
00:31:35,977 --> 00:31:37,521
is turning its painkiller
OxyContin
782
00:31:37,521 --> 00:31:39,439
into a blockbuster drug
783
00:31:39,439 --> 00:31:43,652
using a calculated campaign
of disinformation.
784
00:31:43,652 --> 00:31:47,114
-Some patients may be
afraid of taking opioids
785
00:31:47,114 --> 00:31:51,410
because they're perceived
as too strong or addictive.
786
00:31:51,410 --> 00:31:53,662
But that is far
from actual fact.
787
00:31:53,662 --> 00:31:56,331
-No, that's an actual fact.
788
00:31:56,331 --> 00:31:57,707
The drug is highly addictive,
789
00:31:57,707 --> 00:31:59,334
and while Purdue knows
the truth,
790
00:31:59,334 --> 00:32:02,087
it continues its
fraudulent marketing
791
00:32:02,087 --> 00:32:03,797
while producing sufficient pills
792
00:32:03,797 --> 00:32:05,966
to meet the ever-growing demand
of addicts.
793
00:32:05,966 --> 00:32:07,592
-On a given day,
794
00:32:07,592 --> 00:32:10,303
400 to 800 people
are on the streets here
795
00:32:10,303 --> 00:32:11,805
looking for their next high.
796
00:32:11,805 --> 00:32:14,683
-With prescription drugs
so readily available,
797
00:32:14,683 --> 00:32:16,810
29-year-old Matthew Perry,
798
00:32:16,810 --> 00:32:19,187
now in his seventh season
of "Friends,"
799
00:32:19,187 --> 00:32:23,358
is trapped in a revolving door
of addiction and recovery.
800
00:32:23,358 --> 00:32:24,693
-He would have been sick
for about a week
801
00:32:24,693 --> 00:32:26,153
if he stopped using Vicodin.
802
00:32:26,153 --> 00:32:28,613
My name is Dr. Drew Pinsky.
I'm a physician.
803
00:32:28,613 --> 00:32:30,407
I'm an internist
by specialization
804
00:32:30,407 --> 00:32:31,992
and addiction
medicine specialist.
805
00:32:31,992 --> 00:32:34,828
Addicts delude themselves
into thinking, well,
806
00:32:34,828 --> 00:32:37,289
I can't stop right now because
I'll get sick, which is true.
807
00:32:37,289 --> 00:32:40,584
But the addict uses that
as a reason to keep using.
808
00:32:40,584 --> 00:32:42,627
And look,
he stopped many times,
809
00:32:42,627 --> 00:32:45,213
was completely off
and went back.
810
00:32:45,213 --> 00:32:46,381
That's addiction.
811
00:32:46,381 --> 00:32:48,341
[ Camera shutters clicking ]
812
00:32:48,341 --> 00:32:49,926
-Matthew, wave for us!
813
00:32:49,926 --> 00:32:51,303
[ Indistinct chatter ]
814
00:32:51,303 --> 00:32:53,305
It's not just being
in the public eye.
815
00:32:53,305 --> 00:32:55,640
It's like, how do you manage it
and maintain it,
816
00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:57,726
particularly
if you're hiding a secret.
817
00:32:57,726 --> 00:32:59,311
And that secret is --
I'm using.
818
00:32:59,311 --> 00:33:00,687
They feel shame.
819
00:33:00,687 --> 00:33:03,106
And that shame motivates
more using.
820
00:33:04,399 --> 00:33:05,734
-As the show progresses,
821
00:33:05,734 --> 00:33:08,028
Matthew Perry
increasingly has
822
00:33:08,028 --> 00:33:09,404
a substance abuse problem.
823
00:33:09,404 --> 00:33:13,700
-In the writers' room
at "Friends,"
824
00:33:13,700 --> 00:33:16,077
I think everybody was aware.
825
00:33:16,077 --> 00:33:17,704
Clearly he was struggling.
826
00:33:17,704 --> 00:33:21,374
-One of the concerns
that Crane and Kauffman have is,
827
00:33:21,374 --> 00:33:24,169
is it harming him
to continue to be
828
00:33:24,169 --> 00:33:26,004
in the public eye in this way?
