Were Friends producers really serious about killing off Rachel in the May childbirth episode?

        It's easy to dismiss the report as pure fiction, because it surfaced in the Star, a supermarket tabloid. But it's not as crazy as it sounds.

        I'm cynical enough to believe that producers may have concocted the far-fetched story line as a negotiating ploy with the six Friends stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer — who were considering ending TV's No. 1 series in May.

        It wouldn't be the first time that NBC or Warner Bros. went to elaborate lengths to put the squeeze on the cohesive Friends.

        In May 2000, the last time Friends was up for renewal, NBC prepared a commercial promoting that week's season finale as the last episode, said Garth Ancier, who was NBC Entertainment president at that time.

        “You've loved them for seven years! See how it all ends!” said the promo, which Mr. Ancier has in his archives.

        Mr. Ancier, now executive vice president for programming at Turner Broadcasting, said during the press tour last month that he had prepared a fall 2000 schedule with Just Shoot Me replacing Friends at 8 p.m. Thursdays as negotiations carried into May.

        Finally he set a deadline of noon Sunday, the day before NBC announced its fall lineup. If the network didn't have a new Friends deal, the “goodbye” promo would air during a NBA game that day.

        “One of the things you learn in this business . . . is you can never really make a deal with someone until they really believe you'll walk away,” Mr. Ancier said.

        “In my opinion, that (promo) was the trip wire, when the cast realized . . . we could really do without the show.”

        The six stars, known for their unanimous decisions, were demanding $1.05-million per episode per person, Mr. Ancier said.

        NBC refused to budge beyond $700,000. Finally the deadlock was broken by the producers and creators — Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane — who kicked in the last $50,000 per actor, Mr. Ancier said.

        Under the two-year deal signed in 2000, NBC made only “a tiny bit of money” on Friends, he says.But it needed the hit to stabilize its “Must See TV” Thursday lineup, during which it could promote other series, movies and shows.

        “You need chips like Friends and ER to sell lesser-known shows, or a show you really believe in,” Mr. Ancier said.

        NBC needs all the Friends it can get. The network is about to lose Anthony Edwards, the third star from ER this season (Eriq LaSalle, Michael Michele). Tuesday 8-9 p.m. remains NBC's Dark Hole for comedy, soon to swallow Julia Louis-Dreyfus (as it did Emeril Lagasse and Hank Azaria).

        Published reports say NBC will pay Warner Bros. $6 million per episode, which covers the stars' salaries. Warner Bros. can make up the rest by selling reruns of TV's most popular series (6 and 7 p.m., Channel 19; 7 p.m. on Channel 2 and WTBS cable).

        As for the demise of Rachel, well, don't count on it.

        “I suppose now that the Star has let the cat out of the bag, the writers will have to put their thinking caps back on,” Tony Frost, Star editor-in-chief, told the Associated Press.

        His paper claims Friends writers were planning a May finale in which Ms. Aniston's character dies delivering a healthy baby girl. Before dying, she would tell the baby's father, Ross (Mr. Schwimmer) that she wanted Monica and Chandler (Ms. Arquette, Mr. Perry) to raise their daughter.

        Unidentified show “insiders” also say two other possible endings were being discussed, with Rachel marrying either Ross or Joey (Mr. LeBlanc).

        “We have excellently placed sources close to the Friends creative team,” Mr. Frost told AP, “and the story lines we published were definitely on the table.”

        Now they're in the trash can, because the six stars have signed for one last season. Trust me.

        Radio romance: Mark Perzel hosts Love Greetings 7-9 p.m. and 9-11 p.m. today on WGUC-FM (90.9).

        Common ground: Channel 48's periodic Common Ground series focuses on students' solutions to racism in a one-hour special today (10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.). Three groups of students, ranging from kindergarten to high school, will participate in the show, along with a panel of Tristate educators.

        Around the dial: Children previewing A Charlie Brown Valentine (8 p.m. today, Channels 9, 2) didn't know what a rotary dial phone was, reports executive producer Lee Mendelson.

        So Mr. Mendelson told the kids: “In the Midwest, they still have a lot of dial phones.”

        “I didn't know what else to say,” Mr. Mendelson said. “It's interesting about the Midwest . . . Our ratings were the highest in the Midwest. I think it was his (Charles M. Schulz) Midwest values that permeated the shows.”

        TV monologues: The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler's one-woman show, debuts on HB0 today (9:30-11 p.m.).

        Contact John Kiesewetter by phone: 768-8519; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: jkiesewetter@enquirer.com.
       

Dress-alike spouses wear their hearts on their sleeves
Belle of the 'Monster's Ball'
KNIPPENBERG: Knip's Eye View
Black theatre fest to add out-of-towners
Ex-bike shop owner now shooting Ozzy
Know Theatre Tribe's daring triple play challenges viewers
The Early Word
'Friends' stars signed away rumors
Get to it