If you’re a long-time ‘Friends‘ fan, there’s one behind-the-scenes fact that will creep you out, no matter how many times you hear it. The creators once seriously believed Joey Tribbiani and Monica Geller should be a romantic couple.
And the surprising part is, it wasn’t supposed to be brief. In fact, the creators were planning to make them the “it” couple of ‘Friends,’ with a dreamy love story that would’ve ruined any chances on Mondler.
Why Joey And Monica Seemed Like A Logical Choice
In the early planning stages, Marta Kauffman and David Crane were working with fairly similar character ideas. At that point, Joey and Monica shared several noticeable traits, especially in dating, which made their pairing feel reasonable on paper. From the very first episode, Joey appeared as a confident ladies’ man who flirted openly nd even hit on Rachel moments after she ran out on her wedding.
Related: Why Joey Didn’t Get Married At The End Of His Own ‘Friends’ Spinoff
At the same time, Monica dated frequently and without much hesitation, which later led viewers to criticise how the show treated her love life. Early on, Monica often felt like Joey’s equal in this area, and that similarity is exactly why the creators believed the two could fit together. However, as the show moved forward and more episodes were filmed, the characters began to settle into their roles. With that, the original idea behind Joey and Monica slowly began to lose its appeal.
How The Idea Of Joey and Monica Fell Apart
As viewers spent more time with the characters, it became obvious that Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox didn’t have romantic chemistry. Instead, their scenes felt more like long-time companions than potential partners. At the same time, LeBlanc noticed that Joey’s constant flirting with his female friends created an uncomfortable distance within the group. To fix that, he suggested that Joey should treat Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe more like younger sisters.
In case you missed it: ‘Joey’: Why ‘Friends’ Spinoff Was Doomed From The Beginning
This change helped Joey feel more settled within the group and made a romantic storyline with Monica feel unnecessary. The show briefly revisited the early concept in season three’s The One With the Flashback. Set a year before the pilot, the episode showed Monica feeling instantly attracted to Joey and inviting him over for lemonade. Joey misunderstood the situation completely and stripped. And that scene made it clear why the pairing never moved forward.
After that episode aired, it became clear that Joey and Monica didn’t connect with viewers as a couple. Now, it’s hard to imagine ‘Friends‘ without the friendship of Joey and Monica, or without the dreamy romance of Monica and Chandler. So, even though their friendship was never a major highlight, it was more like the glue that held the show together. And we wouldn’t have it otherwise.
