I was just thinking, as I'm apt to do from time to time, what if the six friends were not played by the current six actors? What if other actors had gotten the parts? Perhaps the cast of a different sitcom. Here's my first stab at it.
Using the cast of "Wings"
Monica: Amy Yasbeck (Casey) Rachel: Crystal Bernard (Helen) Phoebe: Rebecca Schull (Fay)
Ross: Thomas Haden Church (Lowell) Chandler: Steven Weber (Brian) Joey: Tim Daly (Joe)
I would switch Tim Daly <=> Thomas Haden Church ... however I have watched only a few episodes so I may be wrong. Btw. it's an intresting idea to search for substitutes in other sitcoms (different characters in different sitcoms are often very similar).
LB
"LB" wrote in message news:b79cki$pik$[email]...
For character personalities I would agree--in fact, I started with it that way, but then I thought the Joey character should be better looking. Of course, I'm a guy, so what do I know?
same here :-)
LB
In article , "David Buehrle" wrote:
Lol, using the cast of "NewsRadio"
Monica: Khandi Alexander (Catherine Duke) Rachel: Maura Tierney (Lisa Miller) Phoebe: Vicki Lewis (Beth)
Ross: Dave Foley (Dave Nelson) Chandler: Phil Hartman (Bill McNeal) Joey: Joe Rogan (Joe Garelli)
Gunther: Andy Dick (Matthew Brock) Treeger: Stephen Root (Jimmy James)
Note that in this incarnation, Ross & Rachel get together in the first episode, and that's it, no shilly-shallying.
Tennant
In article , "David Buehrle" wrote:
Using the cast of "Coupling" http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/
Monica: Sarah Alexander (Susan Walker) Rachel: Kate Isitt (Sally Harper) Phoebe: Gina Bellman (Jane Christie)
Ross: Jack Davenport (Steve Taylor) Chandler: Richard Coyle (Jeff Murdock) Joey: Ben Miles (Patrick Maitland)
I think NBC bought the rights to this show and is going to do an American version to replace Friends when it's over.
U think correctly! I seem to recall the reverse happened with MAD ABOUT YOU Danny Jacobson decided to to a british version called LOVED BY YOU for the UK The scripts were basically the same just with british actors I don't think it went over that well though. Only lasted something like 2 seasons??? They plan on keeping the scripts for coupleing the same (for the most part) & just putting in American actors. I wonder if it will endur the same fate???
I like the show but I fear that its similarity to Friends might leave some Friends fans dissapointed mearly because its not Friends & rather than viewing it as its own show, will be trying to compair it with Friends.
In news:the_medication'[email] anews.com, Cynically Depressed was driven to type:
In terms of character I've always seen Sally as being more like Monica, with their shared neuroses. Susan is more like Rachel, if only because she's super good looking and dates the Ross type character. Of course with regards to the respective actresses it works better as well, Sarah Alexander being better looking.
Yep. A Friends link, AIUI Melissa George (Emma's nanny) is due to take one of the female roles.
"Jan Buxton" wrote in message news:3e998403$0$6127$[email]...
I agree with you completely on this point, although I've only seen the first series.
In article , "Jan Buxton" wrote:
Last I heard, Melissa George lost the job, and was replaced by Rena Sofer, who was Katie the dinosaur fan in 821.
Tennant
In news:[email], Tennant Stuart was driven to type:
Indeed things have moved on, they're reshooting the pilot after the departure Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplen (writers of Josie and the Pussycats and Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas, aah!). Phoef Sutton (former Cheers writer) seems to have taken over. Are we to take from this that the pilot stunk? That Melissa George bombed as Susan?
imdb have current cast as being Susan - Rena Sofer (Loving, General Hospital, Melrose Place, Just Shoot Me! / Seinfeld, Friends, Spin City Guest Apps) Sally - Emily Rutherfurd (The Ellen Show / W+G Guest App) Jane - Lindsay Price (All My Children, Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful, Beverly Hills 90210 / Frasier, CSI Guest Apps) Patrick - Colin Ferguson (The Opposite of Sex / Malcolm in the Middle Guest App) Steve - Jay Harrington (The Division / ST: Voyager, The Shield Guest Apps) Jeff - ?????
imdb also mentions the departure of a Meyer (along with Elfont and Kaplen), is that Breckin Meyer? He was to play Jeff?
In article , "Jan Buxton" wrote:
Could be.
Dunno.
