Friends: Were Chandler & Joey Initially Not Going To Stay Across The Hall From Monica & Rachel? Here’s What Reports Reveal

As someone who grew up with Friends as a constant companion, I can’t help but marvel at the intricacies that went into creating such a timeless masterpiece. The revelation about the initial plan to place Chandler and Joey’s apartment away from Monica and Rachel’s is fascinating. If that had happened, I shudder to think what would have become of those iconic hallway scenes!


Friends has long been a highly influential TV show. The six characters’ interactions, combined with their personal life struggles, kept viewers hooked. As the series approaches its 30th anniversary since airing, the designer responsible for setting up the apartments used on set has disclosed fascinating behind-the-scenes facts.

During a chat with Architectural Digest, John Shaffner mentioned that the original intention was to create Chandler and Joey’s living space separate from Monica and Rachel’s apartment.

As a devoted fan, I ponder what could have transpired if the creators had adhered to their original blueprint. This alternative path might have significantly reshaped the narrative arc of the series, and potentially strained the budgets as well.

Shaffner elaborated more to the media outlet about his conversation with the show’s creators, suggesting they position the boys in a location adjacent to Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston’s characters instead.

A member of the design team remembers discussing with Kevin Bright about creating an additional stage for the show, suggesting to him, “It might be beneficial to have another performance area. Don’t you think it would make sense for Joey and Chandler, played by Matt LeBlanc and the late Matthew Perry, to live in adjacent apartments instead?

Bright was convinced with the idea and went on with the plan to let Chandler and Joey live across the hall, which ultimately led to the audience getting a lot of legendary scenes between the characters in the hallway. 

In the initial season, Shaffner proposed a humorous element: consistently having the characters’ apartments located upstairs in the building, making them often pant and struggle on their way back to their flats from the coffee shop.

Frankly speaking, when the notion of incorporating those jokes crossed my mind, I found myself hesitating, whispering to myself, “Ah, this might be outdated humor.” But then, rather than letting them gather dust on some forgotten shelf, we gracefully lowered them a few rungs and moved on without another thought.

In the meantime, enthusiasts of the Friends series are marking its 30th anniversary on September 22 by producing edits and videos featuring the cast members and the show itself.

The main actors in the TV show included Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston, with Matthew Perry playing Chandler, Matt Le Blanc portraying Joey, David Schwimmer in the role of Ross, and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe.

Additionally, the television series featured several guest appearances by well-known figures in the entertainment world, including Julia Roberts, Jon Favreau, Reese Witherspoon, Christina Applegate, and Brad Pitt, to name a few.

Friends ran on NBC for 10 seasons from 1994 till 2004. 

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2024-09-19 18:37