Editing Friends (section)

=== Writing ===
In the weeks after NBC's pick up of ''Friends'', Crane, Kauffman and Bright reviewed sent-in scripts that writers had originally prepared for other series, mainly unproduced ''[[Seinfeld]]'' episodes.<ref name="friendsborn" /> Kauffman and Crane hired a team of seven young writers because "When you're 40, you can't do it anymore. The networks and studios are looking for young people coming in out of college."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shayne, Bob |date=June 10, 2001 |title=No Experience Wanted |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-10-ca-8511-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616165543/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jun/10/entertainment/ca-8511 |archive-date=June 16, 2009}}</ref> The creators felt that using six equal characters, rather than emphasizing one or two, would allow for "myriad storylines and give the show legs."<ref name="friendsorigin2" /> The majority of the storyline ideas came from the writers, although the actors added ideas.<ref name="friendswrit">{{Cite news |date=April 23, 2004 |title=''Friends'': Kevin Bright |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/community/chat/2002-04-23-friends.htm |url-status=live |access-date=December 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715065109/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/community/chat/2002-04-23-friends.htm |archive-date=July 15, 2013}}</ref> Although the writers originally planned the big love story to be between Joey and Monica, the idea of a romantic interest between Ross and Rachel emerged during the period when Kauffman and Crane wrote the pilot script.<ref name="friendsorigins1" />

During the production of the pilot, NBC requested that the script be changed to feature one dominant storyline and several minor ones, but the writers refused, wanting to keep three storylines of equal weight.<ref name="friendsconcept" /> NBC also wanted the writers to include an older character to balance out the young ones. Crane and Kauffman were forced to comply and wrote a draft of an early episode that featured "Pat the Cop" who would be used to provide advice to the other characters. Crane found the storyline to be terrible, and Kauffman joked, "You know the {{Sic|kids}} book, ''[[Pat the Bunny]]''? We had Pat the Cop." NBC eventually relented and dropped the idea.<ref name="friendsorigins1" />

Each summer, the producers would outline the storylines for the subsequent season.<ref name="joeyrach" /> Before an episode went into production, Kauffman and Crane would revise the script written by another writer, mainly if something concerning either the series or a character felt foreign.<ref name="friendsborn">{{Cite news |last=Kolbert, Elizabeth |date=May 23, 1994 |title=A Sitcom is Born: Only Time Will Tell the Road to Prime Time |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E5DF1E38F930A15756C0A962958260 |url-status=live |access-date=January 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122060645/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E5DF1E38F930A15756C0A962958260 |archive-date=January 22, 2009}}</ref> The hardest episodes to write were always "the first one and the last one of each season."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Radloff |first=Jessica |title=The Creators of Friends Reveal Brand-New Secrets About the Show |language=en |work=Glamour |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/exclusive-the-creators-of-frie |url-status=live |access-date=December 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005712/https://www.glamour.com/story/exclusive-the-creators-of-frie |archive-date=December 4, 2018}}</ref> Unlike other storylines, the idea for a relationship between Joey and Rachel was decided on halfway through the eighth season. The creators did not want Ross and Rachel to get back together so soon, and while looking for a romantic impediment, a writer suggested Joey's romantic interest in Rachel.<ref name="joeyrach" />

The storyline was incorporated into the season; however, when the actors feared that the storyline would make their characters unlikable, the storyline was wrapped up, until it again resurfaced in the season's finale. For the ninth season, the writers were unsure about the amount of storyline to give to Rachel's baby Emma Geller-Green, as they wanted the show neither to revolve around a baby nor pretend there to be none.<ref name="joeyrach">{{Cite news |last=Bauder, David |date=May 15, 2002 |title=Baby episode could make ''Friends'' TV's top show |work=Seattle Times |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20020515/wfriends/baby-episode-could-make-friends-tvs-top-show |url-status=live |access-date=January 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122135945/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20020515&slug=wfriends |archive-date=January 22, 2009}}</ref> Crane said that it took them a while to accept the idea of a tenth season, which they decided to do because they had enough stories left to tell to justify the season. Kauffman and Crane would not have signed on for an eleventh season, even if all the cast members had wanted to continue.<ref name="friendsnewsday" />

The episode title format—"The One ..."<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2004 |title=Have yourself a mocha latte and reminisce a bit |url=http://www.ocala.com/news/20040505/have-yourself-a-mocha-latte-and-reminisce-a-bit |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211172257/http://www.ocala.com/news/20040505/have-yourself-a-mocha-latte-and-reminisce-a-bit |archive-date=February 11, 2018 |access-date=February 11, 2018 |publisher=Ocala.com}}</ref>—was created when the producers realized that the episode titles would not be featured in the opening credits, and therefore would be unknown to most of the audience. Episode titles officially begin with "The One ..." except the title of the [[The Pilot (Friends)|pilot episode]] and the series finale "The Last One". The season 5 episode "The One Hundredth" has the alternative title of "The One With The Triplet".