Jennifer Aniston almost died during the first season of Friends. She was detained by trick

The first episode debuted on NBC in September 1994, making a real sensation. For the next decade, viewers followed the adventures of the six friends with bated breath. One of the key characters was almost missing from the lineup. What was the reason?

Rachel almost disappeared from “Friends” halfway through the first season. The reason was another series

Without a doubt, one of the fans’ favorite characters was and still is Rachel Greene, whom she portrayed. Her heroine made chic with unique stylizations, and when someone got under her skin, she did not spare biting remarks. Beauty combined with charisma and undeniable acting talent made her one of the biggest production stars. Today it is hard to imagine that it could be missing from the famous composition. Yet there was little left.

In the first half of the 1990s, his career was booming. The actress played in many different films and series, gradually gaining popularity and recognition from viewers. This, in turn, brought her to the set in which she was cast in one of the main roles. Before that happened, however, she appeared in the CBS comedy series “Muddling Through”, in which she appeared in six episodes, playing the role of Madeline. Her thread was important for the plot, because her character was the daughter of the main character. Had the production been as successful as expected, she would have been forced to quit playing Rachel midway through the season. The creators couldn’t afford it.

The creators were afraid of competition. The plan was successful

The creators were afraid that the success of the competition would make the character beloved by the viewers disappear from the screens, thus putting an end to the promising production. After all, who would want to watch a series with an incomplete lineup? Then began how to get rid of the “enemy”. The main initiator of the idea, the implementation of which was ultimately successful, was Preston Beckman, acting as a strategist at NBC. It was he who came up with the idea to air adaptations of Danielle Steel’s books during the broadcasting hours of a competing series. It quickly turned out to be a hit.

It was assumed that viewers, instead of the new CBS sitcom, would choose the adaptation of well-known novels. So it happened. Viewership for “Muddling Through” began to decline with each episode. In the end, not even the first season was fully realized. The decision was made to remove the series from the air only three months after its premiere, and Jennifer Aniston was able to continue working on the series “Friends”.