 In 1994 , Schwimmer was cast as Ross Geller in NBC 's situation comedy Friends , a series that revolved around a group of friends who live near each other in Manhattan . He played a hopeless @-@ romantic paleontologist who works at a museum and later becomes a professor at a university . Schwimmer initially turned down the role as Ross , but accepted afterwards . Executive producer Kevin S. Bright said that he had previously worked with Schwimmer , the character of Ross was written with him in mind , and he was the first actor cast . Schwimmer based Ross on Nicolas Cage 's role of Charlie from the 1986 film Peggy Sue Got Married . The show debuted on September 22 , 1994 , and was watched by almost 22 million American viewers . Friends quickly developed a loyal audience , with the show and Schwimmer receiving strong reviews . The Pittsburgh Post @-@ Gazette was complimentary of Schwimmer , calling him " terrific " . Variety 's television reviewer , said : " All six of the principals , especially ( Courteney ) Cox and Schwimmer , appear resourceful and display sharp sitcom skills " . For this performance , he earned an Emmy Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1995 . 
