‘Friends’ Staff Deals With History, Destiny

Kevin S. Bright, executive producer of NBC’s comedy series “Friends,” says the top-ranked sitcom has progressed over the past eight seasons just the way he and fellow executive producers David Crane and Marta Kauffman envisioned.

“The original concept of the show was when you leave home for the first time, your friends are your extended family,” Bright said. “Like any family situation, you want to watch the people grow and watch the situations change so you feel like you are going through life with these people. In that way, I think we have accomplished the goal of the series. It’s the reason why I think people still love the show so much, because they are really invested in the lives of six characters. They care what happens to them.”

Bright had occasion to revisit the freshman year of the series recently while editing the VHS ($50) and DVD ($70) compilation set that arrived in stores Tuesday from Warner Home Video. The second season of episodes is set to follow in September.

Besides featuring the first 24 episodes of the sitcom uncut, the DVD set features commentary from the producers, an interactive look at the Central Perk coffeehouse set, a “Friends” trivia quiz and a retrospective of all the guest stars from the 1994-95 season, including a very young-looking George Clooney and Noah Wyle.

Bright approached Warner Home Video about bringing the series out on VHS and the then-fledgling DVD format about four years ago, given that they were already available in many parts of Europe. “After a while of keeping at it, I got them to concede to do one ‘best of ‘ volume. It sold something like 2 million copies,” Bright said.

“Friends” is just the latest popular TV series released on video and DVD. “The X-Files,” “The Simpsons,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The Sopranos” have also performed exceedingly well in the home entertainment market

For the “Friends” DVD compilation, Bright wanted to give the fans a little something extra. “We went into the vaults and pulled out all the original footage and we restored everything we cut from the original episodes that is worth restoring. There are a couple of things you cut for a reason but there are also many things we lost for time purposes,” he said.

One scene cut from the pilot, for example, features Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) playing the guitar and singing in a subway station. Because there was a recording problem, the sequence wasn’t included in the pilot. But Bright decided to restore it for the VHS and DVD. Five years after she filmed the scene, Kudrow went into the recording studio and dubbed in her lines.

Up until a few months ago, NBC and the producers didn’t know if the current season would be the last for “Friends,” which made things challenging for the creative team.

“We were kind of frozen in time there for a moment, and we didn’t know if we were preparing for the end or preparing for a cliffhanger,” Bright said. “It just got to a certain point where we had to make a choice and the choice was to be positive. So we pretty much abandoned the road of ending the series and dedicated ourselves to continuing. Fortunately, it all worked out.”

If the cast hadn’t agreed to come back in the fall, Bright acknowledged that the production would probably have shut down for a few weeks to figure out the series’ finale.

Bright said that there are no firm plot ideas for the ninth season. “We haven’t completed this one yet,” he said. “So it is hard to turn your thoughts over, but I think we are gong to take the next couple of months we have off ... to be thinking what the end of the series will be.”

And beyond the cast’s stating that next year will be the last, Bright said he definitely thinks the coming season will be the final one. “We’re so happy we have another year so we can take that year and really arc the end of the series,” he said. “The three of us are pretty much committed that this is the end and the actors are, too. Nine years is enough for a show.”

Rachel’s pregnancy, said Bright, rejuvenated the show after it played second fiddle to CBS’ “Survivor” last year. “Friends” is the No. 1 prime-time series this season, averaging 23.8 million viewers, up 23% compared with 2000-2001.

“We have had a really great season creatively,” Bright said. “The writing has been superb, and the actors have been really on their game.

“I also think people got sick of watching ‘Survivor.’ After 9/11, I think your choices in viewing television aren’t shows where people are degraded and demeaned.”

Bright acknowledged that the producers received angry e-mails from fans over the Joey-Rachel story line that saw Joey fall in love with her. But he said those who were angry that the two didn’t become a couple will probably be happy with the hourlong season finale on May 16. “Hopefully, when they see the close-out of the season, they’ll feel that it is all worthwhile,” he said.