20 Hilarious Friends Spin-Offs (That Never Existed)

At the end of ‘The One With Russ’, we see a lovelorn Russ and Julie (recently dumped by Rachel and Ross, respectively) bump into each other at Central Perk. Sparks fly, and it’s implied that the two are instantly smitten with one another.

Russ, of course, is Ross’ doppelganger: the joke is that neither Rachel nor Julie recognise how similar he is to Ross in looks and personality.

In Girlfriend In Canada, set right after season two, Julie and Russ are living in Toronto - she works at the Royal Ontario Museum and teaches part-time at the University affiliated with it. The title has a double meaning, referring to Julie herself and also to her relationship with Russ. You see, this is Lauren Tom’s show: the running gag is that David Schwimmer (who plays Russ) is not in it.

Much like Mrs Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory (or other ‘invisible’ characters like Maris in Frasier or Ugly Naked Guy in Friends itself), we never actually see Russ on screen. We hear his voice through the bathroom door, or on the phone; scenes cut away as soon as he is about to enter, or as doors are about to open.

However, no one else in Julie’s life seems to have met Russ either, with hilarious consequences as Girlfriend In Canada goes to increasingly elaborate lengths to keep that situation going.