Some of Friends‘ characters were instantly iconic, especially through lines of dialogue, like Chandler Bing’s “I wish I had a million dollars.” Other, like a good cup of Central Perk coffee, need a little time to brew, and their full potential wouldn’t be reached until they’d appeared several times. Most of Friends‘ recurring characters got better the more audiences got to know them, finding that same sense of comfort and familiarity we did with the main six, but one stands out from the crowd.
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After the main six, the character who appeared in the most episodes is Gunther (last name: Central Perk?), with over 100 appearances (to put that into greater context, the next highest is Jack Geller with 21). However, most of those were unspeaking, and a lot were uncredited. In fact, Gunther didn’t actually have his first line of dialogue until the 33rd episode of the show (his 24th appearance), Season 2, Episode 9, “The One With Phoebe’s Dad.”
The line comes when Ross is trying to make amends with Rachel, having made a list of her pros and cons the episode prior. This includes getting her a slinky but, when she rejects the offering, he asks Gunther if he has stairs, who simply responds “Yeah,” and Ross gives him the toy. It’s a minor moment in the episode, sure, but an important one in the history of the show, because Gunther would go on to become one of the series’ most important characters.
Gunther Was The Seventh Friend
Played by the late, great James Michael Tyler, Gunther was a key part of helping make Friends so beloved. He added a nice contrast to the main six, serving as someone who existed outside of their bubble, but could occasionally pierce through it. While it started with a “yeah,” he’d go on to have some of the show’s most memorable quotes – such as speaking Dutch and calling Ross an “ezel” (or donkey) – and even a long-running joke of him being besotted with Rachel. No supporting character spent more time with the main six, nor learned more about their lives, than Gunther.
What’s interesting, though, is Gunther’s life on the show wasn’t supposed to be this way. There was originally an older man named Terry (Max Wright) at Central Perk, likely the shop’s owner, who interacted with the group and had a similar role to the one Gunther would eventually come to inhabit. It’s never explained what happened to him, but it’s assumed that he retired and left the day-to-day management to Gunther. Meanwhile, Tyler himself had experience as a barista, which helped him land the gig on the show and was worked into the series.
Similarly, Gunther’s iconic hair color wasn’t supposed to happen either. Tyler’s friend dyed it the night before his audition, and it didn’t work out as planned, but the producers actually ended up liking it so much they kept it as part of his character, giving us a barista with hair brighter than the sun. It’s lucky all of that worked out, because it’s impossible to imagine the show without him.
Friends is available to stream on HBO Max.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
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