Summary
Friendsstar Jennifer Aniston jokes that costar Lisa Kudrow “hated” when the audience laughed while taping the show. First airing in 1994, the series created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane is now considered one of the best and most influential sitcoms of all time. In addition to Aniston and Kudrow, theFriendscastincluded David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, and the late Matthew Perry, with the series following their various exploits in New York City. Like many other shows of the era, the hit sitcom was filmed in front of a live studio audience.
During a recent interview with Quinta Brunson forVariety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Aniston reflects on filming in front of a live studio audience, which evidently came with some drawbacks.
Aniston, who played Rachel, jokes that Phoebe’s Kudrow would sometimes become frustrated with the audience’s constant laughing as she was trying to get her lines out. Check out Aniston’s comment below:
“Lisa Kudrow, by the way, hated when the audience laughed. She’d be like, ‘I’m not done! It’s not that funny!’”
Are Any Shows Still Filmed In Front Of A Live Studio Audience?
Friends' Filming Style Is Less Common Than It Used To Be
Back in the ’80s and ’90s (and back even further into the 1950s withI Love Lucy) it was far more popular for scripted shows to be filmed in front of a live studio audience.Friendswas joined by the likes ofAll in the Family,Full HouseandCheers, and many others, as a multi-cam sitcom filmed in front of real people. It was these real people, for the most part, providing the laughs heard on the show.
Why Audience Complaints Forced Cheers To Change Its Iconic Intro
Cheers features a unique disclaimer at the start of every episode, which was added after the NBC sitcom received complaints from TV viewers.
These days, however, it’s far more rare for shows to be filmed in front of real audiences. Game shows continue to keep the practice alive, but there has been a move away from live audiences for scripted programming.Saturday Night Livecontinues to be filmed in front of a studio audience, as it has been for nearly 50 years, butthere has been a larger trend away from laugh tracks in comedies.
SomeFriendsepisodesthat took place outside of key sets like the apartment or Central Perk were not filmed in front of a studio audience, with laughs then added in afterwards.
Shows likeTheBig Bang Theory,The Connors, and theFrasierrevival were all filmed in front of studio audiences, but thesuccess ofThe Officein the mid-2000s gave rise to a new type of sitcomand, arguably, a new style of sitcom humor. Eschewing a live audience allowed shows to shoot in new and varied locations, and it has allowed for shows to succeed with more off-beat, unconventional jokes.Friendsremains one of the most important sitcoms of all time, but it’s clear that even Kudrow sometimes felt the limitations of live studio audience.
Friends
Cast
Friends is a television sitcom that debuted in 1994, revolving around six young New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood. The series highlights their friendship as they support each other through personal and professional challenges, encapsulating the ups and downs of life in a comedic and relatable manner.
