‘Friends’ Co-Creator Recalls Clash with NBC Exec Over First-Date Sex in Pilot

In an interview with the UK’s Sunday Times, Friends co-creator David Crane shared that one NBC executive was not a fan of Monica’s first date with “Paul the Wine Guy” in the series pilot.

For those who need a refresher, in “The Pilot,” which premiered 30 years ago in 1994, Monica (played by Courteney Cox) goes on a date with “Paul the Wine Guy” who reveals that he hasn’t had sex since his wife left him. Feeling sympathetic for Paul, Monica sleeps with him. She later learns, however, that Paul’s story was a fabricated ploy to seduce women.

“The guy who was in charge [an NBC executive] said: ‘We’re not going to like Monica because [in the pilot] she sleeps with a guy on the first date,’” Crane recalled. “We made the argument that it makes her sympathetic.”

“The network, in trying to prove that the audience wouldn’t like Monica if she sleeps with a guy on the first date, distributed a little questionnaire to the audience at our dress rehearsal,” Crane continued. “And it was so skewed. The question was like: ‘When Monica sleeps with a guy on her first date, is she A) a slut or B) a harlot?’”

But Crane said the audience sided with the creators (and Monica!), ultimately ignoring the proposed answers and writing in: “No, it’s fine.”

What do you think of Monica’s first date in the Friends pilot? Sound off in the comments!