829
00:33:26,004 --> 00:33:27,923
-In spring of 2000,
830
00:33:27,923 --> 00:33:31,051
after an awkward rehearsal
where he's slurring his words,
831
00:33:31,051 --> 00:33:33,845
Perry discovers
the entire cast and crew
832
00:33:33,845 --> 00:33:36,598
assembled in his dressing room.
833
00:33:36,598 --> 00:33:40,060
-The opiate addiction
is so dangerous,
834
00:33:40,060 --> 00:33:43,855
and if you don't do something,
835
00:33:43,855 --> 00:33:45,440
they die, they die.
836
00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:48,860
-Marta Kauffman asked Perry
to make a change,
837
00:33:48,860 --> 00:33:51,363
but Perry continues
to battle his substance abuse
838
00:33:51,363 --> 00:33:52,781
for another year
839
00:33:52,781 --> 00:33:56,618
before finally checking
himself back into rehab.
840
00:33:56,618 --> 00:33:59,287
And while no other cast
member struggles so publicly
841
00:33:59,287 --> 00:34:02,332
with personal demons,
each feels the acute pressure
842
00:34:02,332 --> 00:34:04,417
of being famous
from "Friends."
843
00:34:04,417 --> 00:34:05,752
-David Schwimmer,
844
00:34:05,752 --> 00:34:07,420
he's been pretty open
about the fact
845
00:34:07,420 --> 00:34:09,464
that he's not in love
with being a celebrity.
846
00:34:09,464 --> 00:34:11,383
-I can totally see now why,
847
00:34:11,383 --> 00:34:14,261
like, child stars,
some child stars...
848
00:34:14,261 --> 00:34:16,930
-Major problems.
-...just have major problems
849
00:34:16,930 --> 00:34:20,058
because, um, it's --
it's just a very,
850
00:34:20,058 --> 00:34:21,643
very strange thing
to go through.
851
00:34:21,643 --> 00:34:23,687
-Schwimmer isn't the only one
852
00:34:23,687 --> 00:34:25,814
withering in the spotlight.
853
00:34:25,814 --> 00:34:28,817
-Lisa Kudrow
talked about the fact
854
00:34:28,817 --> 00:34:32,612
that she was larger in her body
855
00:34:32,612 --> 00:34:35,740
than Jennifer Aniston
and Courteney Cox were.
856
00:34:40,954 --> 00:34:42,747
-Certainly,
these women were all
857
00:34:42,747 --> 00:34:47,085
put under
the vicious microscope
858
00:34:47,085 --> 00:34:50,338
of late '90s tabloid media.
859
00:34:51,798 --> 00:34:54,968
Jennifer Aniston,
to a massive degree,
860
00:34:54,968 --> 00:34:57,470
was a target both because
of "Friends" and because of,
861
00:34:57,470 --> 00:34:58,805
of course,
who she was married to
862
00:34:58,805 --> 00:35:01,099
for a lot of that show's run.
863
00:35:01,099 --> 00:35:03,184
-Hollywood's
most camera-shy couple
864
00:35:03,184 --> 00:35:04,519
went public Saturday night
865
00:35:04,519 --> 00:35:05,937
as Brad Pitt
and Jennifer Aniston
866
00:35:05,937 --> 00:35:07,355
hit the town.
867
00:35:07,355 --> 00:35:09,232
-The public's
fascination with the cast
868
00:35:09,232 --> 00:35:12,527
and the show continues well
into the new millennium.
869
00:35:12,527 --> 00:35:15,363
At the 2001 People's
Choice Awards,
870
00:35:15,363 --> 00:35:18,325
"Friends" wins the award
for Favorite Comedy Program
871
00:35:18,325 --> 00:35:20,452
for the second year in a row.
872
00:35:20,452 --> 00:35:22,871
But the warmth from the fans
is cold comfort
873
00:35:22,871 --> 00:35:25,498
to the show's newest writer,
Patty Lin.
874
00:35:25,498 --> 00:35:30,795
-We finished the season
and I got a call from my agent,
875
00:35:30,795 --> 00:35:33,381
and he told me
that they were not
876
00:35:33,381 --> 00:35:35,508
going to pick up my option
for the next year.
877
00:35:36,551 --> 00:35:39,846
It was bittersweet because
obviously working on that show
878
00:35:39,846 --> 00:35:42,557
was great for my resume.
