The iconic NBC sitcom, which aired for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004, turned Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry into household names, skyrocketing them to massive fame.
When the series finale aired, an impressive 52.5 million viewers tuned in, making Friends the fifth most-watched TV finale in the history of American television.
Friends Fans Spot Huge Mistake In The Show That’s Only Visible On Widescreen Tvs
But with so many fans watching and re-watching episodes on today’s larger screens, they’ve begun to notice some amusing slip-ups that weren’t visible before.
Fans eventually spotted that Courteney Cox, who played Monica, was swapped out for her stand-in during a brief moment at Central Perk.
It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of moment, but once seen, it’s hard to forget.
As Riley paused the scene, she noticed something unusual that would have been nearly impossible to spot on older, smaller TVs.
Friends Fans Spot Huge Mistake In The Show That’s Only Visible On Widescreen Tvs
In this scene, Joey returns to his apartment and shuts the door—a simple action we’ve all seen dozens of times across the show’s 236 episodes.
Riley continued with excitement, “I’m watching Friends, and look at this,” as she directed viewers’ attention to the right of Joey’s door.
“Look at that giant hole in the side of Joey and Chandler’s apartment!”
This behind-the-scenes detail was never meant to be visible to the audience, but modern widescreen technology brought it out of hiding.
Why Was the Hole Even There?
Naturally, fans have questioned why the set had such a glaring hole in the first place.
Riley’s theory suggests that the show’s creators assumed this part of the set would be cropped out when aired on TV, never imagining that one day people would be watching it on much larger, high-definition screens.
One TikToker even shared another example, saying, “They have so many! In one, Joey was supposed to be out of frame but you can see him covering his mouth laughing.”
Friends Fans Spot Huge Mistake In The Show That’s Only Visible On Widescreen Tvs
I know I’ll definitely be paying closer attention during my next Friends binge-athon, looking out for all those little details that make the show even more fun to watch.