Tennant
In article , "Jan Buxton" wrote:
On second thought you're probably right about that.
*David Buehrle* :
Are you going by character or by actor?
Using the cast of "Ally McBeal" (not really a sitcom, though), by character
Monica: ??? Vonda Shepard Rachel: Calista Flockhart (Ally) Phoebe: Jane Krakowski (Elaine) Ross: Peter MacNicol (John) Chandler: Robert Downey Jr. (Larry) Joey: Greg Germann (Richard)
Using the cast of "Ally McBeal", by actor (age adjusted)
Monica: Courtney Thorne-Smith (Georgia)
or Lisa Nicole Carson (Renee), if she wasn't black
Rachel: Portia de Rossi (Nelle)
Phoebe: Calista Flockhart (Ally)
Ross: Robert Downey Jr. (Larry)
Chandler: James LeGros (Mark)
or Gil Bellows (Billy)
Joey: Jon Bon Jovi (Victor)That show had a really big "regular" cast to chose from, especially in its final season:
Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal, escaped psycho) Greg Germann (Richard Fish, the living fishism) Peter MacNicol (John Cage, the Biscuit) Jane Krakowski (Elaine Vassal, inventor of the face bra) Gil Bellows (Billy Thomas, Ally's ass-sniffing love) Courtney Thorne-Smith (Georgia Thomas, Billy's wife) Lisa Nicole Carson (Renee Raddick, Ally's room-mate) Robert Downey Jr. (Larry Paul, Ally's weird love) Portia de Rossi (Morgan "Nelle" Porter, the icy fairy) Lucy Liu (Ling Woo, Richard's Chinese knee) Vonda Shepard (a singer in a bar) James LeGros (Mark Albert, the nice disappearing lawyer) Regina Hall (Corretta Lipp, the female black lawyer) Julianne Nicholson (Jenny Shaw, Ally 5 years ago) James Marsden (Glenn Foy, Jenny's Billy) Bobby Cannavale (Wilson Jade, Glenn's friend) [or vice versa?] Taye Diggs (Jackson Duper, the male black lawyer) Hayden Panettiere (Maddie Harrington, Ally's daughter) Jon Bon Jovi (Victor Morrison, Ally's plumber) Dyan Cannon (Jennifer "Whipper" Cone, Richard's judge) Tracey Ullman (Dr. Tracy Clark, Ally's first therapist) Anne Heche (Melanie West, John's Tourette friend) Gina Philips (Sandy Hingle, Billy's assistant) Barry Humphries a.k.a Dame Edna (Claire Otoms, the scary colorful lady) Christina Ricci (Debbie "Liza" Bump, Richard's wife)
... probably incomplete.
I'm not sure I could see her as a "Monica" but I don't think it matters that she's black.
The minute you change the actors, it will be a different show to some extent. They could have just as easily put a black actor in the series from the start, and now years later if someone suggested a different actor who was white, that would seem the odd thing.
It's the mix of the actors that make the show, well if it had a bad premise or bad scripts it wouldn't help. I can't quite picture Lisa Nicole Carson as Monica, but I'm sure there black actors who would fit the role. Someone suggested Khandi Alexander from Newsradio, and when I saw that, I thought "yes, that would work".
Michael
"Michael Black" wrote in message news:b7c8nr$3rj$[email]...
I'm not sure, but I think the point would be that it would be difficult to have Ross be a white actor and Monica black. Of course, this might present some interesting twists on the plot too, not to mention some varied possibilities for the characters of Jack and Judy. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea.
*Michael Black* :
Well, as Monica is supposed to be Ross's sister, they should have the same skin color. Although *many* TV families don't look as if they were genetically related, this would be over the top IMHO.
I didn't think of that at all. Oops.
Michael
In uk.media.tv.friends on Sun, 13 Apr 2003 at 18:52:11, Christoph Paeper wrote :
I'd swap the above two.
And these two.
*Paul Hyett* :
Really? I thought about Portia di Rossi (Nelle) as Rachel, the bitch. There's not really a matronal character in Ally McBeal, who'd be similar to Monica. Coretta maybe.
I noticed, that I could see RDJ as any of the male Friends, but Larry doesn't have as much in common with Joey as Richard does.
In uk.media.tv.friends on Tue, 15 Apr 2003 at 00:01:39, Christoph Paeper wrote :
That's even better.
I thought of Calista as Monica because they're both thin (amongst other things).