September 22nd marked the 30th anniversary of Friends' debut on NBC, and fans have flooded social media to celebrate. As one of the most rewatchable TV shows ever, it’s no surprise that fans have a lot of love and knowledge of the sitcom, which ran for ten seasons. With that, the execs at Max have greenlit a brand-new game show that will allow super fans of the show to compete against each other. And, as an avid fan, I have one demand for the show: recreate the iconic trivia battle between Monica/Rachel and Chandler/Joey.
Set to begin filming next month inside The FRIENDS Experience: The One in New York City, Fast Friends will challenge teams of superfans, as they compete for the title of Ultimate Friends Fan. Over the course of four episodes, the teams will participate in various challenges and puzzles and of course, answer trivia questions that will put their knowledge of one of the best sitcoms ever to the test. The team that completes all the tasks and answers all the questions the fastest will win the title.
It's exciting that the game show promises the competitors a chance to re-live some iconic moments from the show (possibly including Monica and Chandler's best scenes). However, I really hope that extends beyond simply stepping onto the re-created sets and ordering a cup of coffee from Central Perk. After all, there are over 200 episodes producers can draw from to create unique challenges and trivia questions that’ll really challenge this group of competitors.
As a die-hard fan myself, I can think of a handful of different puzzles and questions I’d use if I were in charge of organizing a Friends-themed trivial game. At the top of that list is finding a way to recreate the epic trivia battle from Season 4, Episode 12.
In case you’re not a super-fan like me, I’m referring to the B-plot in one of my favorite Friends episodes, “The One with the Embryos.” In it, the ever-competitive Monica convinces Rachel to join her in a “who knows who best” style trivia game against Chandler and Joey. What starts as a playful $100 bet between friends quickly turns nasty as they head into a lightning round hosted by Ross to break a tie. Monica ups the stakes. If the women win, the men have to get rid of their pets but, if the men win, they get to move into the women’s apartment.
It’s a hilarious situation that has the competing quartet of buddies shouting over and at each other while Ross reads carefully crafted questions that span four different categories, such as “likes and interest” and “it’s all relative.”
Not only is the set-up perfect for a Friends-themed game show, considering they’re playing a trivia game themselves, but it wouldn’t even be hard to pull off. The entire thing takes place in the famous purple apartment, which already exists at the interactive location in NYC, and the trivia categories wouldn’t even need to be changed. Some of the questions could even be reused if the producers really want to deliver on the promise of allowing the competitors to “re-live their favorite moments.”
It’s so easy that if the four-part competition doesn’t involve a scene like the one described, I’ll honestly be really disappointed. And, if it does, well, it'll easily become one of the best TV game shows of all time -- at least, in my opinion.
Fast Friends won’t be available to stream for some time, but fans can stream all ten seasons of FRIENDS with an active Max subscription now. In fact, the streaming service has made it easier than ever, creating a collection page for the show that features Best of Episode playlists for each character and even one that includes all the episodes with celebrity guests. And, if that’s not enough, diehards can check out hours of bonus content, including discussions with the creative team about what it was like bringing the sitcom to life 30 years ago.
