Friends Writer Claims Cast Was “Unhappy” in Later Seasons of Iconic TV Series

Few sitcoms stand out as much as Friends, one of the most popular shows to ever hit the genre. While the series was lauded throughout its entire 10-season run, it doesn’t appear the cast as as happy as those tuning in towards the end. The latest revelation comes from Friends writer Patty Lin, who’s now alleged some of the cast would purposefully tank jokes at the end of the show’s run.

“The actors seemed unhappy to be chained to a tired old show when they could be branching out,” Lin wrote in her new memoir End Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood.

“They all knew how to get a laugh, but if they didn’t like a joke, they seemed to deliberately tank it, knowing we’d rewrite it. Dozens of good jokes would get thrown out just because one of them had mumbled the line through a mouthful of bacon,” she added. “Seeing themselves as guardians of their characters, they often argued that they would never do or say such-and-such. That was occasionally helpful, but overall, these sessions had a dire, aggressive quality that lacked all the levity you’d expect from the making of a sitcom.”

Furthermore, Lin went on to say the writers’ room for the show was not welcoming to newcomers, with different factions forming within and pitting writers against one another.

“In all of my fears about the new job, I never predicted one of the challenges I would face was that the ‘Friends’ writing staff was cliquey, more so than at any other show I would work on,” Lin continued. “They reminded me of the preppy rich kids in my high school who shopped at Abercrombie & Fitch and drove brand-new convertibles.”

Lin ultimately went on to write for Desperate Housewives and Breaking Bad before retiring from writing and leaving Hollywood behind.

Every episode of Friends is now streaming on Peacock.

(H/T Time)