Keep ahead of your fellow Friends fans by committing these little known facts to memory:

1. Original names for the show included “Once Upon a Time in the West Village”, “Across the Hall”, and “Friends Like Us” before deciding on “Friends”.

2. Original storylines focused around only six of the friends – Monica, Ross, Rachel, and Joey. Producers were so pleased with the performances of Phoebe and Chandler that they added them more prominently to the show.

3. In the first couple of episodes Chandler and Joey’s apartment number was #4 and Monica and Rachel’s apartment number was #5. However, in the later episodes, they are 19 and 20 respectively because the producers noted that 4 and 5 corresponded to apartments on lower floors and the Friends’ apartments were higher up the building.

4. Courteney Cox was originally asked to play Rachel, but she asked to play Monica instead after reading the parts.

5. None of the scenes in Friends were ever shot in New York.

The final episode of long-running comedy Friends has been named TV’s biggest tearjerker in a new poll.

Even as reports suggest a cast reunion for a big screen version of the sitcom, it has emerged that fans shed the most tears when the six friends ended their decade-long run on TV, reported Daily Mail online.

The highly charged moment as the pals in the American show handed back apartment keys and viewers said goodbye to Joey, Chandler, Ross, Monica, Rachel and Phoebe was ranked the most emotional moment in TV.

However, the British soap EastEnders claimed the biggest share of places in the top ten with four sob-laden entries in the poll for Freeview HD.

The poll found 60 per cent of women enjoy a regular cry while watching TV, while the men who took part proved to be an even softer touch with 79 per cent saying they cried once a week.

The 100th episode of “How I Met Your Mother” showcases many of the things that’s made it one of the most entertaining sitcoms of recent years. But it also showcases why it can be really frustrating, too.

The episode, titled “Girls vs. Suits,” swirls around two plots. In one, architect-turned-professor Ted (Josh Radnor) is attracted to a grad student named Cindy (Rachel Bilson). As we watch their courtship, the narration by the future version of Ted (Bob Saget) drops big hints that Cindy plays a big role in how he met his kids’ mother — that she might in fact be The Mother.

 In the other, charming womanizer Barney (the always splendid Neil Patrick Harris) wants to seduce the hot new female bartender (Stacy Keibler) at the gang’s favorite bar, but she wants Barney to choose between her and his beloved suits.

The Barney story (which features a cameo by Tim Gunn from “Project Runway”) climaxes with an elaborate musical number in which he extols the virtues of suits (“You can use them to snare a girl with daddy issues”). It captures the multi-talents of Harris and the way he so often takes over the show (and makes likable a character who could be a monster with another actor), and it spotlights the inventiveness and technical wizardry that make the show as entertaining to watch as the punchlines.

“Mother” is most often compared to “Friends,” as both are about a group of young, (mostly) single friends hanging out in Manhattan. But the show owes just as big a debt to “Seinfeld,” as it’s fascinated with both New York culture and cataloging unwritten social conventions. In the Barney story tonight, for instance, Barney’s ex-girlfriend Robin (Cobie Smulders) complains that the bartender isn’t that attractive, and that her job makes her the beneficiary of “circumstantial hotness.”

The show looks like a classic sitcom, because creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas wanted the vibe of the kinds of shows they grew up watching, like “Cheers.” But it’s shot (by director Pam Fryman) like a more contemporary comedy, ala “30 Rock,” without an audience present, so that each episode can feature many more scenes than normal, including flashbacks, flashforwards, multiple versions of the same scene, two-second cutaways, or, in this case, a lavish Busby Berkley-style song-and-dance routine with half of Manhattan dressed in suits.

Ted’s half of the episode focuses on the series’ romantic side, and winds up revealing both the advantages and pitfalls to that.

Because Harris is such an easy repository for jokes — and because Smulders, and (as smitten married couple Marshall and Lily) Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan are also very funny — leading man Radnor often seems adrift when Ted isn’t in the process of chasing down the latest would-be Mother. In a relationship, Ted can be very appealing, and he can catch the other characters up in his own hunger for real love. (Proximity to Ted even briefly led Barney to give monogamy a try with Robin, in a storyline the show ditched too soon.) Out of one, Ted can be smug and annoying.