879
00:35:42,557 --> 00:35:43,892
But on the other hand,
880
00:35:43,892 --> 00:35:45,977
all of these late night
rewrites
881
00:35:45,977 --> 00:35:47,145
and all of these things
882
00:35:47,145 --> 00:35:49,314
that were so stressful to me
883
00:35:49,314 --> 00:35:51,358
to know
that I didn't have to go back
884
00:35:51,358 --> 00:35:52,817
for another year of that
885
00:35:52,817 --> 00:35:56,196
was actually a relief
in a lot of ways.
886
00:35:57,238 --> 00:35:58,865
-A year later,
887
00:35:58,865 --> 00:36:00,700
a woman who worked in
the "Friends" writers' room
888
00:36:00,700 --> 00:36:03,953
goes public to expose
what she sees as the abuse
889
00:36:03,953 --> 00:36:07,290
of work culture
that Hollywood enables.
890
00:36:07,290 --> 00:36:09,376
-Amaani Lyle was hired
891
00:36:09,376 --> 00:36:11,461
as a writer's assistant
on "Friends."
892
00:36:11,461 --> 00:36:14,005
It's sort of like being
a writer in training.
893
00:36:14,005 --> 00:36:16,591
You're listening to many people
talking at the same time
894
00:36:16,591 --> 00:36:19,928
and shouting out jokes and just
kind of jotting it all down.
895
00:36:19,928 --> 00:36:25,225
And Amaani Lyle feels
that the conversation
896
00:36:25,225 --> 00:36:28,269
in the writer's room
is inappropriate,
897
00:36:28,269 --> 00:36:30,563
the kind of frank discussion
898
00:36:30,563 --> 00:36:33,233
that often has to do
with sex in particular,
899
00:36:33,233 --> 00:36:35,026
and complains about it,
900
00:36:35,026 --> 00:36:37,320
and ends up losing her job
as a result.
901
00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:40,490
-Lyle claims she's
the victim of sexual harassment
902
00:36:40,490 --> 00:36:43,827
and files a lawsuit against
a number of her producers.
903
00:36:43,827 --> 00:36:46,746
Her lawyer goes to the media
to make her case.
904
00:36:46,746 --> 00:36:48,123
-What she had a problem with
905
00:36:48,123 --> 00:36:51,042
was the writers talking
about their own
906
00:36:51,042 --> 00:36:54,754
personal sexual stories,
own personal fantasies.
907
00:36:54,754 --> 00:36:58,216
They referred to women
in the most degrading ways.
908
00:36:58,216 --> 00:37:01,594
-But Lyle has few allies
in the creative community.
909
00:37:01,594 --> 00:37:03,138
In a letter to the court,
910
00:37:03,138 --> 00:37:05,432
male comedy legends
like Norman Lear,
911
00:37:05,432 --> 00:37:07,559
"The Simpsons,"
James L Brooks,
912
00:37:07,559 --> 00:37:09,519
and "Seinfeld's"
Larry David
913
00:37:09,519 --> 00:37:12,981
all come out in support
of the writers on "Friends."
914
00:37:12,981 --> 00:37:15,275
-There was this sense that
915
00:37:15,275 --> 00:37:17,068
this would lead
to mass censorship.
916
00:37:17,068 --> 00:37:18,611
They were saying,
if she's allowed
917
00:37:18,611 --> 00:37:20,155
to get away
with making these allegations,
918
00:37:20,155 --> 00:37:22,031
then it's going to have
a massive chilling effect
919
00:37:22,031 --> 00:37:23,741
on creativity.
920
00:37:23,741 --> 00:37:26,161
-Now, Warner Brothers argues
this is freedom of speech
921
00:37:26,161 --> 00:37:27,871
and it's protected
by the Constitution.
922
00:37:27,871 --> 00:37:30,206
-The legal battle drags
on for years,
923
00:37:30,206 --> 00:37:33,376
eventually landing
in the California Supreme Court,
924
00:37:33,376 --> 00:37:35,086
where Lyle loses.
925
00:37:35,086 --> 00:37:37,130
♪♪
926
00:37:37,130 --> 00:37:39,174
-The court said
one of the reasons
927
00:37:39,174 --> 00:37:41,301
that this wasn't harassment
928
00:37:41,301 --> 00:37:44,137
was because
it wasn't directed at her.
