It’s Been 25 Years Since 'The One Where It All Began'
Twenty-five years ago, Rachel Green walked into Central Perk donning a wedding gown after jilting Douchebag Barry, setting off a chain of events that led to the best television moments of the ‘90s. Friends was the glory of sitcom comedy—it was the show that reflected the hilarious realities of adulting, showed us how to pivot, and taught us not to eat Ross’ sandwich.
Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey were around 25 when the show started, and it’s crazy to think that in the fictional Friendsverse, they’d be 50 right now, watching their kids head off to college and take on the real world like they did. It makes you wonder what they’re like at 50. Are they still in touch? Did Joey finally settle down? Did Ross have a fourth divorce?
But this is all just moo point.
Twenty-five years on, we like to think they all got their happy ending. Friends is still as iconic now as it was when it aired, perhaps even more so. It shaped pop culture, giving us ‘90s fashion statements, the Rachel 'do, and of course, smelly cat. But it also taught us so much more—like how to speak proper French. Thank you, Joey.
Jokes aside, we’re pretty sure the show helped a lot of people through some tough times. We all have our Janice, our ugly naked guy, our Gunther—and we’re all just out here trying to find our lobster.
We’re glad the writers of the show made changes to the script before the first show aired. Lost somewhere in Hollywood is a script with Phoebe and Chandler written as merely supporting characters. Ross was supposed to be younger than Monica, and Joey was meant to be smart. Thankfully, that never happened and we got the first episode, “The One Where It All Began”/”The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate”/”The First One,” just the way it was supposed to be.
And if you’re observant, you’ll have noticed that it’s the only episode with the full fountain dancing sequence—something we never knew we needed.
So before Friends leaves Netflix, let’s backtrack to 1994 and wax nostalgia over these old photos from “The First One."
