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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Annabel Nugent

Friends fans spot episode that ‘replaced’ Jennifer Aniston a decade after it aired

Fox

Jennifer Aniston might now be known as Alex Levy in The Morning Show, but to a lot of people, she’ll always be Rachel from Friends.

Friends is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time – and fans have only just noticed a glaring discrepancy in one of the its episodes, a decade after the show first aired.

The popular series – created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman – aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004, and followed a group of six friends in their twenties living in New York City.

It made stars out of Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc, who formed the core cast.

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This week, fans of the series have been noticing that in episode 15 of season nine – titled “The One With The Mugging” – Aniston’s character, Rachel, appears to have been replaced in a scene by a non-cast member.

In the episode, Rachel runs into Monica’s (Cox) apartment to inform Joey (an aspiring actor played by LeBlanc) that he has secured an audition with a fictional famous actor Leonard Hayes (portrayed by guest star Jeff Goldblum).

Viewers have pointed out that Aniston is in the shot at the same time as someone who is thought to be her understudy or stand-in.

It is not the first time that someone has come upon the editing error, which was previously flagged in a 2015 article published by RecentlyHeard.com.

A similar blunder occurred earlier on in the same season.

(Getty Images)

In season nine, episode four – titled “The One with the Sharks” – Rachel is once again replaced by Aniston’s stand-in in the middle of a scene.

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At around the 13-minute mark, Monica and Rachel – wearing a yellow top – are seen perched at a table in Monica’s apartment when Joey joins them.

When the camera shifts to Monica, the bottom left side of the screen shows a different woman next to her, wearing a blue top.

(NBC)

While these editing mistakes have been remarked on occasionally throughout the years, the addition of Friends to Netflix may have something to do with the fact that they are being noticed more reguarly.

The streaming giant made the entire series of Friends available for UK subscribers at the end of 2017, meaning that fans have been able to watch the series in high-definition quality, allowing them to pick up on errors that previously went unnoticed.

Aniston will return for a third season of Apple TV+ series The Morning Show later this year. An airdate is yet to be announced, but actors Reese Witherspoon and Billy Crudup will also return.

Earlier this week, Apple TV+ renewed one of its most promising shows for a second season.

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New subscribers only. £6.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

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