If certain series regularly arouse controversy, this is far from being the case with Friends, whose ten seasons have been rather consensual as we can see on Netflix, where fans watch the cult sitcom over and over again. However, one of the Friends episodes was banned in the UK at the time. In this plot, Joey and Chandler are unable to turn off the television after discovering that they have free access to X-rated movies. Joey and Chandler decide to leave the television on to make sure they don’t lose the channel. However, they end up turning it off, before turning the television back on to check that the adult channel is still available. Good news: it hasn’t disappeared! The episode in question was broadcast at the end of March 1998 during the fourth season but the subject was considered too sensitive for some countries. If the United Kingdom decided to ban it, in the United States the episode was accompanied by a warning.
Friends: a scene deleted just after the September 11 attacks
This is not the only episode of Friends, whose actors paid a final tribute to their deceased partner Matthew Perry, which caused controversy… One of them was broadcast shortly after the September 11 attacks. In this episode of season 8, broadcast on October 11, 2001, Monica and Chandler go on their honeymoon. The original script contained awkward jokes that were not suited to the global climate of the time. And for good reason, Chandler notably makes a joke about a bomb while he is in the airport, before being taken to the police station.
Friends: the cut sequence with Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry
When questioned, Chandler said: “You don’t have to worry about me, ma’am; I take my bombs very seriously.” “The sign says ‘no jokes about bombs‘, but shouldn’t it say ‘no bombs’?” adds the troublemaker, who insists: “I mean it’s not about him Should you be worried? The guy with the bombs? Not the one who jokes about his bombs. Not that I have bombs, but if I did, I probably wouldn’t joke about them. I’d rather not probably don’t talk about it.” To avoid the risk of seeing the episode banned, the Friends team preferred to completely delete the scenes with Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry. This cut footage was finally uploaded for the first time in 2007 on YouTube, six years after being edited.
This article is originally published on programme-tv.net
