NBC was firing all on cylinders, as far as programming went in the ‘90s. At the time, the network was engulfed in its “Must See TV” era, which marked the rise of shows like Friends and ER. Those two particular series – which remain cultural touchstones – drew massive ratings for the network. While the stars of the shows may not have been competitive with each other, the productions themselves were essentially competing to get the most eyes on them. That’s something that George Clooney – the former lead of the medical drama – reflected on in the wake of Matthew Perry’s death. Not only that, but he also shared thoughts about how the late actor felt about working on the sitcom, citing some unhappiness on his part.
Friends and ER both aired on Thursday nights and were the network’s highest-viewed shows behind only Seinfeld. The medical series actually became the most-watched drama on TV at that point as well. George Clooney, while participating in a Q&A held by Deadline, reflected on being part of a ratings powerhouse. He also shared a very cerebral take on how the show helped usher in a new era of storytelling on the small screen:
We were side by side on the soundstage. We were the 10 o’clock show and we were doing 25% bigger numbers than they were the nine o’clock show. And for the 10 o’clock hour show to be doing those kinds of numbers that quickly? We had 40 million people watching us. It was a real, and hourlong shows tend to peak about year three. It starts to run out of storylines and then you start to repeat ’em a little bit. The show went on for 10 years and there was a lot of really wonderful quality, we were changing the way television was. And then the next show to come in to do that was The Sopranos. There was a big difference in the way we told stories at the speed we were telling it.
While the Oscar winner has looked back on his TV career and shared behind-the-scenes stories from his time on ER before, it’s rare to hear him talk in depth about the ratings side of his experience. Those who were too young to remember or just weren’t around should understand that the drama series was something of a revelation. It’s even more interesting to hear all of this now when you consider that TV ratings are weighed so much differently today. (That’s mostly due to additional factors like DVR and streaming.) When talking about massive programming on NBC in the ‘90s, one can’t leave out fellow juggernaut Friends, which the Up in the Air actor had nothing but praise for the sitcom:
And then Friends. There’s a thing about really good sitcoms, going back to Jack Benny. The really good sitcoms get better with age. Felix Unger walks into a filthy room and you just start laughing. Once we get to know the characters, it’s situational comedy, so you don’t have to do punchlines anymore. We know them. And all you knew about Jack Benny was that he was cheap and that he was always 39 years old and he was bad at the violin. And anything after that didn’t matter. You could watch it. So half hour shows can really develop into much better shows as they go that our shows have trouble doing for the most part. Shows like The Wire were interesting, they would shake it up, but most of the time, half hour shows are the shows. And Friends, man, that was a fun time to watch those guys. We were all really close. We were at the Upfronts in 1994 in New York.
David Crane and Marta Kauffman’s multi-camera sitcom about six pals living in New York hit the pop culture lexicon like a ton of bricks. The chemistry of its lead actors was praised as was the work of the behind-the-scenes talent involved, including the series creators and director James Burrows. Amid all of that, one could argue that Matthew Perry – who iconically played the role of the sarcastic Chandler Bing – contributed heavily to the success. George Clooney knew Perry very well and, later in his interview, he praised the late comedian’s talents. He also got candid about why the Whole Nine Yards star didn’t experience much “happiness” as a result of his work on the hit show:
I knew Matt when he was 16 years old. We used to play paddle tennis together. He’s about 10 years younger than me. And he was a great, funny, funny, funny kid. He was a kid and all he would say to us, I mean me, Richard Kind and Grant Heslov, was, I just want to get on a sitcom, man. I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I would be the happiest man on earth. And he got on probably one of the best ever. He wasn’t happy. It didn’t bring him joy or happiness or peace. And watching that go on on the lot — we were at Warner Brothers, we were there right next to each other — it was hard to watch because we didn’t know what was going through him. We just knew that he wasn’t happy and I had no idea he was doing what, 12 Vicodin a day and all the stuff he talked about, all that heartbreaking stuff. And it also just tells you that success and money and all those things, it doesn’t just automatically bring you happiness. You have to be happy with yourself and your life.
Of all of Matthew Perry’s best TV shows and movies, Friends is easily what he’s best remembered for. During his lifetime, he spoke about what he appreciated from the experience, though he also got honest about the fact that that time in his life was tough. His tenure on the comedy coincided with substance abuse issues he was facing (and didn’t sugarcoat in his memoir years later). Perry sadly died at 54 in October due to multiple factors, including the antidepressant ketamine, which he also wrote about.
George Clooney is certainly correct in saying that joy isn’t guaranteed when a person experiences success when it comes to TV ratings, fame and more. It’s unfortunate to hear that Matthew Perry didn’t have the best experience. Based on past comments he made during his lifetime though, he did seem to relish the fact that his work brought so much joy to so many people – and his performances will be remembered for generations to come.
NBC’s Must See TV gems, Friends and ER. can currently be streamed with the use of a Max subscription.
