>> thank you. >> thank you. the cnn special report premieres here at 9:00 on cnn. >> i'm anna cabrera. "friends forever" starts right now. >> announcer: the following is a cnn special report. we were on a break! >> there is no half-hour comedy that's ever been more successful. >> how are you doing? >> there are 12-year-olds who are discovering this show. it's crazy. ♪ smelly cat, smelly cat >> the hours and intensity were so brutal. >> we are so over. >> fine by me. >> it's the 25th anniversary. now the truth can be told. >> "friends" was set in new york city but film in los angeles and that's why this is the first time in 25 years that the most

memorable piece of furniture from the show is actually in front of a fountain in central park. so let's take a look back at the "friends" magic and what's next for this tv juggernaut that really never went away. this is "friends forever" 25 years of laughter. we're here in burbank, california on the warner brother's lot, and since this studio was founded in 1923, tens of thousands of tv shows and films have been created here. so throughout this hour, we're going to give you a behind the scenes tour of the "friends" home. let's start at the beginning. ♪ ♪ >> the early titles of this

show, what were you considering? >> insomnia cafe. we were driving down the street and i thought that was an amazing name and interesting setting. >> why not? >> i don't think the network liked it. we talked about friends like us, the six of us across the hall. >> i just want to be married again. >> we ended up simply with "friends." >> and i just want a million dollars. >> our partner kevin bright said if we get a good time slot you can call it cavorkian for all i care. >> "mad about you" opened up thursday night at 8:00. not a bad lead in of a young adult marriage. and then the led out was "seinfeld". >> when i'll driving i let people ahead of me all the time. i'm always waving everybody in

go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. >> oh. >> no, don't, stop cleansing my ora. >> pilots are difficult because your job is to give a lot of ex position and background. >> everybody, this is rachel. another lincoln high survivor. this is chandler and phoebe and joey and you remember my brother ross? >> sure. >> oh, god. >> and you're also doing kind of a sell job on an audience why they are supposed to like these people and possibly tune in next week. >> you okay, sweetie? >> i feel like someone reached down my throat, grabbed my small intestine, pulled it out of my mouth and tied it around my neck. cookie? >> you don't know what's going to hit. the dream was let's not get cancelled after six episodes. that was our goal. >> you're the only person i knew who lived here in the city who wasn't invited to the wedding. >> i was kind of hoping that

wouldn't be an issue. >> you know, what i remember is that when they tested it, it didn't do that well which is very scary. >> what if i don't want to be a shoe. what if i want to be a purse or a hat? >> how does a network still have confidence in it after it tests poorly? >> they were smart. >> if you don't feel like being alone tonight, joey and chandler are coming together to help me put together my new furniture. >> yes, we're excited about it. >> i hope she'll be very happy. >> no, you don't. >> no, i don't. to hell with her, she left me. >> you never knew she was a lesbian. >> we had a sense of they really know what they are doing. >> there is nothing to tell. some guy i work with. >> come on. you're going out with a guy. there has to be something wrong with him. >> so does he have a hump, a hump and a hairpiece?

>> it was less conventional than what was on tv at that time, except for "seinfeld" definitely but nbc was a little uncomfortable. in the first episode, monica sleeps with a guy on a first date. >> paul, this is everybody. everybody, this is paul. >> someone she's crazy about. he tells her falsehood and makes her take a fall for him. >> ever since she left me, i haven't been able to perform sexually. >> and nbc was very concerned. >> what the hell do you do? >> and they handed out a survey to the audience that was so skewed and it was some version of do you think monica is a, a slut, b a whore, c, easy, d all of the above for sleeping with someone on a first date. that's leading the witnesses. >> you had sex, didn't you?

