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The world would be much worse off if we'd never had Chandler Bing, and so it's also become a little bit sadder since Matthew Perry passed away three years ago. But it turns out that we were lucky to have him as Chandler in Friends because he almost wasn't. Perry was contracted for a different series at the time they were auditioning for Friends, and if those plans had gone through, both series would have likely failed.
Chandler Bing's character was an integral part of Friends, but the show's creators were struggling to find someone who fit the role. Luckily for them, and for us, the show that Perry was contracted to work on was scrapped, and he was allowed to audition for Chandler. But what if the contract had gone through? Well, Perry would have starred in a sci-fi comedy about aliens in a futuristic airport.
L.A.X. 2194
In 1994, while NBC was trying to find the perfect cast for its new series, Friends, Fox had a pilot filmed for a sci-fi sitcom called L.A.X. 2194. Starring Ryan Stiles and Kelly Hu, along with Matthew Perry, L.A.X. 2194 was about baggage handlers at a futuristic L.A.X. airport who dealt with alien passengers and their luggage.
If you're wondering why Matthew Perry would take a role on such a strange-sounding show, it was out of desperation. He reportedly told his manager to find him any job after learning that he was flat broke. So, he was happy to get the role of Blaine, the baggage handler, in L.A.X. 2194. It only became an issue when Perry was given a script from Friends Like Us, which would later become Friends.
Friends Like Us
Though he had already committed to L.A.X. 2194, Matthew Perry received a script for another series because they were still looking for an actor to play the character Chandler Bing. Perry read the script and realized he was the perfect fit for Chandler. In his memoir, he wrote, "When I read the script for 'Friends Like Us,' it was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life."
Not being able to go after this unicorn role ate at Perry, driving him crazy. He wasn't too heartbroken, then, when an executive watched the pilot of L.A.X. 2194 and said it was "the worst thing we've ever seen in our lives." Fox dumped the project, and Matthew Perry was then free to audition for Chandler. As soon as he came in, the show's creators knew they had found their man.
Matthew Perry was Chandler
Matthew Perry and the other cast members of Friends shot to stardom with the explosion of the series' popularity. After a decade of trying to make a name for himself, Perry finally found the perfect role as Chandler Bing. The creators of Friends and all of the many fans will be forever grateful that L.A.X. 2194 never took off.
After dozens and dozens of auditions, the writers of Friends Like Us were ready to rewrite the entire script, cutting Chandler's character because no one could pull off his brand of humor. Then Matthew Perry came in, having memorized the script, and with just a few lines, blew everyone away. Fortunately, the world was able to gain the humor and heart that Chandler brought to Friends, even if we never got to see how far Perry would have taken the sci-fi sitcom he was originally meant to be in.