The reason why Monica's apartment was purple in Friends has been revealed
Finally, we have an answer
Friends
Published 16th Mar 2018
For anyone else binge-watching Friends on Netflix at the moment, (or anyone who has ever seen an episode of Friends) you will of course have noticed Monica’s apartment is painted a striking purple hue.
Now, New York City’s most famous apartment, Monica Geller’s huge two-bedroom apartment in the West Village has become the ideal interior inspiration for all New Yorkers. That’s all thanks to John Shaffner, the man responsible for creating the set for Friends and also the that iconic purple room.
But when he originally revealed the sets to show bosses, he had to fight to get the bright colour signed off. John explained in a video with Great Big Story that everyone was really anxious about it and it wasn’t until he painted the little model purple that they accepted the change.
Watch the video below:
He goes on to explain the reason behind it was to help it feel very different from every other set on television at the time. "Colour is really important in establishing the show identity," he said, "When you switch to Friends, you see that it is purple and you stay tuned."
Nothing to do with Monica’s grandmother’s preference then! Notably fans always wondered how Monica could afford such a huge apartment in that area of the city, but it was later revealed that she sub-letted the flat from her grandmother who had moved to Florida.
In the video, set designer John Shaffner also revealed that he had no idea where the extra door down the hall would lead. "We put a door all the way up this hallway and we really didn’t say where it went to. I said, 'Why don’t we just wait and see where the story is taken?'"
SPOILER ALERT
Of course in season eight we find out that it’s actually a cupboard full of Monica’s rubbish!
Friends wasn't the first name show bosses came up with, take a look at the original names for some of our favourite TV shows.
Friends
We all know and love it as Friends, but the TV show could have been called something very different...
The reason why Monica's apartment was purple in Friends has been revealed
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We know it as Only Fools and Horses with Del Boy's infamous Reliant Regal Supervan.
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Saturday Night Live
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Hannah Montana, was a musical comedy starring Miley Cyrus in the lead role and was named after the main character, but it could have been very different.
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Lost
The gripping TV show Lost, starring Terry O'Quinn as John Locke (pictured), kept people guessing the ending for years.
Nowhere
Lost could have been called Nowhere!
New Girl
Known as New Girl, the TV show starring Zooey Deschanel as kooky teacher Jess Day could have been called something else entirely.
Chicks and D---s
While New Girl was the name they finally settled on, it had a much ruder working title - and Zooey Deschanel refused to sign onto the project whilst that was the name.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Supernatural TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a hit in the late 90s and early 00s. It was named after the lead character Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Slayers
It was originally going to be called Slayers.
The Good Wife
Known as The Good Wife, the TV series starred Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart (pictured), as a top litigator and senior partner of a Chicago law firm.
Leave the B-----d
The series, which also starred Sex and the City's Chris Noth (pictured), was originally going to be called Leave the B-----d.
NCIS
NCIS finished its 14th season earlier this year - this moment is from the gripping season finale.
NavyNCIS
Starring Duane Henry, Emily Wickersham, and Wilmer Valderrama (above) NCIS was originally going to be called NavyNCIS.
Friends
We all know and love it as Friends, but the TV show could have been called something very different...
Six of One
Six Of One just doesn't have the same ring to it! Here are the cast Jennifer Aniston, Matt Le Blanc, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow,
Only Fools and Horses
We know it as Only Fools and Horses with Del Boy's infamous Reliant Regal Supervan.
Readies or Big Brother
But it was originally due to be called Readies or Big Brother. Good job they went with Only Fools and Horses, then!
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory could have been called something a lot less catchy...
Lenny, Penny and Kenny
Yep - Sheldon was very nearly called Kenny!
Saturday Night Live
US variety show Saturday Night Live is well known around the world - here's Star Wars actor Adam Driver introducing the show.
NBC's Saturday Night
Not quite the same, is it? Here's Ariana Grande's ex-fiancé Pete Davidson, who works on the show as a comedian.
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana, was a musical comedy starring Miley Cyrus in the lead role and was named after the main character, but it could have been very different.
Alexis Texas
The lead character was originally going to be called Alexis Texas... Which means that the show would also have been called Alexis Texas!
Lost
The gripping TV show Lost, starring Terry O'Quinn as John Locke (pictured), kept people guessing the ending for years.
Nowhere
Lost could have been called Nowhere!
New Girl
Known as New Girl, the TV show starring Zooey Deschanel as kooky teacher Jess Day could have been called something else entirely.
Chicks and D---s
While New Girl was the name they finally settled on, it had a much ruder working title - and Zooey Deschanel refused to sign onto the project whilst that was the name.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Supernatural TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a hit in the late 90s and early 00s. It was named after the lead character Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Slayers
It was originally going to be called Slayers.
The Good Wife
Known as The Good Wife, the TV series starred Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart (pictured), as a top litigator and senior partner of a Chicago law firm.
Leave the B-----d
The series, which also starred Sex and the City's Chris Noth (pictured), was originally going to be called Leave the B-----d.
NCIS
NCIS finished its 14th season earlier this year - this moment is from the gripping season finale.
NavyNCIS
Starring Duane Henry, Emily Wickersham, and Wilmer Valderrama (above) NCIS was originally going to be called NavyNCIS.
Friends was one of the most popular TV series in the 90s and early 00s, but you might be surprised at how different it could have been. If you're a Friends fan then take a look at these 43 things you probably didn't know about the TV series.
If you're not a fan of Friends, or you've never watched it, then it's now available to watch on Netflix, so why not check out 10 reasons why we love Friends.