>> they didn't care. nobody checked those boxes. everybody was like we don't care. >> you mean you know paul like i know paul? >> are you kidding? i take credit for paul. before me there was no snap in his turtle for two years. >> i hate to admit this, but moni monica's story and the pilot was an experience i had in college. >> hold on a second. you went on a date with a guy you really liked and he fed you a line, a b.s. line. >> uh-huh. >> about how he was so heart broken he hadn't been able to have sex for two years. >> that is correct. >> and you fell for it. >> i fell for it hook line and sinker. >> of course it was a line. >> they were also nervous that there wasn't an older character. >> she got the furniture, the stereo, the good tv. what did you get? >> you got screwed. >> they were afraid older people

weren't going to watch the show. >> all right, kids, i got to get to work. if i input those numbers, doesn't make much of a difference. >> we tried, actually. we did one script of a cop on the beat that comes in and chats with the friends. so horrible that we went no, and we threw it out. what we said to the network is we will introduce parents for all these characters. >> i told her you had a restaurant -- >> mom, i don't have a restaurant. i work in a restaurant. >> well, they don't have to know that. >> when i read the first episode, i thought wow, this is good. and i loved my character. >> we're having spaghetti. that's easy. >> because it was extremely funny but it had a lot of heart. >> those earrings look really lovely on you. >> thank you. they're yours. >> actually, they were fan thrw

>> why did you want to take a risk with this show that wasn't yet established. >> i thought the ensemble work, two different talents was very good. i did have a good eye and so i said yes, you just start with half a dozen european cities and ball y bam, you have a book. >> you got a job. >> are you kidding? i'm trained for nothing. >> courtney cox who was the most notable name at the time had been in a hit movie that year. a pet detective. >> if you do anything to embarrass me in front of camp. >> like this? >> she was kind of the most bankable name and nbc wanted

courtney cox to be front and center. >> anyway. >> they all made a pact very soon to stay together, negotiate together, nominate themselves so there wouldn't be a demark cawh was the biggest star and who wasn't. >> that little naked guy could be me. >> look at the little thing. >> yes. ♪ ♪ your job is a joke, you're broke, your love life ♪ >> the theme song which is so iconic, how did that happen? >> the music was composed by my ex-husband. >> how did it come to pass you guys sang the theme song for "friends". >> we got the offer on wednesday and went over it on thursday with the music director and cut the song on saturday and it aired on the following thursday. ♪ i'll be there for you >> this is the famous fountain

you see on the opening sequence of every episode. a few things you should know, first, it's not in new york city. it's on the warner brother's lot in los angeles. they shot this at 4:00 in the morning. the actors were freezing and wet. how were they cast and which ones almost didn't make the cut? all that when we come back. people, our sales now apply to only 10 frames.

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okay, so i'm response skpibd organized but i can be a cooc. >> when do we get to meet the guy? >> never. >> okay. >> heads up. >> score! >> how was rachel cast? >> we asked her to do the rachel character. >> rachel and she's pretty and warm and said no, no, no, i

totally see myself doing man mo man co- co- -- monica. >> i connected with her. i was going to play rachel. more corky. >> oh my god! >> look, look, look, my first paycheck. >> look in the window. there is my name. hi, me. >> latte. [ laughter ] >> and an iced tea. getting pretty good at this. >> excellent. >> really good. >> good for me. >> rachel is really difficult part because on the face of it, it could be a really unlikable character. >> well, maybe that's my decision. well, maybe i don't need your money.

wait, wait, i said maybe. >> she's selfish and spoiled and walked out on a guy during her wedding. >> i was on another show at the time. >> jennifer aniston was in first position to another series called "muddling through." ♪ ♪ >> if that show had succeeded, we already shot like four, five episodes, we would have had to reshoot the first five episodes of "friends" with another actress. >> are you going to eat that steak or argue with it? >> we're going forward and we'll do everything in our power to kill "muddling through". >> tell me something, how often do we have steak on the hmenu. >> hardly ever. >> that's right. what you have there is a rare steak. >> we said all right, danielle steel movies up against "muddling through." we'll talk out the audience that would probably watch that sitcom on a saturday night and it worked. >> saturday night, the big

night. date night, saturday night. saturday night. >> now you're choking. >> are you all right? >> okay. i don't sound like that. that is so not true. [ laughter ] that is so not. that is so not -- that -- oh, shut up. >> matthew perperry, you really wanted him. >> he was the first person we offered chandler to and he was doing another show called "l "lax 2194". >> about baggage handlers in the year 2194. i sorted out alien's luggage. >> that is not a winning title. >> no, it's not. it's not. but that was in first position. >> that happens when you find a talent that you think is perfect for a role and you'll take the chance, the other show will fail and they will become available. >> we were nervous about it but saw a million people and made an

offer to someone else. >> who? >> no. >> it's the 25th anniversary. now the truth can be told. >> he's a lovely actor named craig bierco and he didn't want to do an ensemble show. >> i'll go with not craig's best decision. >> today is the day we first consummated our physical relationship. sex. >> surprise. >> i don't know. you don't want to mess with corn nuts. they are crazy. >> we had auditioned david for a previous pilot as we started writing this script, we thought you know who would be good for ross? david? he would be great for i guess

