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The One After the Superbowl
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| “The One After the Superbowl” |
| Friends episode |
| Episode no. |
Season 2
Episode 12/13 |
| Written by |
Michael Borkow (part 1)
Mike Sikowitz & Jeffrey Astrof (part 2) |
| Directed by |
Michael Lembeck |
| Original airdate |
January 28, 1996 |
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"The One After the Superbowl" is a double-length episode of the second season of the American television situation comedy Friends, which aired on NBC on January 28, 1996, immediately after NBC's telecast of Super Bowl XXX.[1] The main plot of both episodes has Ross (David Schwimmer) searching for his former pet monkey, Marcel, and discovering him working on a film set in New York.
The first part was written by Michael Borkow and the second part by Mike Sikowitz and Jeffrey Astrof. Both parts were directed by Michael Lembeck.[1] It is the most-watched episode of Friends, drawing 52.9 million viewers.
Plot
Part 1
Ross discovers that his his former pet monkey, Marcel, has been forced into show business and is currently filming a movie in New York. Meanwhile, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) has to contend with a stalker (Brooke Shields) whom he ends up briefly dating, while Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) starts dating a man (Chris Isaak) who hired her to perform at a children's concert. [1]
Part 2
Ross, hoping for a reunion with his former pet, looks for Marcel on the movie set. Joey accepts Phoebe's help to land a part in the movie. While on set, Chandler (Matthew Perry) meets an old childhood friend Susie "Underpants" Moss (played by Julia Roberts) working on the production, with whom he has a colored history. They arrange a date, Chandler unsuspecting that it is a plot to get revenge. Meanwhile Monica (Courteney Cox) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) meet the movie's star Jean-Claude Van Damme, and compete for his attentions, creating tension between them. Joey finally lands a small role in the movie, but loses his solitary line after overacting.[1]
Production
Casting
Reception
Entertainment Weekly rates the episode "C", calling it "fragmented, poorly paced, and only sporadically funny. Cramming the already crowded ensemble with celebs may have been a ratings grabber [...] but the results are forced sitcomedy and stilted acting" specifically citing Van Damme.[2] The authors of Friends Like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends write of the first part "There are some lovely moments of slapstick", mentioning "what Matthew Perry does with the washing-up liquid bottle when he first sees Erika", though call Isaak "positively wooden". Of the second part, they call Julia Roberts' "a fine guest-star", and Van Damme "embarrassing".[1]
This episode was the highest rated episode of the series, recording 52.9 million viewers.[2] Director Michael Lembeck won the 1996 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Comedy Series for this episode, the only Emmy won by the series in that year.[3]
Brooke Shields' performance in this episode impressed NBC so much that she was offered her own sitcom, Suddenly Susan, for the network's 1996 fall lineup.
References
External links
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