929
00:37:44,137 --> 00:37:46,764
-It came at great cost
to Amaani Lyle,
930
00:37:46,764 --> 00:37:50,977
while who really lost
her chance to build a career
931
00:37:50,977 --> 00:37:52,812
in the television industry.
932
00:37:52,812 --> 00:37:54,898
-There's just no way
to know for sure.
933
00:37:54,898 --> 00:37:57,901
It very well might
have made it easier
934
00:37:57,901 --> 00:38:00,987
for people to get away
with all sorts of other abuses.
935
00:38:00,987 --> 00:38:06,201
In 2017, we were in the throes
of the early MeToo movement,
936
00:38:06,201 --> 00:38:09,537
and I wonder if the case
had gone the other way,
937
00:38:09,537 --> 00:38:11,122
if things...
938
00:38:11,122 --> 00:38:12,916
[sighs]
if that particular reckoning
939
00:38:12,916 --> 00:38:14,793
might have happened sooner.
940
00:38:14,793 --> 00:38:17,712
-Lyle's case goes
largely unnoticed in the media,
941
00:38:17,712 --> 00:38:19,881
so it has little effect
on the reputation
942
00:38:19,881 --> 00:38:22,342
and the popularity
of "Friends."
943
00:38:22,342 --> 00:38:25,762
-It's not very often
an event comes along
944
00:38:25,762 --> 00:38:27,722
that brings everyone together.
945
00:38:27,722 --> 00:38:30,350
-NBC relentlessly hypes
the final season
946
00:38:30,350 --> 00:38:32,811
as America's favorite sitcom.
947
00:38:32,811 --> 00:38:34,854
On May 6th, 2004,
948
00:38:34,854 --> 00:38:37,482
after a decade of being one
of the most watched
949
00:38:37,482 --> 00:38:40,318
and rewatched
sitcoms on television,
950
00:38:40,318 --> 00:38:42,779
"Friends" airs its final
episode.
951
00:38:42,779 --> 00:38:45,865
52 million viewers tune
in to watch.
952
00:38:46,908 --> 00:38:48,409
-So, I guess this is it.
953
00:38:48,409 --> 00:38:50,036
-Yeah.
954
00:38:50,036 --> 00:38:52,914
-I think that, "Friends"
is a good example of a show
955
00:38:52,914 --> 00:38:54,666
that does a series finale well.
956
00:38:54,666 --> 00:38:57,377
-This is harder than I thought
it would be.
957
00:38:57,377 --> 00:38:59,754
-It understands what
its audience wants,
958
00:38:59,754 --> 00:39:02,674
that the audience feels
like they are themselves
959
00:39:02,674 --> 00:39:05,093
kind of included
in this group of friends,
960
00:39:05,093 --> 00:39:08,054
and wants to have
that kind of bittersweet moment
961
00:39:08,054 --> 00:39:09,305
of saying farewell.
962
00:39:09,305 --> 00:39:10,473
-Should we get some coffee?
963
00:39:10,473 --> 00:39:12,600
-[ Sniffles ]
-Sure.
964
00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:13,977
-Okay.
965
00:39:13,977 --> 00:39:15,103
-Where?
966
00:39:15,103 --> 00:39:16,354
[ Laughter ]
967
00:39:16,354 --> 00:39:18,398
-It'll take over 15 years
968
00:39:18,398 --> 00:39:22,360
before this beloved ensemble
is seen together on TV.
969
00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:26,447
In 2021, James Corden hosts
a 2-hour reunion special.
970
00:39:26,447 --> 00:39:27,699
-Look at this.
971
00:39:27,699 --> 00:39:29,659
Look at all of you.
-Hello!
972
00:39:29,659 --> 00:39:30,952
[ Cheers and applause ]
973
00:39:30,952 --> 00:39:33,121
-The following year,
Matthew Perry,
974
00:39:33,121 --> 00:39:35,415
now two and a half years
in recovery,
975
00:39:35,415 --> 00:39:38,376
releases "Friends, Lovers,
and the Big Terrible Thing."
976
00:39:38,376 --> 00:39:40,253
-Is everybody rolling?
