The One Where Underdog Gets Away
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The first season of the American sitcom ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'' aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 18, 1995. The website Collider ranked the season #9 on their ranking of the ten ''Friends'' seasons. They wrote that the best episode of the season was "
The One Where Rachel Finds Out "The One Where Rachel Finds Out" is the 24th and final episode of ''Friends'' first season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on May 18, 1995. Plot Joey participates in a fertility study at NYU. Part of the study requires t ...
".


Cast and characters


Main cast

* Jennifer Aniston as
Rachel Green Rachel Karen Green is a fictional character, one of the six main characters who appeared in the American sitcom ''Friends''. Portrayed by Jennifer Aniston, the character was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and appeared in all of t ...
* Courteney Cox as Monica Geller * Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay * Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani * Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing * David Schwimmer as Ross Geller


Recurring cast

* Anita Barone/
Jane Sibbett Jane Moore Sibbett is an American actress. Her most notable roles include Heddy Newman on the Fox television series ''Herman's Head'' and Carol Willick on the television series ''Friends''. Early life Sibbett was born in Berkeley, California, th ...
as
Carol Willick Various characters appeared in the sitcom '' Friends'' and its spin-off series ''Joey'', which respectively aired for ten seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006. ''Friends'' featured six main cast members: Rachel Green-Geller (Jennifer ...
* Mitchell Whitfield as Barry Farber *
Cosimo Fusco Cosimo Massimo Fusco (born 23 September 1962) is an Italian actor. Biography Born in Matera, Italy, Fusco was educated in Los Angeles, Rome, and Paris. He is best known for his role as Paolo, one of Rachel's boyfriends in the American sitcom ...
as
Paolo Paolo is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Paul. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Paolo Art *Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter *Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American s ...
* Maggie Wheeler as
Janice Hosenstein Various characters appeared in the sitcom '' Friends'' and its spin-off series ''Joey'', which respectively aired for ten seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006. ''Friends'' featured six main cast members: Rachel Green-Geller (Jennifer ...
* Jessica Hecht as
Susan Bunch Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...
*
Vincent Ventresca Vincent Paul Gerard Ventresca (born April 29, 1966) is an American actor, perhaps best known for portraying Darien Fawkes on Sci-Fi's ''The Invisible Man'', and Professor Jack Reed on NBC's ''Boston Common''. Ventresca is also known for his guest ...
as
Fun Bobby Various characters appeared in the sitcom ''Friends'' and its spin-off series ''Joey'', which respectively aired for ten seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006. ''Friends'' featured six main cast members: Rachel Green-Geller (Jennifer ...
*
Elliott Gould Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s. Elliott's breakthrough role was in the ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination f ...
as
Jack Geller Various characters appeared in the sitcom ''Friends'' and its spin-off series ''Joey'', which respectively aired for ten seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006. ''Friends'' featured six main cast members: Rachel Green-Geller (Jennifer A ...
*
Christina Pickles Christina Pickles (born 17 February 1935) is a British-American actress. She is known for her role as Nurse Helen Rosenthal in the NBC medical drama '' St. Elsewhere'' (1982–1988), for which she received five nominations for the Primetime Em ...
as
Judy Geller Various characters appeared in the sitcom ''Friends'' and its Spin-off (media), spin-off series ''Joey (TV series), Joey'', which respectively aired for ten seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006. ''Friends'' featured six main cast member ...
* Larry Hankin as Mr. Heckles


