In the turns and twists of history, few productions have gained as much clout and prominence as Friends. The NBC sitcom cemented itself as a pop culture phenomenon, with many of its lines making their way into the common lexicon. However, the path to make it stand on that legacy did not come easy. Several stories unfolded behind the scenes, which made crucial creative decisions to keep the show tucked in viewer’s hearts.

While Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer’s on-screen romance certainly stood as a key part of it, a major ploy helped it earn a favorite spot during the Super Bowl.

Friends executives recall playing dice during the Super Bowl XXX episodes

In 1996, the NBC chairs debated on what they could possibly air after the Super Bowl XXX to maintain viewer’s interest. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in January 2021, then-NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield declared “We decided to flip the script,” after experimenting and losing viewership with several other shows. In its second season and already standing tall as arguably the most-watched sitcom of its time, a two-part episode prefixed by “The One After the Superbowl” made the cut.

Remarkably, the decision to follow the Super Bowl extravaganza with a double-length Friends episode paid off. Garnering a staggering 52.9 million viewers, the legacy of the show stood indelible right from that very moment. Additionally, the episodes landed the honor of the highest-rated Super Bowl lead-out show, a record that still stands today. Moreover, the episode also eclipsed the show’s season finale in 2004 in terms of sheer viewership.

The Friends Super Bowl episodes also had Julia Roberts as a guest star, whose connection with the late Matthew Perry in real life has a saddening backstory of its own.

Matthew Perry went to great lengths to get Julia Roberts on the sitcom

Playing Chandler Bing’s childhood classmate, Susie Moss, Julia Roberts and Matthew Perry, shined in a gag-filled somewhat romantic episode. However, the Pretty Woman actress had a few demands for the producers to mark her cameo and all of them lay aimed at Perry. In his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, the late actor opened up on how he sent the actress three dozen roses with a heartfelt note to fulfill her call for a scene with him.

Thereafter, she did not budge instantly but put forth another demand. This time, she called on Perry to explain quantum physics to her. Yet, much to her surprise, the star did agree and sent her a paper on “wave-particle duality and the uncertainty principle and entanglement”. The resulting commitment won over Roberts, marking her cameo as well as a saddening unrequited love story.

What are your reactions to the reinvention of Friends for the Super Bowl XXX? Let us know in the comments below.