TV Q&A: The long and short of 'Friends' theme song

By ROB OWEN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

April 8, 2013 at 1:17PM
From left, Matthew Perry as Chandler, Lisa Kudrow as Pheobe, Matt Le Blanc as Joey, David Schwimmer as Ross, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, Courtney Cox Arquette as Monica.
From left, Matthew Perry as Chandler, Lisa Kudrow as Pheobe, Matt Le Blanc as Joey, David Schwimmer as Ross, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, Courtney Cox Arquette as Monica. (Paulette Henderson — 2004 Warner Bros. Television Production Inc./The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Q: TBS airs "Friends" daily in the late afternoon. On some episodes, the theme music is played in its entirety — vocal track as well as music track — over the opening and closing credits. On other episodes, it seems the vocal track has been eliminated and only the music track is being played. I'm wondering why.

A: A TBS publicist says a shortened theme song is used if episodes run longer in their original form than the running time of half-hour shows today. It's about getting more commercials into the half-hour.

"Friends" originally aired when commercial breaks were shorter than they are today, the TBS publicist said. "To fit an episode into today's standard half-hour time slot without sacrificing any of its story line, the opening theme is sometimes trimmed."

Where are Beavis & Butt-Head?

Q: Has MTV announced if we're going to see a run of new "Beavis & Butt-Head" episodes like what we saw last year?

A: It looks as if the show won't be back.

"There are no immediate plans for new 'Beavis & Butt-Head' episodes on MTV, but you never know," said an MTV official in an e-mailed response.

"Mad Men" is back

Q: I don't see "Mad Men" on the AMC schedule. When will it start again?

A: "Mad Men" returned on Sunday at 8 p.m. for its sixth season, with a two-hour premiere.

"Newsroom" to roll this summer

Q: Can you tell me when the new season of "The Newsroom" will begin?

A: HBO has not yet announced a premiere date, but it's expected to be this summer.

Send questions to tvqanda@gmail.com.

about the writer

about the writer

ROB OWEN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette