‘Friends’ creator David Crane admits Phoebe Buffay could have ended up with David the Science Guy.
The sitcom boss – who co-created the show with Marta Kauffman – has admitted Lisa Kudrow’s character could easily have found love with Hank Azaria’s alter ego when he returned from a research trip in Minsk, although she chose to stay with Mike (Paul Rudd).
Speaking to Radio Times magazine, Crane said: "There was definitely a possibility of [Phoebe ending up with David], I mean, we didn’t definitively know [who she’d end up with].
"I mean, both Paul and Hank are fantastic, and fantastic with her. We sort of went back and forth.
"I don’t even remember all the pieces that led to where we landed, but yeah, it could have gone the other way. Phoebe would have been great with either one."
However, Crane admitted there was never any chance of Phoebe becoming an item with Matt LeBlanc’s character Joey Tribiani, despite the pair kissing a few times on the show.
He revealed the team thought having the duo end up together would have felt "too tidy" with couples Ross Geller and Rachel Green – played by David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston – and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) ending up together.
He explained: "It all would have been too tidy and too complete… When your goal is to keep the six characters in stories together, it would be really easy to go down that road but I think we all felt it would be a mistake."
Despite repeated calls from fans of the sitcom – which originally aired between 1994 and 2004 – Crane and Kauffman have been adamant they won’t revive the comedy.
The latter said earlier this year: "We will not be doing a reunion show, we will not be doing a reboot. The show was about that time in life when friends are your family."
And Crane added: "We did the show we wanted to do. We got it right, and we put a bow on it."
Friends boss says Phoebe Buffay could’ve ended up with David the Science Guy
