In a parallel universe: If the cast of 'Friends' were Arab

A popular show so globally famous it needs no introduction, explore with us the wild possibility - in a parallel Arab universe, that is - of "Friends" having had an all-Arab cast back in the 90s.

As options are endless with the region's many talents, we took the freedom to redesign the cast of Friends with the following Arab stars:

Phoebe, aka Farah, would be played by Lebanese gypsy-haired Myriam Fares. She swears her mother is half-Moroccan half-French while her father is half-Palestinian half-Lebanese, yet no one will ever know her one true identity. But she's willing to argue that Lebanese are indeed Phoenicians.

She's friendly, quirky, and goes for sobhiyet at her neighbors' almost every day. Her source of income remains a mystery, but for a fact she buys her clothes and furniture from souk el ahad and threads her own eyebrows. Her vegan diet consists almost entirely of fattoush, hummus, and batata harra. 

Ross, aka Ramzi, would be played by Jordanian Bassel Alzaro. He's the guy that constantly reminds you of his engineering degree from the prestigious American University of Beirut (AUB). 

The only group member with a corporate job and a steady salary, he regularly takes weekend trips to Dubai or Marmaris... and secretly goes for solarium sessions during winter.

Monica, aka Mona, would be played by Tunisian Hend Sabry. It may seem like she's lucky or has superior mom blessings, but Mona had her whole life planned out since she was 16. She got married to the love of her life at 23 on the exact date of their fifth anniversary at an outdoor wedding by the Mediterranean sea.

Without a doubt, her wedding took place after she'd completed her master's degree in education and started working as a high-school teacher at some big international school. Being the family's favorite, she has a cookbook full of age-old Middle Eastern family recipes she collected from her khaltos and amtos and has even taught her mother some cleaning hacks.

Joey, aka Ali, would be played by Egyptian charmer Wael Mansour. Unlike his five other sisters, Ali never passed his official exams and only enrolled at a technical school for a semester. He's the friend who's present at every arguileh gathering, with enough connections to get almost anything done. 

He was once a few seconds away from tattooing the Brazilian flag on his back because that's how much he loves his favorite World Cup team, but decided to go for the traditional Chinese letters instead. While Ali remains unemployed, he's never had less than three girlfriends at once. You'll find him at the beach every Sunday during summer, calling everyone "bro" or "habibe."  

Chandler, aka Shadi, would be played by Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Zeyara. Regularly complaining about how difficult it is to work in a family business, he's the reason behind its current success.

He's known to others as Ali's sidekick because that's how he met all the friends he has. His family is originally Palestinian, but he's lived in Jordan all his life and regularly posts pictures of his homeland. And although he's embarrassed to admit it, he has fully mastered his mom's mloukhiye recipe and regularly cooks in his pastime. 

Rachel, aka Rana, would be played by Lebanese beauty Cyrine Abdelnour. She studied business at the London School of Economics (LSE) and suddenly forgot how to communicate with others in Arabic. She got an internship at Elie Saab's atelier shortly after returning home, courtesy of her dad's wasta and her some 20,000 Instagram followers.

When she's not busy taking pictures to upload on social media or chilling with a matcha latte at Starbucks, she's planning her 12th vacation to Paris for fashion week. Her wedding, which will definitely be featured on Lebanese Weddings, is already 90 percent planned... all she still needs is a groom.