But the games that Bays and Thomas play about how and when Ted will meet The Mother — dating back to the pilot, which made it look like Robin would be the one, then pulled the rug out from under the audience when Saget referred to her as the kids’ “Aunt Robin” — can be just as annoying, especially five years in. Ted in a relationship is likable, the show around him often less so. (The one exception: a long stretch during season two when Ted and Robin were going out, and when the show therefore didn’t have to waste time on misdirection.) The title of the show makes a great hook, and a great excuse for the press to write about it — every time a new actress signs to guest star, you’ll see “Will Carrie Underwood be The Mother?” (actual headline) or “Will Meryl Streep be The Mother” (not an actual headline… yet) — but there are often stretches where I wish the show had a different name, or that the show will forget about the search until the very last scene of the series: “And that, kids, is really, finally, absolutely, how I met your mother. Good night!”

(Warning: the rest of this review strongly implies a detail that’s revealed within the episode’s first five minutes, so read on at your own risk.)

Bays and Thomas have promised that “Girls vs. Suits” will bring Ted closer to The Mother than he’s ever been before. Technically, that’s true, but in a practical sense, the episode doesn’t really bring the story any farther forward than episodes that omit mention of The Mother altogether. It’s mainly an excuse for Saget to dazzle his kids with bits of Mother trivia, and even though some of it is funny, and even though Radnor has good chemistry with Bilson (as he usually does with the female guests), the end result left me wishing they hadn’t brought up The Mother at all.

100 episodes in, “How I Met Your Mother” has earned the right to transcend its title — or, at least, to ignore it until Bays and Thomas intend to do something meaningful with it. With the right actress/character, I would be just as happy if Ted met The Mother in this episode and then the series ran several more years as she became part of the gang.

But until/unless something definitive happens, episodes that purport to give us new information about The Mother are turning into the opposite of the mythology episodes from “X-Files” or “Fringe.” On those shows, you looked forward to the arc stuff being addressed; these days, whenever I hear that Bays and Thomas are doing another Mother episode, I shudder and hope there’s enough Barney, Robin and/or Marshall to compensate. Fortunately, in “Girls vs. Suits,” there is. But we’re not always that lucky.

“How I Met Your Mother” (Tonight at 8 p.m. on Channel 2) The sitcom celebrates its 100th episode with guests Rachel Bilson, Tim Gunn and Stacy Keibler

Lisa Kudrow reunites with her Friends co-star Courteney Cox in her new TV show – but plays a nasty character.

The 46-year-old actress – who played dippy hippy Phoebe Buffay in Friends – will play mean dermatologist Dr Amy Evans in Cougar Town, who Courteney’s character Jules visits despite her harsh bedside manner as she is such a good doctor.

According to The Sun, Lisa gives Courteney’s face a good prodding before injecting her Botox.

Executive producer Bill Lawrence said: “They didn’t want to play friends.

“Lisa plays a dermatologist who is a horrible, horrible person, but Courteney goes to her because she’s the best.

“The sight of them playing people who dislike each other intensely was very funny for me to watch.”

The blonde star is returning the favour after Courteney made a cameo on her internet TV series Web Therapy as an internet psychic.

Cougar Town launches in the UK next March on Living. Lisa’s episode airs in the US in January.

“Cougar Town” star Courteney Cox is ecstatic about her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a TV Comedy — and she has dessert plans to celebrate!

“I actually have plans with my girlfriend,” Cox, 45, dished to “Extra.” “My close friend from ‘Friends.’”

That “girlfriend” is her former “Friends” co-star, Jennifer Aniston.

“You and Jennifer will be partying this evening?” asked “Extra’s” Terri Seymour while handing over Sprinkles cupcakes.

Said Cox, “I don’t know about partying!”

“Well, drinking champagne and eating cupcakes,” Seymour added.

“Eating the cupcakes for sure!” laughed Cox.

The show airs Jan. 17.

Chicago Sun-Times’ Ginny Holbert found Joey and Rachel’s characteristics to be underdeveloped, while Richmond commended the cast as a “likeable, youth ensemble” with “good chemistry” Robert Bianco of USA Today was complimentary of Schwimmer, calling him “terrific”. He also praised the female leads, but was concerned that Perry’s role as Chandler was “undefined” and that LeBlanc was “relying too much on the same brain-dead stud routine that was already tired the last two times he tried it”. The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends thought that the cast was “trying just a little too hard”, in particular Perry and Schwimmer.

