Ross and Rachel were supposed to be together forever. At least that was the plan, agreed upon in the Friends writers room. But as we all know, they were not meant to be: Midway through Season 3, Ross and Rachel (David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston, natch) went on a temporary “break,” to examine their feelings. Ross had a one-night stand. Rachel found out. They spent an episode fighting. Ross gave the world the immortal and terribly gif-able phrase “We were on a break!” Then they parted ways forever. (But not really forever.)
In an exclusive interview with Metro, Friends executive producer and director Kevin S. Bright revealed that the “break” only came about because eternal love is, well, kind of boring television.
“We realized when we got them together, when the first kiss happened we go, ‘Wow, the air has kind of gone out of the balloon.’ There wasn’t that sexual tension anymore’” Bright remembered. “As soon as everyone got their wish, the wish was taken away.”
And so the Friends staff took a page from Cheers, the show that invented the will-they-or-won’t-they? sitcom scenario: They reignited the tension by having them bust up. Hell, Ross and Rachel even accidentally got married and had a kid. Still, after their “break” that turned into a real break, it would be seven maddening seasons of will-they-or-won’t-they-again? business before love was once again forever. That is, until Friends is rebooted sometime in the next two to twenty years.
(Via Metro and The A.V. Club)