>> there was something about his expression and his delivery and this guy who was sort of a victim of the world that we just loved. just loved it. >> oh, oh, oh, my butt check is waking up. oh. okay. thank you very much. >> what's going on? >> oh, oh, oh. so great. >> lisa kudrow came into the audition and nailed it. she just nailed it. >> oh my god, don't do that. >> what, what, what? >> that man across the street just kicked that pigeon. >> lisa had made appearances on "mad about you." >> my partner jeffrey clergy was working on "mad about you". >> one iced tea and one nice cool bowl of water.

>> when we were writing this script, he said oh, you have to, phoebe is lisa kudrow. when you see her, you won't want to see anybody else. >> when i'm with a woman, i need to know i'm going out with more people than she is. >> can you stop yelling? you're making me nervous and -- lau[ laughter ] >> how are you doing? >> i auditioned about i guess five or six times. >> matt leblanc was the greenest in terms of acting so why did you risk hiring him? >> i have to admit, there was a little nervousness about that, and the woman who was the head of casting at warner brothers at the time looked me in the eye and said he can do it. >> joey, stop hitting on her. it's her wedding day. >> what? like there is a rule or something. >> when we originally wrote the part of joey, he was supposed to be more of this kind of like

sexy actor, intense guy and it wasn't funny. and then he came in and when matt read it, suddenly, it was really funny. >> oh, ross. [ laughter ] >> you get me so hot. i want your lips on me now. >> huh? ♪ ♪ >> about 3,000 people per day. that's more than half a million per year take the warner brother's studio tour and when they do, they come to this iconic couch in central perk. that's how big of a phenomenon "friends" still is. so what happens to the cast members when a show becomes that type of smash success? well, it turns out some dealt with their fame better than others. that part of the story when we come back.

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how good of friends are you? i'll start with you, lisa. >> very good friends. >> that's what was happening at the end of season one. >> you guys watch the show

together? do you get together on thursday nights? >> we were better about that in the beginning. >> i was with them in chicago, and it was a little bit like beetle mania. >> i want to know how your new found fame changed your personal lives. >> not at all. >> how did they respond to being on oprah. >> very nervous. >> are you anything like the character you play? >> i think to a certain extend, yeah. >> the friends were already getting big but oprah is oprah. >> what else did he say? does he want to go out with me? >> given he's desperately in love with you, he probably wouldn't mind getting a cup of coffee or something. >> we did crazy hours. >> all this time? >> and so i think we were living in a bubble. we weren't really that aware of what was happening to the show, to the cast outside of our bubble and i remember after the first season ended, my partner

jeffrey and i were walking through the airport because we're finally getting a vacation and looked at the news stand and there is -- they are on every cover. it was crazy. >> i remember getting in my car and driving away from warner brother's one day and i just turn on the radio. >> and there was the theme song and to me, that was wow. this is big. this is huge. when we started the second season, we were the number one show on television. [ laughter ] >> rach. >> we had hit the home run, the grand slam home run. we were on everyone's lips, and we were in their hearts. >> oh my god, ross, no, hang up the phone. give me the phone. give me the phone. >> is that when nbc started to try to capitalize on them and their success? >> there was this opportunity to do a diet coke commercial and for some reason, we all said

yes. >> buy specially marked packages of diet coke, watch the diet coke commercial during "friends". >> there was this diet coke commercial people didn't seem to like. >> why was there backlash? >> the truth is you had warner brothers and you had nbc wanting to capitalize on their show. >> i feel violated and not in a good way. >> for many years, we were the most watched television series in the history of television. >> is that what you want to hear? >> i didn't do it. i wasn't mad. wasn't me. >> it seemed like "friends" was everywhere. >> we were over saturated and we needed to get back to what we were best at, which is telling little stories. >> and we actually sat in the boardroom at nbc and said maybe we need to pull back and just let it breathe.

