 After their short @-@ lived television series Family Album was canceled , television writers David Crane and Marta Kauffman pitched Friends to then @-@ NBC president Warren Littlefield as a sitcom about " that special time in your life when your friends are your family , " basing the show on their own experiences as young people living in New York ; the main characters themselves were inspired by their own friends . Conceived as a young woman who is unprepared for adulthood , the character Rachel Green was originally named Rachel Robbins . Although critics and audiences initially perceived Monica as the show 's main character when Friends premiered , the writers had actually given Rachel the pilot 's most prominent storyline . Before deciding that Rachel and Ross would be an item for the entire series , the writers had originally intended for the show 's defining couple to be Joey and Monica . However , after the success of the pilot , in which Rachel and Ross ' developing romance is first hinted at , and witnessing Aniston and co @-@ star David Schwimmer 's on @-@ screen chemistry for the first time , Crane and Kauffman determined that the entire series relied on " finding all the wonderful roadblocks for them to be with each other . " 
 After their short @-@ lived television series Family Album was canceled , television writers David Crane and Marta Kauffman pitched Friends to then @-@ NBC president Warren Littlefield as a sitcom about " that special time in your life when your friends <a href='drop_aux' title='1'><mark>are</mark></a>your family , " basing the show on their own experiences as young people living in New York ; the main characters themselves <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> inspired by their own friends . Conceived as a young woman <a href='null_relcl' title='3'><mark>who</mark></a><a href='drop_aux' title='4'><mark>is</mark></a>unprepared for adulthood , the character Rachel Green was originally named Rachel Robbins . Although critics and audiences initially perceived Monica as the show <a href='null_genetive' title='5'><mark>'s</mark></a>main character when Friends premiered , the writers <a href='been_done' title='6'><mark>had</mark></a> actually given Rachel the pilot <a href='null_genetive' title='7'><mark>'s</mark></a>most prominent storyline . Before deciding that Rachel and Ross would be an item for the entire series , the writers <a href='been_done' title='8'><mark>had</mark></a> originally intended for the show <a href='null_genetive' title='9'><mark>'s</mark></a>defining couple to be Joey and Monica . However , after the success of the pilot , in which Rachel and Ross <a href='null_genetive' title='10'><mark>'</mark></a>developing romance is first hinted at , and witnessing Aniston and <a href='uninflect' title='11'><mark>co</mark></a> @-@ star David Schwimmer 's on @-@ screen chemistry for the first time , Crane and Kauffman determined that the entire series relied on " finding all the wonderful roadblocks for them to be with each other . " 
After their short @-@ lived television series fam Album was canceled , television writers David Crane and Marta Kauffman pitched frens to then @-@ NBC president Warren Littlefield as a sitcom about " that special time in ur life when yourriends yoururfam" basing da show on their own experiences as young bitches livin in New York ; the main characters theyself was inspired by their own friends . Conceived as a young woman unprepared for adulthood , tdacharacter Rachel Green was originally named Rachel Robbins . Although critics and audiences initially perceived Monica as the show  main character when Frfrensremiered , the writers done actually given Rachel the pilot  most prominent storyline . Before deciding dat Rachel and Ross would b an item for the entire series , thdariters done originally intended for the show  defining couple to be Joey and Monica . However , after the success of thedalot , in which Rachel and Ross  developing romance is first hinted at , and witnessing Aniston and coed @-@ star David Schwimmer 's on @-@ screen chemistry for the dast time , Crane and Kauffman determined that the edare series relied on " finding all the wodarful roadblocks fir them to be with each other . "