Highlights
- Friends faced controversy over its lack of diversity throughout its ten-season run, sparking discussions years after the show aired.
- One particular episode, "The One with the Free Porn," was banned in the UK due to its explicit content, featuring Joey and Chandler's discovery of a free porn channel.
- Another episode had to be re-shot after 9/11 due to its jokes about bombs, as federal law prohibited any joking about aircraft hijacking or bombing. A commercial was also banned for being too risqué.
Throughout its ten season run, Friends didn't run into a lot of controversy. However, years after the show aired, there was a question about the lack of diversity throughout the show's ten season run.
Friends managed to avoid controversial topics, at least for the most part. However, there were certain episodes that are hard to watch years later. One of them was banned in the UK, and it centered around Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc's characters. Joey and Chandler can't seem to shut off the TV once they realize that they have free adult entertainment.
In the following, we'll take a look back at why the episode was pulled in the UK. In addition, we're going to reveal other moments on the show that were banned from television. There's also a specific commercial that never made it to air. We'll reveal what the Friends commercial contained, and why it was deemed as too much for NBC.
The Friends Episode That Centered Around Matt LeBlanc And Matthew Perry, 'The One With The Free Porn', Was Banned In The UK
It aired back in late March of 1998. The season four episode, The One with the Free Porn, featured Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry's characters Joey and Chandler discovering that they have a free porn channel on their TV. The duo is told that if this happens, but that if they close their TV, chances are they might lose the channel. Hilariously, Chandler and Joey decided to leave the channel on, in fear that they're going to lose it.
The episode sees the two finally shut off the adult entertainment, only to still look if it's available. And yes, it is still there and both Chandler and Joey are thrilled about it.
Given the context of the episode, it was viewed as harsh by some of the networks overseas. In the UK, the episode received a ban. As for in the US, the episode is still available on streaming, and is used on syndication.
As for the rest of the episode, it wasn't as 'rated R'. Ross is encouraged to pursue Emily by Monica before she heads back to London. The unpopular storyline would continue on with Ross actually going to London, while Emily headed back to New York...
Friends Ran Into Another Complication For A Certain Episode Following The Tragedy Of 9/11
This particular episode aired shortly after the tragic events that took place on 9/11. Friends had to completely remove scenes with Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry. The season 8 episode entitled, The One Where Rachel Tells... sees Monica and Chandler head out on their honeymoon. However, things get bumpy, with several issues along the way. The original script had some touchy jokes which weren't suitable for the climate in the world at the time.
"Federal law prohibits any joking regarding aircraft hijacking or bombing." Chandler then says, "You don't have to worry about me, ma'am; I take my bombs very seriously."
Chandler continues, "The sign says, 'no jokes about bombs,' but shouldn't the sign really say 'no bombs'?" Chandler asks. "I mean, isn't that the guy we really have to worry about here? The guy with the bombs? Not the guy who jokes about his bombs. Not that I have bombs, but if I did, I probably wouldn't joke about them. I'd probably want to keep that rather quiet."
Fans actually had more of an appreciation for the original version that did not air. However, we can understand why it wasn't used, and why the show decided to reshoot the scenes.
Friends Also Saw A Commercial Get Banned
Back in 1994, Friends aired a risky promo that was banned. The entire cast was in the commercial, and it took a seductive type of turn. The cast looked as though they were going to strip down, that was until Monica stepped in and declared that she had enough, and wasn't willing to do the commercial given its shameless nature. In truth, the commercial was hilarious, especially Courteney Cox's rant.
It didn't seem too harmful, but the showrunners and network still felt the need to pull the plug on it, given that it might've been a little too much, especially given how clean cut the show was at the start.
In terms of other banned moments, there weren't very many. This is especially remarkable given the longevity of the series lasting 10 seasons. Per usual, things are bound to go south at some point. Friends managed to avoid this, and that's the reason it is still makes a fortune of reruns today.
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