Is there a sadder ending possible? Just one year prior to Matthew Perry's tragic death, the actor reflected on bidding farewell to "Friends" after a decade, revealing that it was Jennifer Aniston who first broached the idea. "To be honest, we were all ready for 'Friends' to come to an end. Jennifer Aniston had decided that she wanted to pursue movies instead, and since our decisions were made as a group, it meant that we all had to stop," Perry wrote in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," published in 2022.

According to Perry, Aniston's desire to transition into films and his own successful movie career, highlighted by the upcoming release of "The Whole Ten Yards," made wrapping up the show a natural choice. "

By 2004, the storylines of Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe had pretty much reached their conclusion, even though it had been the most incredible job on Earth," Perry admitted.

Perry, Aniston, and their co-stars - Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer - began their journey on the beloved NBC sitcom in 1994. Mostly unknown actors at the time - with the exception of Cox, who had some film experience and had danced with Bruce Springsteen in the "Dancing In the Dark" music video - "Friends" ultimately catapulted their careers. "

It struck me that Chandler had grown up much faster than I had.

Consequently, thanks to Jennifer's decision, the tenth season was shortened," Perry shared. "However, all the characters were essentially happy at this point, and nobody wants to watch a bunch of happy people doing happy things - where's the humor in that?" "The Last One," the series finale of "Friends," aired on May 6, 2004. Prior to filming the final episode, Perry approached co-creator Marta Kauffman with a request to say the show's last line.

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