Friends stood out for the way it titled its episodes, and there are five that have more than one title, but not all of them would have worked. The 1990s are home to some of the most popular and successful TV shows in history, and one that continues to be regarded as one of the best TV shows ever made is Friends. Friends aired from 1994 to 2004 for a total of 10 seasons, and it took the audience to New York City to meet a group of friends as they did their best to deal with adulthood.
Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross went through many ups and downs in their professional and personal lives, but by the end of Friends, they had all found stability and started their own families (except for Joey, who got closure in his spinoff series). The many situations the group got involved in throughout 10 seasons were so memorable that they earned a place in the title of their episodes, but some episodes had more than one notable moment. As such, there are five episodes in all of Friends that have alternate endings, all of which were used at some point.
Friends Has 5 Episodes With Alternate Titles
It’s possible that more got other titles at some point, but the ones that these five episodes got were used at some point.
Out of the 236 episodes of Friends, five were given alternate titles. It’s possible that more got other titles at some point, but the ones that these five episodes got were used at some point, either on streaming or during re-runs, creating confusion among fans. First is the episode known as “The Pilot”, the very first episode of the series. “The Pilot” was later retitled “The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate”. “The Pilot” was also titled “The One Where It All Began” and “The First One” on television listings, though these were used less frequently (via Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends).
Season 5 episode 3 was Friends‘ 100th episode overall, and as such, it was titled “The One Hundredth”, but as every other episode has a title related to one of the big events in the story, it’s also known as “The One with the Triplets”, as it’s the episode where Phoebe gave birth to her half-brother’s and his wife’s triplets. Season 6’s “The One with Unagi” is also listed as “The One with the Mix Tape”, as it’s the episode where Chandler reuses a mix tape Janice gave him and gives it to Monica as a gift.
Friends season 8 episode “The One with Ross’ Step Forward” is also titled “The One with the Creepy Holiday Card”, as in this episode, Mona wants to send out joint Christmas cards with Ross and have “the talk” about their relationship. Later that season, the episode “The One in Massapequa” is also known as “The One with the Zesty Guy”, thanks to Alec Baldwin’s character, Parker.
As for whether they work better than the original title or not, it all depends. “The Pilot” is one of two episodes that don’t start with “the one”, the other being the final episode of the show, and while its alternate titles work, they take that uniqueness away. “The One Hundredth” would have worked best with its other title as it’s what the audience remembers, and it being a milestone episode isn’t relevant to viewers. “The One with Unagi” works best with its official title, while “The One with Ross’ Step Forward” could have been more memorable with its alternate title.
The different titles for these Friends episodes have confused fans as these have been used at some point, so some viewers remember seeing the alternate titles rather than the official ones. “The Pilot” was retroactively retitled “The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate” on the DVD release of the first season of Friends, and it kept that title on Netflix, Amazon Video, iTunes, and HBO Max, as well as on syndication listings. “The One Hundredth” and “The One In Massapequa” were also listed with their alternate titles on syndication listings, and “The One with Ross’ Step Forward” has been added to streaming platforms with its alternate title.
The different titles for these Friends episodes have created a sort of “Mandela Effect” among fans, as some remember them with their alternate titles rather than the official ones, while others had no idea they had other titles. In the end, no matter what title viewers remember, they will all know what they are talking about.
Why Friends’ Alternate Episode Titles Have Confused Fans
The different titles for these Friends episodes have confused fans as these have been used at some point, so some viewers remember seeing the alternate titles rather than the official ones. “The Pilot” was retroactively retitled “The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate” on the DVD release of the first season of Friends, and it kept that title on Netflix, Amazon Video, iTunes, and HBO Max, as well as on syndication listings. “The One Hundredth” and “The One In Massapequa” were also listed with their alternate titles on syndication listings, and “The One with Ross’ Step Forward” has been added to streaming platforms with its alternate title.
The different titles for these Friends episodes have created a sort of “Mandela Effect” among fans, as some remember them with their alternate titles rather than the official ones, while others had no idea they had other titles. In the end, no matter what title viewers remember, they will all know what they are talking about.
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