Okay, the coffee house that made coffee houses what they are today was supposed to be ... a diner. That's right, Central Perk was originally conceived of as a New York City diner. The network worried that a coffee house would not have the broad appeal a diner would, according to Screen Rant.
After all, the show aired on Thursday nights to lead off a lineup that also included legendary sitcom "Seinfeld," and that show's character comfort spot was a corner diner. Apparently, the producers won the fight and Central Perk went on to become what it is, with its sign and logo recognized the world over (via Screen Rant).
And what would "Friends" have been if we couldn't see our six BFFs sitting comfortably on a couch that seemed to be only theirs, as they pondered the world, their lives, and their futures with comedic genius for a half hour each week?
