Friends Creators Defended Monica's First-Date Storyline Against NBC Exec

NBC executives were concerned the audience would react negatively to Monica's character in the pilot episode, but feedback proved otherwise.

David Crane and Marta Kauffman had to argue to keep Monica's first-date plot in the pilot episode.
An NBC executive feared viewers would dislike Monica for sleeping with a man on the first date.
The network distributed a biased questionnaire to gauge audience reaction, which backfired.
Audience responses overwhelmingly supported Monica's storyline, contradicting the network's concerns.
The show's creators also noted audience influence on other plotlines, including Monica and Chandler's relationship.