Four ‘Friends’ Subplots That Were Scrapped at the Last Minute
A lot of crazy stuff happened to the Friends gang over the course of 10 seasons, not the least of which being the time they gleefully splashed around in a city park fountain but somehow weren’t arrested for public drunkenness.
But not every Friends scene ended up making it to the air/streaming services decades later. It turns out that a number of storylines ended up on the cutting room floor, such as…
Ross Claims That He Wrote ‘Die Hard’
Ross’ all-time worst argument, beyond his feeble justifications for cheating on Rachel, was cut out of “The One with Chandler in a Box.” Dr. Geller makes the wild claim he came up with the idea for Die Hard prior to the film’s release, and even has a napkin to prove it! Ross’ story is easily disprovable since Die Hard was based on a novel from the 1960s. Unless he penned an action movie treatment as a toddler.
This was supposed to be part of a running gag in which Ross would claim credit for popular movie ideas, including Jurassic Park. Ross never brought it up again, not even when a dead ringer for John McClane was dating his ex.
Monica’s Dad Tries to Beat Up Richard
When Monica’s dad Jack (played by the great Elliott Gould) finds out that she’s dating his 47-year-old buddy Richard, he’s understandably shocked.
But the same episode was originally going to end with Jack confessing to his daughter that he went over to Richard’s apartment to “punch him in the nose.” Apparently they ended up drinking beer and watching sports instead.
Chandler Tears Off His Mother-in-Law’s Dress
When Chandler and Monica finally get hitched, he’s unable to dance at the reception, despite having taken lessons, thanks to a pair of overly-slippery dress shoes. Instead of simply taking his shoes off like anyone not living inside of a sitcom would do, Chandler tries to dance without moving his feet at all.
Originally, this storyline led to disaster: Chandler falls on the dance floor while chatting with his new mother-in-law Judy, and inadvertently yanks off her dress.
Chandler Jokes About Bringing About Bomb to the Airport… in 2001
“The One Where Rachel Tells Ross” finds Monica and Chandler embarking on their honeymoon, and originally featured a subplot in which Chandler cracks a joke about having a bomb while going through airport security, which leads to the newlyweds being detained and interrogated.
That may not have been a big deal when they filmed it in the summer of 2001, but the episode was scheduled to air just two weeks after 9/11.
These scenes were cut from the final broadcast, thus ensuring that the last two seasons of Friends weren’t about Chandler being imprisoned without trial in Guantanamo Bay.
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