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What’s that? You’ve never heard of Poochinski, the show starring a murdered cop who is resurrected as a crime-solving bulldog voiced by the great Peter Boyle? Well, perhaps that’s because they only made one episode before some executive thought this brilliant TV series just might not find an audience.

Honestly, when stacked against some of the other bizarre pilots that were never picked up, Poochinski starts to look like a pretty good idea. Who wouldn’t love a police procedural starring a detective dog that’s been resurrected from the dead, anyway? Here’s a look at some of the other pilots that, for better or worse, were just too weird to make into a full series…

1 ‘Stick Around’ (1977)

Before he became the lovable foreign mechanic Latka Gravas on Taxi, Andy Kaufman loaned the “Foreign Man” character from his stand-up act to another potential sitcom. Set in...

Matthew Perry, with his amazing yet hilarious roles, managed to tickle the funny bones of the audience for several years. While he may no longer be around us, watching him on Friends is still a soft spot for many. He brought the iconic Chandler Bing to life and, despite having troubles in his own personal life, played the character to the best of his abilities.

Matthew Perry in a still from Friends | Credits: NBC

However, apart from the glittery life of television, there are still a lot of facts about the late actor that are not known to the general public. One of these is that he trained to be a professional tennis player. But his move to Los Angeles changed everything in his life and also forced him to leave this beloved sport.

Matthew Perry Was a Nationally Ranked Tennis Player Before His Chandler Bing Stint in Friends

Chandler...

When Friends debuted in the fall of 1994, its six lead performers were largely unknown. Headlining a popular sitcom, however, can do wonders for one's exposure, and it wasn't long before each member of Friends' main cast became a household name in entertainment. Interestingly, many of the show's cast almost didn't land their iconic roles for one reason or the other. For instance, Matthew Perry was initially committed to the pilot of another sitcom called Lax 2194, but when the pilot fell through, he was able to try out for Friends.

As one of television's most successful and popular sitcoms, Friends heavily relied on the seemingly effortless and natural chemistry among its six leads. Without each performer bringing his and her respective talents and comedic sensibilities to the small screen, the series' ensemble of high-strung yet lovable New Yorkers navigating adulthood wouldn't have functioned so hilariously for ten beloved seasons. However, what would become Friends' iconic group dynamic was nearly thrown into disarray when actor Matthew Perry's commitment to another project jeopardized his opportunity to land the role of a lifetime. Having secured a part in a science-fiction sitcom, Lax 2194, Perry's prospects of joining Friends seemed grim until fate intervened.

Matthew Perry will most often be remembered for his wit and charm, but there was so much more to him.

The pilot script of “Friends” had a lot of heat at the agencies and young actors both familiar and fresh were vying for the roles.

There was interest and momentum for Craig Bierko to play the role of Chandler Bing, and until Craig said he wasn’t interested, Matthew stayed in the background because he didn’t want to compete with his friend. Who says show business has to be cut throat?

Once we saw and heard Matthew’s audition we knew that our prayers had been answered. The role we had struggled mightily with throughout the casting process was now cast. Or was it? We couldn’t have Matthew in first position because he’d made a sci-fi pilot for Fox called “Lax 2194” about baggage handlers in the future.

The world was rocked this weekend by the passing of actor Matthew Perry, only 54 years old and best known for his role as "Chandler Bing" on "Friends" — the sitcom for which "popular" doesn't begin to describe its reputation. And yet, Perry could have missed out on the part that made him famous and ended up on the wrong side of a Hollywood "what-if" story. The actor recounted the close call in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," published in 2022 and written in a conversational (and occasionally vulgar) style.

Let's set the scene: It's 1994 and Perry has a part in a sitcom pilot. Not on "Friends," but on "L.A.X. 2194." You've probably never heard of it. It's a workplace comedy about baggage handlers at Los Angeles International Airport ... but set in the year 2194. The leads, draped in futuristic costumes right out of "Star Wars," would be handling the luggage of alien tourists.

Actor Matthew Perry, who is best known for essaying the role of the sarcastic and wise-cracking Chandler Bing, had almost missed out on getting the gig. Perry, who died at the age of 54, recalled during a 2015 appearance on ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ how he almost lost his shot at starring in the sit-com. Perry recalled becoming desperate for work in 1994 after his “terrible” manager told him he had “no money.”

“This happened to be the year that ‘Friends’ was shot, but I was off the market because I had taken a job on a pilot called ‘Lax 2194’ that was about baggage handlers at L.A. Airport in the year 2194,” he explained.

Detailing that one incident, he added: “So I was wearing a futuristic shirt, and little people played the aliens in which I had to sort out the aliens’ luggage and that was basically the show.”

While he...

Actor Matthew Perry, who is best known for essaying the role of the sarcastic and wise-cracking Chandler Bing, had almost missed out on getting the gig. Perry, who died at the age of 54, recalled during a 2015 appearance on ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ how he almost lost his shot at starring in the sit-com. Perry recalled becoming desperate for work in 1994 after his “terrible” manager told him he had “no money.”

“This happened to be the year that ‘Friends’ was shot, but I was off the market because I had taken a job on a pilot called ‘Lax 2194’ that was about baggage handlers at L.A. Airport in the year 2194,” he explained.

Detailing that one incident, he added: “So I was wearing a futuristic shirt, and little people played the aliens in which I had to sort out the aliens’ luggage and that was basically the show.”

While he...

Matthew Perry, the actor and comedian best known for playing Chandler Bing throughout all 10 seasons of "Friends," has died at 54. The news was first reported by TMZ and later confirmed by the Los Angeles Times. Law enforcement sources told the L.A. Times that he was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home at 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 28, 2023, and that there was no sign of foul play. TMZ's sources say that the apparent cause of death was drowning, also reporting that there was no indication of foul play and that no drugs were found at the scene.

Born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Perry landed his first major role as Chazz Russell in the short-lived '80s sitcom "Second Chances." He racked up a number of guest roles in other TV shows and TV movies before landing a contract for a sitcom pilot called "L.A.X. 2194," a sci-fi comedy in...

The chemistry between the Friends cast, the love story between Chandler and Monica, and the debate about Ross and Rachel's breakup set the show apart from other sitcoms. The main Friends cast, including Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, marked their first major roles on the show and have since remained prominent figures in Hollywood. Matthew Perry's recent work includes writing a memoir about his journey toward sobriety, while Lisa Kudrow has continued with comedy roles but will explore other genres, such as horror, in upcoming projects. Where to Watch Powered by

The main Friends cast may not have become the icons that they are today had they not starred in one of the defining sitcoms of the '90s. The show tells the everyday stories of six good friends in their twenties who live in New York City and talk about their problems in their apartments and favorite coffee shop,...

Seasons three through six of Friends had some of Chandler Bing’s funniest and most character-defining moments. There he is handcuffed, without pants, to a filing cabinet; remaining in “time out” in a box for nearly a full episode; hooking up with—and later marrying—Monica…We all remember them fondly. The one who doesn’t? Matthew Perry, who says these seasons were a blur due to his problems with substance abuse.

Wtf Happened to…Matthew Perry?

But to truly understand what the fuck happened to Matthew Perry, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when he was born on August 19th in Williamstown, Ma, the son of two prominent people: actor John Bennett Perry and mother Suzanne, who later served as press secretary to Canadian Pm Pierre Trudeau.

Perry developed an interest in acting after he served it up on the tennis court as a youth,...