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The one-sentence pitch that got Friends greenlit

Creators of the beloved sitcom appeared on the newly released reunion special

Louis Chilton
Thursday 27 May 2021 20:25 BST
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HBO Max release trailer for Friends: The Reunion

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One of Friends’ creators has revealed the one-sentence pitch that sold the show.

Creators Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane all featured on the Friends reunion special, which has been released today.

Speaking about the show’s origins, Kauffman said: “There we were in our twenties in New York, trying to make a living and find love.

“We drew on relatives of ours, and friends of ours. We named Chandler after a friend of mine. We definitely pulled from our lives.”

“It’s just about the friends,” said Crane. “We’re following all of their stories equally, which we felt like we hadn’t seen before.

“The one-sentence pitch is: it’s about that time in your life when your friends are your family.”

As well as the creators and a litany of celebrity guests, Friends: The Reunion also saw core cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer reunite to reminisce about the beloved sitcom.

Elsewhere on the reunion special, LeBlanc explained to viewers how a drunken incident the night before his audition for Friends helped land him the role of Joey, and Schwimmer failed to remember one of the series’ classic episodes.

Watch Friends: The Reunion on Sky One and streaming service NOW from today (27 May).

You can read The Independent’s four-star review of the special here.

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