i spent 20 years at nbc. i never had that discussion about a show ever. it was new territory for us. >> do we dare? >> we dare. so friends was working in a big way. it was a hit. >> ♪ smelly cat, what are they feeding you ♪ smelly cat, smelly cat ♪ >> when there is success, contracts get torn up. >> the two breakout stars were david and jennifer aniston. [ laughter ] >> and so they ended up being approached by nbc to renew their contracts with the thought that they would be rewarded handsomely for becoming big

stars. and traditionally, in a negotiation, once you get one, then you get another and then everyone kind of is forced to fall in line. >> and david swimmer came to the conclusion it will be in everyone's interest to have a lock step negotiation where everyone received the same amount of money. his feeling was, we're all doing the same amount of work, why should we be paid differently for doing the same thing? >> all right, listen, if you want this cart, you have to take me with it. >> so i remember being in a strategy session where the business affairs said whoa, bold move. the cast united. we have to negotiate with them as one. from, i think, season two on, they were equals, and in the history of television, probably

the highest compensation that any actors ever had. >> did they really develop a true friendship or what was it like? >> yeah, they were very close. you know, they all got shot through a cannon together. they took care of each other and supported each other. >> i think they loved each other and that came across, and even when one of them would have a struggle, you could sort of see the others step income to property each other up. >> was there anyone for whom all of this, all the smash, all of the limelight took a bigger toll on? >> i think that it's very pub welco -- publicly known the show took a toll on perry. >> i was in denial about alcoholism and addiction. once i had a drink, i could not stop. i couldn't stop. >> now you stay out here and you think about what you did.

>> that's a duck. >> that's a bad duck. >> i did show up to work in states of just insane hangover. >> in the history of television, producers have acted towards a cast member who has an addiction problem usually by either letting them kill themselves or stepping up and realizing that this is a disease, and this is not something that he's doing maliciously to hurt the show, or irresponsibly as an actor. so i feel very proud that all of us stood up with matthew and held him up at times. i feel like we did the right thing in never letting him down. >> the building you see behind me is the iconic county general

hospital and e.r. set in chicago. then you take a few steps this way and here you find what "friends" used as central park in new york. this is where they filmed some of the funniest to the door sce -- outdoor scenes.outdoor scenes. >> hey, shot for the horse. >> the writers were always looking for ways to up the ante to get better jokes, bigger laughs, it got tough or as chandler might say, could they be any more stressed? when we return. all money managers might seem the same,

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in sex, bad job, hit show, go figure. go figure. why do you think it's a hit? >> the writing. >> begins with the writing, right? >> yeah. >> shut up. the camera adds ten pounds. >> so how many cameras are actually on you? >> writing was the best i've ever worked on in a sitcom. >> first they go off one side, they move it over and go up the other side and move it back and then do the rear.

[ laughter ] >> ross, will you tell them, isn't that how a taylda tailer s panels? >> in prison. >> we love what was coming out of their typewriters and going onto the stage and we felt the chemistry of that cast. >> joey. >> thank you. >> monica. i'm your best friend. >> sweetie. don't worry. we'll get picked. chandler? >> i don't think anybody realizes how hard this show is to write. there is always six characters we have to service and a lot of them dove tail into each other. that's extraordinary writing. >> is there a different structure of "friends" than other sitcoms? >> i guess the tradition in sitcoms had been that there was always an a and a b story. and the b story was kind of a frivolous story but we had six cast members. we had an a, a b and a c story

every ensopisodeepisode. >> these are funny people gather in a room together doing their utmost to win the game, right? to tell the funniest joke and come up with the funniest line and win over their fellow writers. i think the challenging part is that the hours and the intense tes were so brutal. >> very often we would stay all night trying to get it right because our feeling is you know what? this will shoot at the end of the week so we better get it right now. >> is it still funny? >> they would be there after midnight and it would be 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, sometimes that's when the best punch lines would emerge. >> so what was it like in the writer's room? were those hours like? >> those were some rough hours. i mean, i had nights where i'd be driving home and the sun would be coming up and get my kids ready for school and have to go back to work.