As the series progressed, reviews became more positive, and Friends became one of the most popular sitcoms of its time. Critics commended the series for its consistently sharp writing and the chemistry between the main actors. Noel Holston of Newsday, who had dismissed the pilot as a “so-so Seinfeld wannabe” in 1994, reneged his review after rewatching the episode, and felt like writing an apology to the writers. Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com thought that the series “hit its stride” in the second season. Havrilesky found the character-specific jokes and situations “could reliably make you laugh out loud a few times each episode”, and the quality of writing allowed the stories to be “original and innovative”. Bill Carter of The New York Times called the eighth season a “truly stunning comeback”. Carter found that by “generating new hot story lines and high-decibel laughs”, the series made its way “back into the hearts of its fans”. However, Liane Bonin of Entertainment Weekly felt that the direction of the ninth season was a “disappointing buzzkill”, criticizing it for the non-stop celebrity guest spots and going into jump the shark territory. Although disappointed with the season, Bonin noted that “the writing [was] still sharp”. Havrilesky thought that the tenth season was “alarmingly awful, far worse than you would ever imagine a show that was once so good could be.” Friends was featured on Time’s list of “The 100 Best TV Shows of All-Time”, saying, “the well-hidden secret of this show was that it called itself Friends, and was really about family.

“It may have been impossible for any one episode to live up to the hype and expectations built up around the Friends finale, but this hour probably came as close as fans could have reasonably hoped. Ultimately, the two-hour package did exactly what it was supposed to do. It wrapped up the story while reminding us why we liked the show and will miss it.”
— Robert Bianco of USA Today on the series finale.
Reviews of the series finale were mixed to positive. USA Today’s Robert Bianco described the finale as entertaining and satisfying, and praised it for deftly mixing emotion and humor while showcasing each of the stars. Sarah Rodman of the Boston Herald praised Aniston and Schwimmer for their acting, but felt that their characters’ reunion was “a bit too neat, even if it was what most of the show’s legions of fans wanted.” Roger Catlin of The Hartford Courant felt that newcomers to the series would be “surprised at how laughless the affair could be, and how nearly every strained gag depends on the sheer stupidity of its characters.” Ken Parish Perkins, writing for Fort Worth Star-Telegram, pointed out that the finale was “more touching than comical, more satisfying in terms of closure than knee-slappingly funny.”

Aniston’s hairstyle was nicknamed “The Rachel”, and copied around the world. Joey’s catchphrase, “How you doin’?”, has become a popular part of Western English slang, often used as a pick-up line or when greeting friends.

The series has also impacted on the English language, according to a study by a linguistics professor at the University of Toronto. The professor found that the characters used so as an adjective more often than other intensifiers, such as very and really.

The professor believed that although the preference had already made its way into the American vernacular, usage on the series may have accelerate the change. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, ratings increased 17% over the previous season as viewers tuned in for comfort.

The Central Perk coffee house, one of the principal settings of the series, has inspired various imitations worldwide. In 2006, Iranian businessman Mojtaba Asadian started a Central Perk franchise, registering the name in 32 countries. The decor of the coffee houses are inspired by the one in Friends, featuring replica couches, counters, neon signage and bricks.

The coffee houses also contain paintings of the various characters from the series, and televisions playing Friends’ episodes. James Michael Tyler, who plays the Central Perk waiter in the series, Gunther, attended the grand opening of the Dubai cafe, where he worked as a waiter.

As part of a museum exhibit at Warner Bros. Studios, Central Perk was rebuilt and shown on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2008. Lisa Kudrow revisited the set for the first time after the series finale in 2004

Friends Cast

According to figures published by the Hollywood Reporter, the show finale in 2004 is the highest-rated broadcast in America since 2000, attracting 52.5 million viewers.

The series based on lives of six friends was followed by the 2000 episode of US reality show Survivor: Borneo with viewing figures of 51.7 million at the second spot.

Dating show Joe Millionaire came third with a 2003 show garnering an audience of 40 million.

An episode of medical drama E.R. came fourth, with 39.4 million, and TV talent show American Idol rounded out the top five with 38.1 million.

Other entries in the top 10 include episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Frasier and Spin City.

Friends Reunite

updated 1:22 p.m. ET, Thurs., Dec . 3, 2009
LOS ANGELES – Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox have reunited — but don’t expect them to be “Friends.”

The former co-stars will appear back together again on the small screen on Courteney’s new ABC single-camera sitcom “Cougar Town,” with Lisa guest-starring as a mean-spirited dermatologist.

“They didn’t want to play friends,” executive producer Bill Lawrence told Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello. “[Lisa] plays a dermatologist who is a horrible, horrible person, but [Courteney] goes to her because she’s the best.”

And seeing the two face off, he said, should be comedy gold.

“The [sight] of them playing people who dislike each other intensely was very funny for me to watch,” Bill said.

It’s not the first time a former “Friend” has appeared in a Courteney TV project. In 2007, Jennifer Aniston appeared in a multi-episode arc on the second season of Courteney’s FX drama, “Dirt.”

Lisa’s “Cougar Town” episode is expected to air early next year.