"Friends"

The show "Friends" was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman in 1994. According to an interview done by MSN. The idea for the series was conceived when Crane and Kauffman began thinking about the time when they had finished college and started living by themselves in New York; a time when like was a "question mark."

They found the concept to be interesting, as they believed "everybody knows that feeling", and because it was also how they felt about their own lives at the time. Since those years, when you are young and life is fresh, are so vibrant in people's memorie, they thought of making a show about it.


The first season was shot on Stage 5 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. At first the NBC executives worried that the coffee house setting was too "hip", but eventually consented to the coffee house concept.

The first season was filmed in a fountain at the Warner Bros. Ranch at 4:00 am, while it was particularly cold for a Burbank morning. At the beginning of the second season, production moved to the larger Stage 24, which was renamed "The Friends Stage" after the series finale.

Filming for the series began in the summer of 1994 in front of a live audience, who were given a summary of the series to familiarize themselves with the six main characters; a hired comedian entertained the studio audience between takes. Each 22-minute episode took six hours to film—twice the length of most sitcom tapings—mainly due to the several retakes and rewrites of the script.



During ing in interview with Ken Bright, one of the original executive producers, by USA Today, Ken Bright explained that although the producers always wanted to find the right stories to take advantage of being on location, Friends was never shot in New York. Bright felt that filming outside the studio made episodes less funny, even when shooting on the lot outside, and that the live audience was an integral part of the series.

When the series was criticized for incorrectly depicting New York, with the financially struggling group of friends being able to afford huge apartments, Bright noted that the set had to be big enough for the cameras, lighting, and "for the audience to be able to see what's going on"; the apartments also needed to provide a place for the actors to execute the funny scenes.
The fourth season finale was shot on location in London because the producers knew of the country's large fanbase.The scenes were shot in a studio with three audiences of 500 each, the show's largest audiences throughout its run. Although most people thought the fifth season finale was filmed on location in Las Vegas, the episode was filmed at Warner Bros. Studios.

Within the first year it started airing on TV, it became the 4th most watched television show in history.

"Friends" became such a popular show because each episod is packed full of comedy. The show had a moderate commitment; although the characters develop over time, throughout the seasons, it isn't necessary to watch every show to follow the story or be entertained. It's a great show to watch after a long day of work or if you just want to veg. The show is full of comedy from real life situations, events that could happen within any group of friends, making the show appealing.



According to a summary of the relationships of the "Friends" character, Rachel Green and Monica Gellar were best friends in high school, and after Rachel ran out on her wedding with Barry, she moved in with Monica. Monica Gellar and Ross Gellar are brother and sister, so Ross and Rachel became acquainted in high school. Ross Gellar and Chandler Bing met in college and became best friends,and Chandler met Rachel and Monica when Ross brought him home on Thanksgiving. Pheobe Buffay was Monica's old roomate before the show started and Joey Tribiani came into the picture when he moved in with Chandler, also before the show started.