977
00:39:40,253 --> 00:39:42,547
His autobiography opens
with a foreboding
978
00:39:42,547 --> 00:39:45,758
couple of sentences
about the big terrible thing.
979
00:39:45,758 --> 00:39:47,677
Diane Sawyer reads it aloud
980
00:39:47,677 --> 00:39:50,013
in her hour-long interview
with the actor.
981
00:39:50,013 --> 00:39:51,556
-First page.
982
00:39:51,556 --> 00:39:53,558
"Hi, my name is Matthew.
983
00:39:53,558 --> 00:39:55,476
Although you may know me
by another name,
984
00:39:55,476 --> 00:39:59,772
my friends call me Matty,
and I should be dead."
985
00:39:59,772 --> 00:40:00,857
-Yeah.
986
00:40:00,857 --> 00:40:02,734
He seemed to have some very,
987
00:40:02,734 --> 00:40:05,028
very serious, uh, uh, issues.
988
00:40:05,028 --> 00:40:07,488
And he describes them
and they're harrowing.
989
00:40:07,488 --> 00:40:11,200
-I was actually on methadone,
Xanax, cocaine,
990
00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:13,536
and a full quart of vodka a day.
991
00:40:13,536 --> 00:40:17,832
-But for all that, I don't
think anybody saw it coming.
992
00:40:17,832 --> 00:40:19,167
-Hollywood
mourning the loss
993
00:40:19,167 --> 00:40:20,293
of one of its "Friends."
994
00:40:20,293 --> 00:40:22,378
-My heart sank.
995
00:40:28,426 --> 00:40:31,804
-20 years after taking
their final bow,
996
00:40:31,804 --> 00:40:34,432
the cast of "Friends"
continues to reap the benefits
997
00:40:34,432 --> 00:40:38,478
from being on one of the biggest
shows in television history,
998
00:40:38,478 --> 00:40:41,272
including a piece of
the global sales of the sitcom
999
00:40:41,272 --> 00:40:44,651
that earns each actor
an estimated $20 million a year.
1000
00:40:44,651 --> 00:40:48,613
That's a reward
few TV actors will ever receive.
1001
00:40:48,613 --> 00:40:50,907
But on the press tour
for his memoir,
1002
00:40:50,907 --> 00:40:53,451
Matthew Perry laments
the unique price
1003
00:40:53,451 --> 00:40:55,286
he paid for their
shared success.
1004
00:40:55,286 --> 00:40:56,955
-It's not fair.
-It's not fair.
1005
00:40:56,955 --> 00:40:58,998
That I had to go through --
1006
00:40:58,998 --> 00:41:01,250
That I had to go through
this disease
1007
00:41:01,250 --> 00:41:03,670
while the other five didn't.
1008
00:41:03,670 --> 00:41:05,922
They got everything that I got,
1009
00:41:05,922 --> 00:41:07,965
but I had to fight this thing.
1010
00:41:07,965 --> 00:41:11,761
-The book success feels
like a victory lap for Perry.
1011
00:41:11,761 --> 00:41:15,056
Making the news one year later
all the more shocking.
1012
00:41:15,056 --> 00:41:16,307
-Hollywood mourning
the loss
1013
00:41:16,307 --> 00:41:17,475
of one of its "Friends."
1014
00:41:17,475 --> 00:41:18,810
-The beloved "Friends" star
1015
00:41:18,810 --> 00:41:20,937
was reportedly discovered dead
1016
00:41:20,937 --> 00:41:24,232
in the Jacuzzi of his L.A.
area home this afternoon.
1017
00:41:24,232 --> 00:41:27,443
-Matthew Perry did die
from acute effects of ketamine
1018
00:41:27,443 --> 00:41:29,028
and subsequent drowning.
1019
00:41:29,028 --> 00:41:30,488
-They've been leaving flowers.
1020
00:41:30,488 --> 00:41:32,907
We actually saw people crying
out here today.
1021
00:41:32,907 --> 00:41:35,451
-My phone suddenly filled
with texts.
1022
00:41:35,451 --> 00:41:36,703
I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
1023
00:41:36,703 --> 00:41:37,995
I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
1024
00:41:37,995 --> 00:41:40,707
♪♪
1025
00:41:40,707 --> 00:41:42,333
My heart sink.
