What If Ross & Rachel Hadn’t Ended Up Together? Turns Out, They Almost Didn’t

By Jillian Lucas forHowAboutWe

It's hard to believe that there are people on this earth who have not seen Friends episodes that aren't reruns they catch on TBS late at night. The iconic and game-changing sitcom defined the 90's and continues to bleed relevance into many current issues. It debuted September 22, 1994, and brought new life to the sitcom world, representing an unabashed and honest look into the lives of six friends - Ross, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica, Rachel and Joey - living in New York City.

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A reoccurring love story between Ross and Rachel spanned most all of the 236 episodes and 10 seasons. When the finale finally aired, the two happily and satisfyingly ended up together. But would you have guessed that this solution could've been cut from the finale? "Well that just seems so expected," says David Crane, the show's producer, "Maybe not, maybe we do some kind of vague, they're not together but there's hope for the future. And then we're like 'screw that', people have waited ten years. Let's give them what they want." (Watch the full interview here.)

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And Crane really did give the viewers what they wanted. With the now infamous "I got off the plane" line uttered by Rachel still giving most of us goosebumps and teary eyes, the Friends finale is still one of the most emotional endings in television history.

[Entertainment Weekly, via Flavorwire]