11 Utterly Ludicrous Fan Theories (That Are Actually Quite Convincing)

1. The Friends Cast Were All Patients In A Mental Asylum

The Theory: Every single one of the Friends is in fact a patient in a mental asylum, and they have fabricated perfect lives as a delusion to hide from the harsh realities of their conditions. In every case, a trigger incident or underlying event is explained in the course of the show's ten seasons: Chandler was irreversibly scarred by his parents' dysfunctional relationship and the revelation of his father's transgender issues; Monica was bullied for being over-weight and has severe second-child issues and Ross has crippling abandonment issues (hence his creation of a lesbian ex-wife and a monkey that is forced to leave him.) Meanwhile Joey crumbled under the pressure of being the only boy in a family of girls, and over-compensates with his promiscuity and his acting (his cry for attention realised in fantasy,) Rachel is a self-destructive sociopath with Daddy issues, and Phoebe failed to overcome the suicide of her mother, concocting increasingly odd fantasies, including having her own brother's triplets to cope, as well as to extend her imagined family.

They are all poor lost souls who imagine their own realities, and finally by the end have some resolution in their fantasies and can move on. Joey is no longer struggling for attention, having made it as an actor, Phoebe has a real family in the shape of Mike, Monica finds someone who personifies her own issues of body image in Chandler (remember his issues with her being fat), Ross gets the girl, Rachel openly manages to defy her controlling father by presumably marrying Ross and Chandler gets a stable relationship.

The Proof: Think about it - there is absolutely no way the Friends cast would have enough time to accomplish all of the things they manage in a typical day: they sit around drinking coffee during normal working hours (almost always in the same prime seats), they all have their dream jobs (eventually) and they live in dirt-cheap apartments in prime real estate locations. It's all fantasy. It would also explain the characters' sexual promiscuity, which is often presented as an indicative symptom of abnormality, especially in sociopaths.

Are there any other ludicrous fan theories that you think are actually quite convincing? Share your own thoughts below in the comments thread.