‘Friends’ is an iconic American TV sitcom that follows the life events of 6 close friends living in New York.
Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Ross and Joey, each have their own remarkable character traits that enrich the show and the comic interaction between them.
Ever wondered how a ‘parallel universe’ Lebanese version of ‘Friends’ living in Beirut would be like?
Rachel Green
Rachel Green is the spoiled daddy’s girl who gets slapped with real life and finds herself forced to lead an independent life. She was a runaway bride when she first arrived at Monica Geller’s, her childhood best friend. She works in the fashion industry, Bloomingdales and then Ralph Lauren.
Lebanese Rachel Green: Rachelle Khadra is “Ghannoujit Bayya”. After graduating from IC, she enters ESMOD Beirut and pursues her passion for fashion design. She has 17.1K followers on Instagram and is a self-proclaimed fashionista and public figure. She is popular but has only one true best friend “Mona Ghaleb” who helps her escape her parents’ “Badna nefrah mennik” craze.
Monica Geller
The mother hen of the group and a chef, known for her perfectionist, bossy, competitive, and obsessive-compulsive nature. Monica Geller was overweight as a child. She is Ross’s sister and marries later on Chandler Bing.
Lebanese Monica Geller: Mona Ghaleb is “Ekht El Rjeil”. She is a strong independent woman who had a not-so-very easy childhood and learned things the hard way. Mona has a rocky relationship with her mother ‘Joujou’ who used to force her to eat two plates of Mjaddara, with bread. She is the “Fehmene” and always has everything under control, no mistakes allowed!
Phoebe Buffay
A masseuse and self-taught musician. As a child, Phoebe lived in uptown New York with her mother, until she committed suicide and Phoebe took to the streets. She writes and sings her own quirky songs, accompanying herself on the guitar.
Lebanese Phoebe Buffay: Fabienne Baroud A.K.A “Fabz” is the “Mach3outa” of the group. She is a girl from the ‘Day3a’ who moved to Beirut. She believes in the evil eye and has a weekly appointment with a bassara. She works as a masseuse during the day and sings in Mar Mkhayel pubs during the night.
Chandler Bing
An executive in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration for a large, multinational corporation. Chandler hates this job, although it pays well. He quits his job, later on, to become a junior copywriter at an advertising agency. With a passive-aggressive personality, Chandler hides out his emotions by using humour. He marries Monica Geller.
Lebanese Chandler Bing: Chady Badran is the “Karakoz”. He is the funniest member of the group and has a very sensitive heart. He tears up while watching “Ahmar Bel Khat El 3arid” but of course, doesn’t admit it and hides it with sarcasm. He is the “Bade efta7 beit” type of guys, he works at a bank but doesn’t like it – It pays the bills.
Ross Geller
Monica Geller’s older brother, a palaeontologist working at the Museum of Natural History, and later a tenured professor of palaeontology at the New York University. He has three failed marriages during the series, his divorces become a running joke within the series.
Lebanese Ross Geller: Ralph Ghaleb obtained his doctorate from USJ. He is successful in his job but the saying “El Manhous Manhous, Law Rakkaboulo Fenous” suits him perfectly. Life doesn’t treat him well, and he always gets stuck in Beirut’s traffic jam. He is an overthinker and takes life way too seriously, “khalas chill” is what his friends tell him the most.
Joey Tribbiani
A struggling actor and food lover who becomes famous for his role on soap opera Days of Our Lives as Dr Drake Ramoray. Joey has many short-term girlfriends. Despite his womanizing, Joey is innocent, caring, and well-intentioned.
Lebanese Joey Tribbiani: Abou El Zouz is the “Jagal”. Some people say he is “Neswanje” but in fact, he just admires women. He is the type of guys who would dare you to a Shawarma marathon with extra toum. Zouzou has the sweetest heart of the group and is very transparent and naive that you always feel like you want to take care of him.