Guest stars

* Merrill Markoe as Marsha, Ross' boss * Jill Goodacre as herself * Hank Azaria as David *
Morgan Fairchild Morgan Fairchild (born Patsy Ann McClenny; February 3, 1950) is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series since. Fairchild began her career on the CBS daytime soap opera ''Search for T ...
as
Nora Bing Various characters appeared in the sitcom ''Friends'' and its spin-off series ''Joey'', which respectively aired for ten seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006. ''Friends'' featured six main cast members: Rachel Green-Geller (Jennifer ...
* Fisher Stevens as Roger * Jon Lovitz as Steve *
Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...
as Jamie Buchman *
Leila Kenzle Leila Kenzle (born July 16, 1960) is an American therapist and former actress best known for her role as Fran Devanow on ''Mad About You''. Leila Kenzle was born in Patchogue, Long Island, New York, the daughter of Lee, an antiques dealer, an ...
as Fran Devanow *
George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...
as Dr. Mitchell * Noah Wyle as Dr. Rosen * Jennifer Grey as Mindy * Claudia Shear as Fake Monica * Leah Remini as Lydia * Jonathan Silverman as Dr. Franzblau * Corinne Bohrer as Melanie *
Lauren Tom Lauren Tom (born August 4, 1961) is an American actress. Her roles include Lena St. Clair in '' The Joy Luck Club'', Julie in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', Dot in the final season of ''Grace Under Fire'', and the voices for Amy Wong in ''Futurama'' ...
as Julie * Sofia Milos as Aurora *
Jennifer Grant Jennifer Diane Grant (born February 26, 1966) is an American actress. The daughter of actors Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon, she is best known for roles in the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' and ''Movie Stars''. Early life Grant was ...
as Nina *
John Allen Nelson John Allen Nelson is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles on television as Warren Lockridge on '' Santa Barbara'', John D. Cort on ''Baywatch'', Walt Cummings in '' 24'' and Silas Bunch in ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. H ...
as Paul the Wine Guy *
Geoffrey Lower Geoffrey Lower (born March 19, 1963) is an American former actor known for playing Reverend Timothy Johnson on ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman''. He also played Monica Geller's boyfriend Alan in the ''Friends'' episode " The One With the Thumb". Ear ...
as Alan * Beth Grant as Lizzy *
Marianne Hagan Marianne Louise Hagan (born December 8, 1966) is an American actress and writer. She played Kara Strode in the 1995 horror sequel '' Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'', her film debut. Personal life Hagan was born to Louise and James Hagan ...
as Joanne *
Camille Saviola Camille Saviola (July 16, 1950 – October 28, 2021) was an American actress and singer. She appeared in numerous films, television series, plays and musicals. Early life Saviola was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York (state), New Yor ...
as The Horrible Woman * June Gable as The nurse * Lee Garlington as Ronni Rapalano * Brenda Vaccaro as Gloria Tribbiani * Robert Costanzo as Joey Tribbiani Sr.


Episodes


Home media

The first season was officially released on DVD in region 1 on April 30, 2002, becoming available in both the United States and Canada as a 4-disc DVD Box Set. The release includes the extended versions of every episode with footage not seen on their original NBC broadcast. Additionally, each episode is updated with color correction and sound enhancement. Special Features include a commentary for the pilot episode with executive producers Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kaufmann and David Crane, a video guide to season one's guest stars, including George Clooney, Helen Hunt and Noah Wyle; an interactive map with inside stories from the crew, a trivia quiz and the trailer of Season Two DVD Release. For region 2, the release included the original NBC broadcast version of the episodes, and not the extended versions unlike the region 1 release. The season also had an individual Blu-ray for region A on April 30, 2013, in this release the episodes are presented in their original NBC broadcast versions and does not include the extra deleted scenes and jokes that were included in the DVD version. Additional audio & subtitle tracks are also included with this release.


Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 70% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.1/10 and based on 43 critic reviews. The critics consensus reads: "''Friends'' daffy situations elicit just as many eye-rolls as laughs, but this perky sitcom gets by with a little help from its immensely likable cast.". In the ''
Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Dai ...
'',
Ray Richmond Ray Richmond (born October 19, 1957, in Whittier, California) is a globally syndicated critic and entertainment/media columnist. Richmond has also worked variously as a feature and entertainment writer, beat reporter and TV critic for a variety ...
named the series as "one of the brighter comedies of the new season",Richmond, Ray (September 22, 1994).
Season Premiere of ''Friends'' Leaves Room to Grow
, (Registration required). ''
Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Dai ...
'', Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
and the '' Los Angeles Times'' called it "flat-out the best comedy series of the new season". Tom Feran of '' The Plain Dealer'' wrote that the series traded "vaguely and less successfully on the hanging-out style of ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...
''", while Ann Hodges of the '' Houston Chronicle'' called it "the new ''Seinfeld'' wannabe, but it will never be as funny as ''Seinfeld''."Hodges, Ann (September 22, 1994). "NBC sitcoms make Thursday less funny", '' Houston Chronicle'',
Hearst Newspapers Hearst may refer to: Places * Hearst, former name of Hacienda, California, United States * Hearst, Ontario, town in Northern Ontario, Canada * Hearst, California, an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, United States * Hearst Island, an i ...
. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
'' Chicago Sun-Times'' Ginny Holbert found Joey and Rachel's characteristics to be underdeveloped, while Richmond commended the cast as a "likeable, youth ensemble" with "good chemistry"; Robert Bianco of '' USA Today'' was complimentary of Schwimmer, calling him "terrific". He also praised the female leads, but was concerned that Perry's role as Chandler was "undefined" and that LeBlanc was "relying too much on the same brain-dead stud routine that was already tired the last two times he tried it".Bianco, Robert (September 22, 1994). "Six ''Friends'' Sittin' Around, Talking", '' Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. The authors of ''Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends'' thought that the cast was "trying just a little too hard", in particular Perry and Schwimmer.Sangster, p. 14 '' People Magazine'' said that the "saving grace" is that the characters become more likable as time goes on.


Notes


References


Sources

*


External links

* {{ScreenActorsGuildAwards EnsembleTVComedy 01 1994 American television seasons 1995 American television seasons