The hit sitcom Friends is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, having aired for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. The show achieved global success, captivating audiences with its witty humor and compelling storylines, and catapulting the six main actors to stardom. However, one of the show's writers is now shedding light on the reality of working on Friends, revealing that it was far from the dream job it appeared to be.

Patty Lin, a former TV writer, recently shared an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, titled "End Credits: How I Broke Up With Hollywood," in which she details her experience working on Friends. In the extract, Patty admits that early on in her career, she became disillusioned with the industry. However, her time working on another show called Freaks and Geeks provided her with a positive experience that rejuvenated her passion.

Only two years into her career, Patty's agent informed her that the Friends team wanted to meet with her. Although Patty had never identified as a comedy writer, she was sought after for her skills in storytelling and character development, which were needed for the seventh season. However, Patty couldn't help but wonder if she was hired due to NBC's recent diversity program, which aimed to hire more writers of color.

Regardless, she knew that dwelling on this question wouldn't be beneficial to her career.

In July 2000, Patty joined Friends as one of the 14 writers, with only five of them being women and Patty being the only minority. The grueling 12-hour workdays consisted of the team splitting into two groups, each working on different episodes.

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