Jennifer Aniston was once tipped to star in iconic drama series – and it’s the polar opposite of wholesome Friends character Rachel Green

Jennifer Aniston is best known for her role as Rachel Green in the hugely successful sitcom Friends, but she could also have starred in another legendary TV series.

The 55-year-old actress once considered joining the cast of the gritty crime drama NCIS.

It’s been rumored for years that Aniston was interested in joining the show’s cast, and the creators behind the hit series shed light on how the star came to be considered for casting during a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter.

Executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson recalled how Aniston’s name was “floated” during the discussion.

“I think Jennifer Aniston was available at the time and her name was mentioned,” he noted.

NCIS, starring Marc Harmon, has been on the air since 2003 and has spawned numerous spin-offs

However, NCIS creator Donald P. Bellisario did not specifically remember Johnson’s anecdote, but believes it could have happened.

“I don’t remember ever offering it to Jennifer Aniston. Jennifer Aniston could very well have been a name we would have talked about,” he said.

Executives never clarified exactly what role Aniston would have played, but her name came up after they described Sasha Alexander joining the show as Caitlin Todd.

Initially, Blake Lively’s older sister Robyn Lively was in the two-episode pilot before Sasha joined later.

“Sasha Alexander was not in the two-episode pilot. It was an actress named Robyn Lively (Blake Lively’s older half-sister),” Johnson said.

‘They liked her, but they didn’t think she really worked. And so when the series was picked up, CBS said, “We’d rather move on.” And then we started looking for a character, and Sasha came in at the last minute. I loved Robyn Lively, but things like that just happen.”

“Don Bellisario really understands what qualities to bring to a character that will make him or her stand out,” added Glenn Geller, the former president of CBS Entertainment. “They’re kind of stock characters, but he always adds a quality that makes them really special.”

At the time Aniston’s name came up for a role, she was reportedly nearing the finish line of Friends. NCIS debuted in 2003, while Friends officially ended a year later.

Executives never clarified exactly what role Aniston would play, but her name came up after they described Sasha Alexander as Caitlin Todd (Alexander pictured right)

Aniston famously played Rachel Green in Friends

The hit series about a group of friends in their twenties ended in 2004 after ten years

If Aniston had been in contention for a role on NCIS, it would have been during the last few seasons of Friends

More recently, Aniston returned to the small screen with a starring role in The Morning Show, a series about the inner workings of a national morning show program.

NCIS was a spin-off of JAG that ran for ten seasons between 1995 and 2005.

The Marc Harmon-led series itself eventually spawned a number of CBS spin-offs, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawaii and NCIS: Sydney.

The series “follows the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) as they get to the bottom of criminal cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel,” according to IMDb.

Aniston’s career continued to flourish after she left the hugely successful sitcom Friends, which chronicled a group of twentysomething friends in New York City.

She pivoted from television to the big screen, starring in numerous films including Horrible Bosses, He’s Just Not That Into You, Marley & Me and more.

More recently, Aniston returned to the small screen with a starring role in The Morning Show, a series about the inner workings of a national morning show program.

Her work as news anchor Alex Levy earned her numerous nominations. In 2020, she won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for The Morning Show.