In 1994, Friends was a part of NBC’s famous “Blackout Thursday” event, but despite being advertised, Seinfeld refused to take part. Many of the best sitcoms of all time have taken part in crossover events, such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl, as well as Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The best crossover episodes of TV shows were generally memorable because it was such a big deal, and audiences loved to see their favorite characters cross paths and spend some time starring in another title.
Sitcom crossover episodes were a particularly interesting trend, however. When certain shows were all set in the same location, viewers often questioned whether there was an overlap, or if the various versions of the same city or town were in fact all the same. While Friends, Mad About You, and Madman of the People committed to broadcasting an episode with its characters experiencing a blackout, Seinfeld decided not to take part in NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” crossover.
On November 3, 1994, NBC launched the “Blackout Thursday” night, which featured three sitcom episodes that were interlinked: Mad About You’s “Pandora’s Box,” Friends’ “The One with the Blackout,” Madman for the People’s “Birthday in the Big House.” These episodes aired in this respective order, and while Mad About You began the blackout, Madman for the People wrapped the event up.
This intricate programming stunt was a great way for NBC to improve its ratings and to draw in new viewers. “The One with the Blackout” was only the seventh episode of Friends, and the show had only started airing a mere two months before it was featured as part of NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” event. “Blackout Thursday,” which was an idea from promotional producer Dan Holm (via IndieWire), happened over 30 years ago now, but it quickly became a legendary stunt in the world of TV.
How The “Blackout Thursday” Episodes Of Friends, Mad About You, & Madman Of The People Were Connected
Friends, Mad About You, & Madman Of The People’s Episodes Shared An Ongoing Story
Although none of the Friends cast or any of the characters from the three sitcoms starred in each other’s episodes, these blackout episodes were connected. It began with Mad About You’s “Pandora’s Box,” when Jamie fiddled with the wiring on the roof of her building after some drama over the supply of cable TV. Unfortunately, she had no clue what she was doing, and before she knew it, there was a big spark, and New York was plunged into darkness.
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This led into Friends’ “The One with the Blackout,” which began with Phoebe performing at Central Perk, only for the lights to cut out and leave her and the rest of the coffee shop with no power. Throughout “The One with the Blackout,” Friends jumped between two core subplots: Chandler was stuck in an ATM vestibule with Victoria’s Secret supermodel Jill Goodacre, and the rest of the gang sat around Monica and Rachel’s apartment, waiting for the power to come back on.
Friends and Mad About You technically had a crossover, but not during the “Blackout Thursday” event. Lisa Kudrow portrayed waitress Ursula in Mad About You, who was later established as Phoebe’s twin in Friends. In the Friends episode “The One with Two Parts: Part 1,” Mad About You‘s Fran and Jamie visited Central Perk and mistook Phoebe for Ursula.
The last was Madman for the People’s “Birthday in the Big House.” In this episode, Jack endured an awful birthday and ended up being thrown in jail with his son, where he met a drag queen. Meanwhile, Sasha got stuck in an elevator, but met a very attractive construction worker. Madman for the People only lasted one season and was canceled in 1995, but one of the reasons it has been remembered is because of NBC’s “Blackout Thursday.”
Why Seinfeld Didn’t Take Part In NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” Event
Seinfeld Still Aired “The Gymnast” As Normal, But There Was No Blackout
The Seinfeld episode “The Gymnast” still aired during its normal time slot, which was between Friends and Madman for the People. However, it did not feature a blackout storyline, even though the show was advertised as part of NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” event. “The Gymnast” was a very typical episode of Seinfeld, which saw Jerry in a relationship with a Romanian gymnast, Kramer dealing with an irritating kidney stone, and George repeatedly getting caught eating like a wild dog by Lindsay’s mother.
Despite the heavy implication that Friends and Seinfeld were part of the same TV universe, Seinfeld refused to take part in NBC’s “Blackout Thursday.” It was never explicitly explained why this was, at least not from Jerry Seinfeld himself.
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However, Seinfeld writer Jeff Schaffer explained in an interview that “Larry [David] and Jerry [Seinfeld] were worried about making Seinfeld good, not worrying about Thursday night and the other shows” (via Uproxx). Despite not taking part in NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” event, Seinfeld’s ratings weren’t particularly impacted by “The Gymnast,” but considering it was wedged between Friends and Madman for the People, it was unlikely it would be.
Sources: IndieWire, Uproxx
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