10 Most Insane Friends Fan Theories

5. The Entire Series Was An Elaborate Starbucks Commercial

There are cute fan theories that make some basic semblance of sense, and then there are those theories so ridiculous you just have to admire the creativity behind them.

This glorious tinfoil hat-wearing theory from writer Alex Baker, posted in a Twitter thread of all places, implies that Friends was actually a secret branding exercise for coffee empire Starbucks.

Though we don't see any actual Starbucks-specific product placement in the show, Baker argues that Friends aimed to more broadly change attitudes, getting people out of pubs - as popularised in sitcom Cheers - and into coffee chains.

The "evidence"? Rachel's surname is Green and Starbucks' logo is green; her hair also looks "similar" to the woman in the Starbucks logo; Ross and Monica's surname Geller is derived from the German "gellen," which means "to yell," and Starbucks is renowned for yelling customers' names when an order is ready; and to link back to Cheers again, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) ends up moving to Seattle...which is where Starbucks was founded.

Again, it's totally bats**t crazy and almost definitely not true, but isn't it fun to think about anyway?