31 Years Ago, Friends Solved a Major Plothole By Crossing Over With Another Hit Sitcom

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Television often includes subtle connections and references that most viewers miss. Unless a show explicitly advertises itself as a crossover event, like with The Simpsons and Family Guy, or It’s Always Sunny and Abbott Elementary, casual viewers simply see a normal scene. Some TV creators intentionally include these ‘deep cut’ moments, hoping only their most dedicated fans will notice and appreciate them.

Thirty-one years ago, television history was made when Friends, a hugely popular show, did something unexpected: it briefly connected with the world of another highly-regarded series, blurring the lines between the two shows.

Friends & Mad About You‘s Crossover Moment Explained

When Friends first aired in September 1994, Mad About You was already a critical success, in its third season. The pilot episode of Mad About You earned Helen Hunt both an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination, and the second season brought even more recognition, with four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe win for Hunt. By the end of Mad About You‘s third season, it was receiving numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, while Friends was quickly becoming a ratings hit. Both shows, along with Seinfeld, helped NBC become the most popular network during primetime in the 1990s.

The network recognized the potential of a crossover early on, and decided to combine the worlds of Friends and Mad About You during Friends‘ first season. This happened on February 23, 1995, with a special two-part episode of Friends that featured Lisa Kudrow. Kudrow had previously appeared as Ursula Buffay, a somewhat clueless waitress at the New York City restaurant Riff’s—a frequent hangout for Mad About You‘s main characters, Paul and Jamie Buchman—before becoming a star on Friends.

When Friends first came out, there was a bit of a situation. Viewers had already noticed Lisa Kudrow playing two different characters – one on Mad About You and one on Friends – and both were living in what felt like the same version of New York City. The network and producers smartly decided to connect the two shows, making it part of the same fictional world. It was a clever way to address the coincidence and actually gave people an extra reason to watch Friends while it was still finding its footing. As a film and TV buff, I always appreciated that little bit of shared universe building!

Fans learned that Lisa Kudrow played twin sisters on two popular sitcoms: Phoebe Buffay on Friends and Ursula Buffay on Mad About You. This connection was revealed in a two-part Friends episode, “The One with Two Parts.” A key storyline involved Joey (Matt LeBlanc) meeting Ursula at a restaurant while he was out with Phoebe. He begins dating Ursula, causing tension with Phoebe. Eventually, Ursula abruptly ends things with Joey, and Phoebe pretends to be her sister to gently let him down. Joey eventually realizes the deception and repairs his friendship with Phoebe.

The Crossover Kept Crossing Over

After Friends gained popularity, Ursula became a regular character, evolving into something of a mischievous counterpart to Phoebe. She was portrayed as a free spirit who got into various trouble, including working in the adult entertainment industry under Phoebe’s name and competing with her for the affection of a teacher named Eric (Sean Penn). Interestingly, the final episode of Mad About You later revealed that Ursula would eventually become the Governor of New York.

Okay, so in the episode “The One with Two Parts,” they had a really fun little cameo! Helen Hunt and Leila Kenzie from Mad About You showed up as their characters, Jamie and Fran. They bump into Phoebe in Central Park and totally think she’s Ursula, Phoebe’s twin. It’s a funny moment, and honestly, Friends kept bringing up the whole mistaken identity thing with Ursula throughout the series. It was a running gag, and it started right there!

Though some TV shows have featured crossovers, the pairing of Friends and Mad About You was particularly successful and lasted for a significant amount of time. You can revisit the beginning of this crossover by watching the Friends episode, “The One with Two Parts,” now streaming on HBO Max. Join the conversation and share your thoughts with other fans on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-24 03:10