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Jen Vestuto is a TV Features Writer for Collider. A born and raised New Yorker, she started her career on set as a production assistant for shows like Law & Order: SVU and Person of Interest. In LA, she worked in the writers' rooms for The Vampire Diaries and Nancy Drew. Along with her writing partner, she joined the writing staff of Nancy Drew in Season 2 and stayed on the run of the show, which ended in 2022 with Season 4.
Jen grew up on Long Island in a loud Italian family. She's been writing creatively since she was in elementary school and would often make her younger sister act out scenes from her favorite movies with her. Jen is also a massive sports fan and was an athlete herself growing up.
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When it comes to iconic sitcoms, Friends is always near the top of the list, packed with memorable moments across its long run. Many of the show’s biggest and most beloved episodes came in later seasons, but its most-watched installment may surprise some fans. Back in Season 2, NBC engineered Friends into a true television event. “The One After the Superbowl,” the two-part episode, drew more than 52 million viewers, per The Tampa Tribune, thanks to a perfect storm of timing and promotion. To match that scale, the show didn’t just lean on its beloved ensemble, it packed the story with celebrity guest stars in a way that’s both exciting and, in hindsight, a little unnecessary.
NBC Turned 'Friends' "The One After the Superbowl" Into a Celebrity-Filled TV Event
The post–Super Bowl time slot has long been used to launch brand-new shows, but in 1996, NBC decided to do something different. Instead of introducing a new series after Super Bowl XXX, the network doubled down on Friends, turning “The One After the Superbowl” into a full-blown event rather than just a two-part sitcom episode. The core group is still at the center, but the episode is designed to keep casual viewers from changing the channel, with storylines built around celebrity cameos.
Ross (David Schwimmer) reconnects with Marcel, his former pet monkey, now an animal actor, which opens the door to Hollywood chaos and a stream of guest stars on set. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself as the movie’s star, becoming the object of competition for Monica (Courteney Cox) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), while Brooke Shields appears as Erika, a woman who becomes obsessed with Joey (Matt LeBlanc) after watching him on Days of Our Lives, convinced he’s really Dr. Drake Ramoray. The biggest get, though, is Julia Roberts as Susie “Underpants” Moss, Chandler’s (Matthew Perry) former classmate who returns with flirtation and a perfectly plotted grudge tied to one of his most humiliating high school moments. It’s essentially a parade of star power, and it worked exactly as NBC intended, cementing the episode as Friends’ most-watched episode for all ten seasons.
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'Friends' Didn't Need Stunt Casting To Succeed
Friends was no stranger to guest star cameos throughout its run, but “The One After the Superbowl” felt like a deliberate overload. It’s understandable why NBC wanted to go big, but that level of celebrity power probably wasn’t necessary to achieve the ratings bump it did. And that’s the funny part, because Friends never needed stunt casting to succeed. No matter who popped in, the series always thrived on its ensemble and the chemistry between the six leads.
The episode itself doesn’t contain any of the series’ most iconic jokes or quotes, but it still made a huge impact. NBC hadn’t had great luck using the post–Super Bowl time slot to launch new shows, which is why NBC president Warren Littlefield decided to “flip the script” by placing the hottest show in that slot. The guest stars were part of that strategy, helping the broadcast feel like a spectacle and maximizing the audience on one of the biggest ad-revenue nights of the year.
There’s fun trivia behind the cameos too. Matthew Perry helped convince Julia Roberts to guest star, and the two began dating soon after, while Jean-Claude Van Damme later admitted he cringed at his performance in hindsight. Brooke Shields’ appearance even led to NBC developing Suddenly Susan, which ran from 1996 to 2000. But even if the episode earned mixed reviews, it didn’t dent the franchise at all. If anything, it proves just how huge Friends was at the time and why NBC was right to bet on it.
Release Date 1994 - 2004
Showrunner Marta Kauffman
Writers Jeff Astrof, Mike Sikowitz, Brian Boyle, Patty Lin, Bill Lawrence, R. Lee Fleming Jr.
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Courteney Cox
Monica Geller
English (US) ·