The Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck was never supposed to become one of the main recurring actors in Friends, but fans loved him so much he stayed.

In Friends, romantic relationships are one of the main topics, and all six main characters have a large portfolio of former lovers to show for their attempts at finding true love (or just some good time). Some of them were especially memorable, like Chandler’s Janice, Phoebe’s David, or Monica’s Richard, who was really special.

Much like Janice, Richard was intended to be a one-off character, but Friends fans fell in love with him, and he kept occasionally appearing until the end of the show.

Richard Owes His Popularity to Tom Selleck

Richard Burke, Monica’s all-too-grown-up lover and her parents’ friend, was portrayed by Tom Selleck who was a big-name star thanks to his lead role in Magnum P.I. Selleck’s very first scenes on Friends had to be reshot several times thanks to the absolutely wild reactions from the live audience of the series.

While many other guest stars received a warm welcome from the audience, too, Tom Selleck was different. Friends fans adored both the actor and his character, and the creators of the show decided to make him a recurring character. Tom Selleck’s Richard kept appearing in Friends occasionally until the end of the show. And he was only invited for three episodes, at first!

Richard Wasn’t the Only Character Who Stayed This Way

Chandler’s most famous (or notorious?) ex, Janice, was also meant to only stay on the show for three episodes. While her actress, Maggie Wheeler, was nowhere near as popular as Tom Selleck, her unique character and — especially — laughter conquered fans’ hearts, and they kept demanding she come back, which she did.

Both Selleck and Wheeler were extremely nervous before joining Friends thanks to the sheer scale of the show and how close the core members of the cast were, but later, they both shared they only had positive emotions and memories from starring in the iconic sitcom.