Hard to believe, but it's been over 23 years since Friends debuted on US television – the Central Perk gang burst onto our screens on September 22, 1994, with talk of Ross's divorce, Rachel's disastrous wedding and Chandler's... phone-schlong.

Warner Bros NBC Universal

In the intervening years, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt Le Blanc have become indelibly linked with the show and their respective roles.

But it could easily have been very different, with many other stars considered for the parts of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey.

Join us now for a trip to a parallel '90s New York – and take a look at the alternate Friends cast below!

And if you're after more Friends reads after you've had your mind blown by the below, check out our ranking of EVERY SINGLE EPISODE (Oh. My.God.), and our selection of some of the best gags the pals ever uttered.

Ross

Warner Bros. NBC

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Goofy paleontologist Ross Geller was the first Friend to be cast – the series creators had worked with David Schwimmer before and wrote the part with him in mind.

However, before finding fame with his own hit sitcom, future Will & Grace star Eric McCormack also auditioned several times. Can you imagine Will as Ross?

Rachel

NBS

JB Lacroix/WireImage Getty Images

The first actress considered to play Rachel? None other than Courteney Cox, who instead lobbied successfully for the role of clean freak Monica.

After Téa Leoni turned down the part, Elizabeth Berkley – Saved by the Bell's Jessie, later to find infamy as the star of Showgirls – was beaten out by Jennifer Aniston at the audition stage.

Monica

NBC Universal

Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

Before Cox was cast, Jami Gertz – who's appeared in everything from ER to Ally McBeal to Entourage to 1996 disaster flick Twister – is said to have turned down Monica.

Other auditionees included Nancy McKeon – then best known for her stint on NBC sitcom The Facts of Life – and Leah Remini – later the star of CBS long-running The King of Queens.

Phoebe

Disney ABC Television Group

How different would the world of US television have been if Ellen DeGeneres – the producers' first choice – had been cast as kooky Phoebe Buffay?

Janeane Garofalo was also considered at an early stage – with the character originally pitched as a 'goth girl' type – as was actress and comedian Kathy Griffin.

Perhaps most surprising of all, Jane Lynch also auditioned – it's difficult to conceive of any two more disparate characters than Phoebe and Glee's Sue Sylvester!

Chandler

NBC Universal

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First choice for wise-cracking Chandler? Not Matthew Perry, it turns out, but hunky New York-born actor Craig Bierko, who passed on Friends after reading the pilot script.

Though he was next on the wish list, Perry was already committed to another pilot, LAX 2194 – a show (we kid you not) about baggage handlers in the far future.

Both Jon Favreau – who later guested as Monica's millionaire boyfriend Pete – and Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer turned down the part, before ABC saw sense and axed LAX 2194, freeing up Perry to take on the role.

Joey

NBC Universal

Michael N. Todaro/WireImage Getty Images

Remember Phoebe's adorably geeky boyfriend David? The one who left her to go to Minsk? Hank Azaria, who played the part, was originally desperate to land the role of Joey – after a failed first audition, he begged producers to let him try out again, but still didn't secure the part.

Originally imagined as a straightforward "guy's guy" who loves "women, sports, women, New York [and] women", the character of Joey was rewritten when Matt LeBlanc auditioned, with the actor channelling his "dim Italian" character Vinnie Verducci from short-lived Fox sitcom Vinnie & Bobby (1992).

We've recently learned that True Detective season two star Vince Vaughn also auditioned for Joey, but despite being called "handsome and tall" and a "good actor" by Friends casting director Ellie Janner, he didn't get the part (obvs).

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