TV Friends nearly recast Emily role over lack of chemistry with David Schwimmer, director says James Burrows writes in his memoir that Schwimmer "had no one to bounce off" acting opposite Helen Baxendale. By Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives, and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext, Queerty, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once. EW's editorial guidelines Published on August 31, 2023 10:53PM EDT Poor Emily can't catch a break. Not only did she come between one of the most popular relationships on television — only to get humiliated at the altar — but she almost lost her job too. Well, not Emily per se, but Helen Baxendale, the actress who played the doomed second Mrs. Ross Geller on the hit sitcom Friends. According to legendary TV director James Burrows' recent memoir, appropriately titled Directed by James Burrows, the NBC series nearly replaced Baxendale because David Schwimmer (who played Ross) couldn't "bounce off" her the way he did with Jennifer Aniston (who played Rachel). Helen Baxendale and Jennifer Aniston. Anthony Harvey/Getty, Steve Granitz/FilmMagi "She was nice, but not particularly funny," Burrows writes of Baxendale, according to PEOPLE. Burrows, who directed 15 episode of the beloved Must See TV show, felt that Baxendale and Schwimmer just didn't have the same kind of classic rom-com chemistry that Schwimmer and Aniston had in spades. "Schwimmer had no one to bounce off," he writes. "It was like clapping with one hand." Burrows continues, "In sitcoms and any type of romantic comedy, the funny is just as important as the chemistry. We discovered that any new girlfriend for Ross needed to be as funny as Rachel." While recasting Baxendale was an option, it wasn't an ideal solution, with Burrows noting that often "you can't recast" because of "tight shooting deadlines or other logistical considerations." "You need someone who gets laughs," he writes. "Sometimes you start an arc and it ain't working out, so you have to get rid of that person. If it's a day player, it's a quick goodbye." If someone's landing jokes left and right, however, Burrows adds that the opposite is true and "the writers go to work to figure out some way of keeping the actor." Despite being nice but not funny, Baxendale played Emily for 14 episodes across seasons 4 and 5 of Friends. And, of course, she and Ross got married (but did they, though?), even after Ross "mistakenly" said Rachel's name instead of Emily's at the altar. From there it was only a matter of time before viewers said goodbye to Emily and plunged headfirst into five more seasons of Ross and Rachel figuring it out, proving that Emily probably dodged a huge bullet. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Aisha Tyler says fans still approach her and call her 'Black girl from Friends' Courteney Cox channels her inner Monica for a Friends spoof showing off her secret closet Friends writer says the show's stars would 'deliberately tank' jokes they didn't like