Friends cut a storyline involving Gunther and Rachel that could have improved Gunther’s character. Friends finished nearly ten years ago, and yet it still has a huge following. Plus, Netflix having Friends on the streaming services for so long only drew in more audiences. Gunther, played by James Michael Tyler, was never meant to be more than an extra, but his popularity with fans saw Gunther become more involved in Friends. Gunther had few lines and was mainly seen in the coffee house, but he was still a consistent part of Friends.
Gunther’s main storyline was his unrequited love for Rachel. His infatuation caused many humorous moments, including being Rude to Ross and kicking out customers who hit on Rachel. Friends usually based Gunther’s inclusion around Rachel. She is one of the main Friends that Gunther interacts with the most. Aside from this, Gunther does not have much involvement in Friends as a whole, and no storylines depend on him, despite how often he is seen in the background. It turns out Friends almost changed this, but the storyline was cut.
Why Gunther & Rachel’s Roommate Storyline Was Cut
Gunther would have had his own storyline due to a script being written where Rachel moved in with Gunther as his roommate. Both Jennifer Aniston (Rachel) and Tyler read the first draft of the script and felt it was not right. Speaking to the Metro, Tyler said it “felt contrived” compared to the other storylines of Friends, which developed organically. Despite this storyline being a great chance to develop Gunther’s character, Tyler recognized how this storyline would not fit in the series and was “not ungrateful that it didn’t work.”
Friends itself shows how unnatural this storyline would have been. In season 6, Rachel is looking for a place to live. Before deciding to live with Phoebe, Gunther offers Rachel his place. However, when reminding him that he lives in a one-bedroom flat, Rachel politely declines Gunther’s offer. This outcome is much more fitting for both Gunther’s actions and Rachel’s response. Tyler explained the scrapped storyline was “through no fault of Jennifer or myself or the writing,” and he is right that Gunther’s relationship with Rachel worked much better when he admired her from afar.
The Roommate Storyline Could Have Made Gunther The 7th Friend
However, even though the storyline may have been out of place, the roommate storyline could have made Gunther the 7th friend. Over 10 seasons, Gunther had a serious lack of development. His infatuation with Rachel and cutting one-liners provided some comedic moments but never showed who he was. Both Rachel and Joey worked with Gunther at the coffee house, where the friends spent most of their time, and still, his character was not fleshed out as much as it could have been. Keeping the cut storyline in Friends and maybe finding a more organic way to introduce it would have been the perfect opportunity to do this.
Having Rachel, in particular, move in with Gunther could have been a great opportunity to develop him beyond his infatuation. Their living situation would have provided many comedic moments with Rachel dating and Gunther not just admiring her from afar. Also, Gunther would have spent more time with the six friends and built some unusual but interesting relationships. Gunther’s character was fascinating. Hence his popularity, so the storyline would have allowed him to shine much more in Friends.
Source: Metro
