Courteney Cox's First Notable Sitcom Appearance Wasn't Actually On Friends (It Was On Seinfeld)
Highlights
- Courteney Cox appeared on Seinfeld before her debut on Friends, which helped her develop a smart approach to her character of Monica.
- Working on Seinfeld helped Cox with her time on Friends, as she had time to implement what she learned on the first sitcom.
- Courteney Cox only appeared on Seinfeld once as Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend, Meryl, and was too busy with Friends to return for more episodes.
Courteney Cox skyrocketed to fame with the rest of the Friends cast, but the experienced actress already had quite a few gigs under her belt by the time she became Monica Geller. In her earlier years, Cox appeared in various sitcoms, but she credits one particular experience with helping her develop a smart approach to the character of Monica.
Almost immediately before she appeared on Friends, 'Monica Geller' dabbled in a different sitcom: Seinfeld. While the series was very different from Friends (even if one storyline from Friends would have fit Jerry's style better), Courteney apparently learned a lot from the one-time gig.
Courteney Cox Appeared On Seinfeld Right Before She Debuted On Friends
It's an important distinction: was Courteney Cox on Seinfeld and Friends at the same time? The answer is no—not exactly. Courteney's episode of Seinfeld aired a few months prior to her debut on Friends.
When Courteney played Meryl, in 1994, Friends had not yet premiered. Her episode of Seinfeld aired on March 17th, 1994, and Friends' first episode (aptly titled "The Pilot," among its other informal titles) aired on September 22nd, 1994.
Some viewers might have recognized Courteney from other earlier projects when she appeared as Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend Meryl, but Cox was definitely not "famous" yet. However, working on Seinfeld did help her with her time on Friends.
Since the first episode of Friends was a few months after Seinfeld, Courteney had time to implement what she learned on the first sitcom to help the second one succeed.
Courteney Cox Had A Slow Start In Her Early Career
Before landing her long-term gig on Friends, Courteney Cox had various TV roles and even appeared in a handful of films. In the mid to late '80s, Cox was on shows like Misfits of Science, Family Ties, and The Trouble with Larry.
She even rubbed elbows with Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective—and the same year that film came out, she was cast in SeinfeldandFriends. After that, things picked up impressively, especially as Friends grew in popularity season after season.
Who Did Courteney Cox Play On Seinfeld?
Courteney Cox played Meryl on Seinfeld and was, of course, one of Jerry Seinfeld's many on-screen love interests. She appeared in season five's episode 17, "The Wife," where she pretends to be Jerry's girlfriend in order to get a discount on dry cleaning.
The premise of the show is that Jerry is casually dating Meryl, who upon finding out that Jerry gets a 25 percent "family" discount on dry cleaning, decides to fake being his wife. Jerry plays along, getting Meryl the discount, as well as bringing Kramer's laundry too, to get him the discount.
Meryl and Jerry end up bickering like a married couple, creating some comedy, but ultimately, Jerry gives someone else his discount—and Meryl finds her lingerie in the dry cleaning pickup.
Jerry requests a "divorce," Meryl agrees, and the two break up amicably.
Considering Jerry's other on-screen romantic disasters, this relationship ended fairly well. However, it never worked out for Meryl to make a return, even though other celebrities like Teri Hatcher, who arguably had the most iconic line on the show, played Jerry's girlfriend/ex multiple across multiple episodes.
The experience was still an important one in Courteney's career, though. In one interview, Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay) explained that Courteney was the most well-known cast member when they all started out.
When she arrived on set after Seinfeld, Courteney had plenty of tips to share with her new castmates, including giving each other feedback on their lines and making suggestions to one another while running through scenes.
Kudrow explained that while there's a "code with actors" where they're not meant to criticize one another, the Friends cast ditched that hint of ego and were open with each other. Lisa credited Courteney with setting the tone for the group, and it appears she was correct.
Not only was Courteney offered the role of Rachel and turned it down, but she also completely overhauled her character with ease. Though the writers initially had a different vibe in mind for Monica, Courteney made the character her own, and it just worked.
How Many Times Was Courteney Cox On Seinfeld?
No, fans didn't miss another Meryl appearance; Courteney Cox only appeared on Seinfeld a single time. Understandably, she was likely far too busy with Friends and then later projects to return to playing one of Jerry Seinfeld's many girlfriends.
What Is Courteney Cox Doing Now?
After Friends ended in 2004 (and while it was airing, actually), Courteney Cox took on a long list of other projects. She appeared on the TV series Dirt, showed up on Scrubs, starred in Cougar Town, and even guest-starred on Modern Family—where she flirted with David Beckham.
Courteney also started a home products line which speaks to her inner 'neat freak,' but she hasn't stopped acting, either.
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