Summary
Friends director James Burrows reveals behind-the-scenes struggles with Emily, mirroring a similar problem on the set of Seinfeld.
Burrows has a dislike towards Emily's character and feels that Helen Baxendale is lacking in humor, which affects the chemistry with David Schwimmer. Consequently, Emily's storyline on Friends was promptly removed due to the encountered difficulties. This contrasted with Seinfeld where they opted for the humorous approach and killed off Susan to address a similar issue.
James Burrows, the director of Friends, has revealed that the character Emily caused difficulties on set, which surprisingly mirrored a backstage issue during the production of Seinfeld. Burrows, a highly successful TV director known for his work on shows such as Cheers, Taxi, Will & Grace, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as well as Friends, shared these behind-the-scenes secrets in his memoir, Directed By James Burrows. In the book, he disclosed that Emily not only divided the fan base but also polarized the cast and crew.
The challenges faced by Friends during the Emily storyline bear similarities to a similar struggle experienced on the set of Seinfeld. Although Friends and Seinfeld are often compared due to their ensemble sitcom format featuring a group of friends embarking on comical adventures in New York, the shared behind-the-scenes problems are less commonly discussed. However, the troubles Friends encountered with the character Emily closely resemble Seinfeld's own issues with one of its main characters' enduring romantic interests.
Seinfeld's Susan Had The Same Problem As Friends' Emily
Burrows' recent memoir has disclosed his dislike for Friends' character Emily and his opinion that actress Helen Baxendale was "not particularly funny." He noted that Baxendale lacked chemistry with David Schwimmer, who played her on-screen husband Ross Geller. In contrast, Burrows believed that Schwimmer had great natural chemistry with Jennifer Aniston, who portrayed Rachel Green. Burrows further revealed that the producers had seriously considered recasting the role due to these difficulties. This situation with Emily and Baxendale mirrors the challenges faced by the Seinfeld cast working with Heidi Swedberg, who played George Costanza's on-and-off girlfriend Susan Ross. When George and Susan got engaged in the seventh season, Swedberg's presence on the show increased significantly, leading to difficulties in comedic timing between her and actor Jason Alexander. Alexander expressed his struggle in figuring out how to play off of her due to her inconsistent comedic instincts. Seinfeld's solution to this issue involved a uniquely Seinfeld-esque approach: they chose to kill off Susan for comedic effect.
Why Emily Was Written Out Of Friends So Quickly
Emily’s time on Friends was short-lived, spanning only 14 episodes in seasons 4 and 5, despite being one of the main characters. In contrast, Paul Rudd's character, Mike Hannigan, was given a recurring role and remained on the show until the series finale. Due to the tight shooting schedule of Friends, it was not possible to replace Emily with another actress. However, the writers found a solution to conclude the Emily storyline swiftly and "get rid of" her, as revealed by Burrows.