>> i'd say for three years, i didn't sit down to one meal with my children. >> take me through the week, david. >> we would have a table read with the whole writing staff, the production, heads of production, the executive producers. >> if it gets a laugh, then it's worth keeping. >> if we were in prison, you guys would be like my was an ab experience because marta and david were never satisfied. >> on tuesdays, we would go to the first rehearsal, and then we would have to go back and rewrite. >> after matthew says. >> they were nervous about certain things. they were nervous about some of the sexual stuff. >> it was a huge battle with broadcast standards. >> so we're suddenly being told you can't use the word nipple and you have to figure out a way to get the same idea across so

we came up with nipular. >> this is ridiculous. >> can i say one thing? >> what? what? >> that's a relatively open weave and i can still see your nipular area. >> we pushed the boundaries. marta and david fought for everything that they did, and we stayed relevant. and we made some progress. >> we said your parents flipped a coin, decided to raise you as a girl but you still had a hint at a penis. >> there was a point you could say penis and then you couldn't say it. then you could say penis again. >> okay, look, penis, we're all people. >> there would be debates like all right, you can say penis once and you got it three times and we're like all right, i'll give you two penises if we can say this somewhere else in the

script. >> charles? >> you had really fun lines, right? >> oh, yeah. >> you got to say penis. >> i could not believe they let that in. >> aren't you a little old to be wearing a dress like that? >> don't you have a little too much penis to wear a dress like that? >> oh my god. >> 2001, transgender character was pretty ground breaking, i think. >> i know. i know. i thought they were being very brave and then of course, when i turned out to be married to morgan fairchild, really had to get my head around that one. >> you look beautiful, mom. you look beautiful, too, dad. [ laughter ] >> what was the writing process like? did they keep updating the script? >> it's kind of like any of the sitcoms, you come and do a read through and see what works and

then sometimes they would come up with other things in the middle of it and add something. >> don't take this personally, okay? i can't have sex with a sick person. >> you know, if a line isn't working and driving me crazy that i, you know, that i can't make this work, we'll all work together and try to figure out some other line or the best way to do it. >> matthew perry, he brings his own spin to everything. when we write a line, we hear it in our head a certain way. he will deliberately pick another word in that sentence to emphasize. >> if you seen joey? >> what does it matter? >> just this. >> a joke doesn't get a big laugh with the actual studio audience, we would sort of huddle and all the writers would put our heads together and come up with a better joke. it was worth it because that's what is going on television. >> joey, i'm a little show.

>> that's okay, ross, you can ask me. >> let's talk about one of the episodes, the one with all the poker. what was it about that episode? >> the people that make friends realize they need to figure out a way to conjoin the comedy and emotion. the way that this episode manages to be really funny and to leave us with a lump in our throats ends up being the formula "friends" manages to utilize really well working forward. >> that's a tough hand to beat. >> when you don't have the cards, you don't have the cards. look how happy she is. [ laughter ] >> here it is, stage 24 where most of the "friends" episodes were filmed. warner brothers even put up a special plaque commemorating it. so, when we come back, we'll show you who is filming in there now.

here is a hint. it's another wildly popular show that reunited after 20 years. will "friends" do the same? that when we return. t-mobile's newest signal reaches farther than ever before. with more engineers. more towers. more coverage! it's a network that gives you ♪freedom from big cities, to small towns, we're with you. because life can take you almost anywhere, t-mobile is with you. no signal goes farther or is more reliable in keeping you connected. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two.

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>> yeah, it did. >> i think there was so much awful stuff on the news, in the world, i think it was like having your friends over and had love, you know and hope. >> i want to have a baby. i'm going to have a baby. i'm going to have a baby! >> how hard was it to wrap up all the story lines for the season finally? >> was really hard. it was really hard because i mean, some things were somewhat predictable, so we had to do them in ways unpredictable. >> let her off the plane! >> i am afraid you are going to have to take your seat. >> oh, please, miss, you don't understand. >> try to understand! >> oh, come on, miss, isn't there anyway to let me off the [ bleep ] -- >> no, no.