1026
00:41:42,333 --> 00:41:44,293
-Perry's famous castmates,
1027
00:41:44,293 --> 00:41:46,337
his friends on screen and off,
1028
00:41:46,337 --> 00:41:49,632
are united in their grief
over his passing.
1029
00:41:58,182 --> 00:42:00,518
-I certainly hope
that Matthew Perry's legacy
1030
00:42:00,518 --> 00:42:04,856
will lead with his advocacy
1031
00:42:04,856 --> 00:42:08,276
on behalf
of addiction awareness.
1032
00:42:08,276 --> 00:42:10,236
Certainly toward
the end of his life,
1033
00:42:10,236 --> 00:42:12,989
he went all out on that.
1034
00:42:12,989 --> 00:42:15,366
-Like, it's not fun
to talk about this stuff.
1035
00:42:15,366 --> 00:42:19,454
I don't -- I don't like
talking about it, but...
1036
00:42:19,454 --> 00:42:21,622
I know it's going to help
people to talk about it.
1037
00:42:21,622 --> 00:42:24,667
-In terms of his legacy
as it pertains to "Friends,"
1038
00:42:24,667 --> 00:42:26,461
the fact that,
like,
1039
00:42:26,461 --> 00:42:28,880
everybody started to speak
a little bit more like Chandler,
1040
00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:32,383
which just didn't exist
until he was on television.
1041
00:42:32,383 --> 00:42:34,052
-Could you want her more?
1042
00:42:34,052 --> 00:42:35,428
[ Laughter ]
1043
00:42:35,428 --> 00:42:37,972
Could I be more sorry?
1044
00:42:37,972 --> 00:42:40,391
-You can go find actual studies
1045
00:42:40,391 --> 00:42:41,809
that look into the way
1046
00:42:41,809 --> 00:42:44,103
that "Friends" influenced
1047
00:42:44,103 --> 00:42:46,314
patterns of speech
in Americans.
1048
00:42:46,314 --> 00:42:48,149
-Could that report be any later?
1049
00:42:48,149 --> 00:42:50,234
[ Laughter ]
1050
00:42:50,234 --> 00:42:51,360
-Yeah,
I don't sound like that.
1051
00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:52,528
That is so not true.
1052
00:42:52,528 --> 00:42:54,155
-Oh.
[ Laughter ]
1053
00:42:54,155 --> 00:42:55,281
-He invented that.
1054
00:42:55,281 --> 00:42:56,908
-The "Friends" phenomenon
1055
00:42:56,908 --> 00:42:59,368
will be reckoned with
for years to come,
1056
00:42:59,368 --> 00:43:02,872
as this wildly popular sitcom
from the '90s
1057
00:43:02,872 --> 00:43:06,918
is still one of the most
watched television shows today.
1058
00:43:06,918 --> 00:43:09,462
-This idea that
your friends will stick together
1059
00:43:09,462 --> 00:43:12,048
and follow you throughout
every change in your life,
1060
00:43:12,048 --> 00:43:13,674
I think,
is an extremely appealing
1061
00:43:13,674 --> 00:43:17,136
and durable fantasy
for many people.
1062
00:43:17,136 --> 00:43:20,139
-It's like a time
where people weren't,
1063
00:43:20,139 --> 00:43:22,391
you know,
worried about climate change
1064
00:43:22,391 --> 00:43:26,187
and the country
wasn't so politically divided.
1065
00:43:26,187 --> 00:43:29,607
And I think that that's
comforting to people.
1066
00:43:29,607 --> 00:43:32,693
-In the fragmented era
of streaming,
1067
00:43:32,693 --> 00:43:34,737
where you can watch
whatever you want,
1068
00:43:34,737 --> 00:43:35,822
whenever you want.
1069
00:43:35,822 --> 00:43:37,406
This is still very much
1070
00:43:37,406 --> 00:43:41,119
one of the last bastions
of mass culture.
1071
00:43:41,119 --> 00:43:43,287
In spite of all of its problems,
1072
00:43:43,287 --> 00:43:46,207
and it's total fantasy quality.
1073
00:43:46,207 --> 00:43:49,293
"Friends" really penetrated
American culture
1074
00:43:49,293 --> 00:43:51,462
in a way that few things
can anymore.
1075
00:43:51,462 --> 00:43:55,049
♪♪