10 TV Shows That Accidentally Filmed Things You Weren't Supposed To See

5. Lisa Kudrow Is In Two Places At Once (Friends)

Friends pilot episode Phoebe Paul
NBC

As one of the most rewatchable shows of all time, it's no surprise that people have found all sorts of weird stuff hidden within Friends, like this curious Phoebe moment in the first episode of the first season.

Roughly eight minutes in, Monica introduces the gang to her new boyfriend, Paul the Wine Guy, as Phoebe - who is stood in the kitchen - randomly proclaims "I just pulled out four eyelashes - that can't be good."

The shot then cuts to Paul, sat on the sofa, who reacts to her comment with an amused expression. But for some strange reason, Phoebe isn't in the kitchen anymore - she's magically transported to the chair behind Paul, with Lisa Kudrow accidentally being left in full view of the camera.

The whole point of this shot is to show Paul's reaction to Phoebe, so Kudrow obviously wasn't supposed to be visible here. However, there is an explanation.

Friends was originally broadcast in the 4:3 aspect ratio, with black bars at either side of the screen. But when it was later expanded to a more widescreen format, everything that the black bars were previously hiding suddenly became visible, leading to these small inconsistencies.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.