>> like everybody basically knew ross and rachel would have to end up together. we just had to figure out how that was sup prierprisinsurpris >> oh my god, did she get off the plane? >> i got off the plane. [ cheers and applause ] >> you got off the plane. [ cheers and applause ] >> there was one thing that finally appeared in the last episode. it was the reveal of how they got the apartment. there was always a lot of talk, how did they afford it, it's television, leave me alone. but we thought sooner or later we may have to get to that. >> look around, you guys.

this was your first home. and it was a happy place, filled with love and laughter. but more important, because of rent control, it was a freaking steal. >> i think marta and david, from the very first time they pitched the show, they had a sense of where they were going. >> this is harder than i thought it would be. >> oh, it's going to be okay. >> they knew what the audience wanted. and they delivered in a wonderfully satisfying way. >> should we get some coffee? >> ten seasons. our goal was not to get cancelled. >> what was the key to having a smash hit for ten years? >> it starts with the cast and with the writing. >> hey! >> hey. >> hey. >> oh, the food smells great. >> we told universal stories that everybody could relate to. >> happy thanksgiving, everybody. >> well, this has been great.

see ya. >> and the show itself was about a time in your life where you leave the home for the first time, friends become your family. >> if nobody tags rachel, is the place still going? >> it's a time in everybody's life that we share in common. >> over 75 million americans, which was a third of the country, would come to watch our network on thursday. so "friends" was a monster hit in ways that it's hard to imagine today. there's no half-hour comedy that has ever been more successful throughout the world for 25 years. >> we were on a break! >> oh, my god. >> what about the impact that it's had on television? ♪ smelly cat smelly cat >> a phenomenon like "friends" can't be replicated.

everyone watching this all at the same time. it doesn't really exist anymore. i see "friends" as being the last of its kind. netflix was willing to pay either $80 or $100 million, depending on who you ask, to keep it in streaming for one year. >> okay, okay, okay. fine, you win. >> the run on netflix, are you surprised by that? >> shocked. shocked and so grateful. it's given the show such a resurgence, not only here, but around the world. >> check this out, huh? that's the stuff. >> i always thought my only legacy would be my children. and there is something so humbling and yet thrilling about knowing that this has lived on. >> how is you drinking helping the kids? >> because the more i drink, the less there is for the kids to drink. >> there are 12-year-olds who

are discovering this show and treating it like it's theirs. and bingeing all 230 episodes. that's insane. it's a show that started 25 years ago. and yet there's a sort of passion for it that still sb exists. it's crazy. >> our world today is the most connected world that we've ever been in. and yet for all that connectivity, we don't have it. we have information, but people aren't connecting. >> thank you. >> and i think part of its enduring appeal is that it's not about a cell phone, it's about another human being. >> can we come in? >> and the show is constantly reaffirming how real connectivity happens.

what real relationships are like. >> she's amazing. ♪ >> here is the answer to what show is filming here now. it's "fuller house," the sequel to the sitcom "full house" that aired from 1987 to 1995. the yearning to revisit the old characters, "full house" reunited, should the cast of "friends"? >> the girls would do it and the boys would do it. >> of course, everybody wants a reunion. part of the problem is, because the show at its core was about that time in your life where your friends are your family, once you start having family of your own, that changes. >> the other one will be along in a minute. >> i'm sorry, who should be

along in a what, now? >> the next baby should be along in a minute. >> we only ordered one. >> there's something pathetic about 50-year-olds hanging out in a coffee shop. >> we finished it right, put a bow on it, it's done. ♪ i'll be there for you ♪ i'll be there for you ♪ i'll be there for you ♪ because you're there for me too ♪ ♪ i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved... ...90% clearer skin at 4 months... ...after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections...

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don't touch that dial. we're about to flip it for you. >> in five, four, three, two. >> tv is changing dramatically now with 150 channels that might be available in the near future. >> there is a lot of things that we do that you couldn't have on network television. >> people are really trying to do something adventurous. >> shame on you! >> this is more a celebration of culture and opening the doors and allowing america to come on inside. >> there is always something on television and some of it may be better than we deserve. >> that was cool.