Friends fan spots mistake in show that 'you can only see on a widescreen TV'
If you want to feel old then you've come to the right place because it's been a whopping 20 years to the day since the last ever episode of Friends aired.
The season finale was first shown on NBC on 6 May, 2004, as 52.5 million people watched on, reportedly making Friends the fifth most watched television series finale in US TV history.
Chandler (played by the late Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Ross (David Schwimmer), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) are characters that will stand the test of time as the show has transcended generations from watching on VHS, to DVD and now Netflix.
Advert
I still have season one to 10 on VHS by the way, just to show my age.
However, as there continues to be more and more eyes on the show, eagle-eyed viewers are only just picking up on small mistakes.
At the time, creators apparently didn't have to worry too much about what was going on beyond that 4:3 aspect ratio.
But maybe they should have.
In a post shared online, one fan spotted a 'literal plot hole' in the show; one that probably wouldn't have been visible before the age of Netflix, when users are able to watch Friends on their widescreen TVs with the wider aspect ratio of 16:9.
TikTok user Riley hit pause on the episode, which was the opening episode of Season 10, titled 'The One After Joey and Rachel Kiss'.
Don't @ me over spoilers, it's been nearly 20 years.
Anyway, in the episode we see Joey returning home to his apartment, closing the door we've seen so many times before. But on Riley's TV there's another detail visible, and it's pretty hard to miss.
"I love when you can tell something was shot with a camera that had no intention of ever being put on a widescreen TV," Riley said.
"I'm watching Friends, and look at this," she said, pointing to the right of Joey's door.
"Look at that giant hole in the side of Joey and Chandler's apartment!"
The video clearly showed a huge, square hole cut out of the wall of the set, presumably used to help position equipment as the crew filmed the inside of the apartment.
Some fans have questioned why the hole was even included in the frame in the first place, but if Riley's theory is correct, it's because the camera people probably assumed it would be cut off by the time it made it to TV.
Other TikTokers have apparently found other instances of the wider aspect ratio revealing funny details, with one writing: "They have so many! In one, Joey was supposed to be out of frame but you can see him covering his mouth laughing."
I suppose the crew couldn't have known just how big the picture was going to get in the future, but it's a good warning for anyone standing behind a camera!
Anish Vij