In 1994, Buddies was part of NBC’s well-known “Blackout Thursday” occasion, however regardless of being marketed, Seinfeld refused to participate. Most of the finest sitcoms of all time have taken half in crossover occasions, akin to Brooklyn 9-9 and New Lady, in addition to Abbott Elementary and It’s All the time Sunny in Philadelphia. The finest crossover episodes of TV exhibits had been usually memorable as a result of it was such a giant deal, and audiences beloved to see their favourite characters cross paths and spend a while starring in one other title.
Sitcom crossover episodes had been a very fascinating development, nevertheless. When sure exhibits had been all set in the identical location, viewers typically questioned whether or not there was an overlap, or if the varied variations of the identical metropolis or city had been in truth all the identical. Whereas Buddies, Mad About You, and Madman of the Individuals dedicated to broadcasting an episode with its characters experiencing a blackout, Seinfeld determined not to participate in NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” crossover.
On November 3, 1994, NBC launched the “Blackout Thursday” night time, which featured three sitcom episodes that had been interlinked: Mad About You’s “Pandora’s Field,” Buddies’ “The One with the Blackout,” Madman for the Individuals’s “Birthday within the Large Home.” These episodes aired on this respective order, and whereas Mad About You started the blackout, Madman for the Individuals wrapped the occasion up.
This intricate programming stunt was a good way for NBC to enhance its rankings and to attract in new viewers. “The One with the Blackout” was solely the seventh episode of Buddies, and the present had solely began airing a mere two months earlier than it was featured as a part of NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” occasion. “Blackout Thursday,” which was an concept from promotional producer Dan Holm (through IndieWire), occurred over 30 years in the past now, but it surely rapidly turned a legendary stunt on this planet of TV.
How The “Blackout Thursday” Episodes Of Buddies, Mad About You, & Madman Of The Individuals Have been Related
Buddies, Mad About You, & Madman Of The Individuals’s Episodes Shared An Ongoing Story
Though not one of the Buddies forged or any of the characters from the three sitcoms starred in one another’s episodes, these blackout episodes had been related. It started with Mad About You’s “Pandora’s Field,” when Jamie fiddled with the wiring on the roof of her constructing after some drama over the availability of cable TV. Sadly, she had no clue what she was doing, and earlier than she knew it, there was a giant spark, and New York was plunged into darkness.
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This led into Buddies’ “The One with the Blackout,” which started with Phoebe acting at Central Perk, just for the lights to chop out and go away her and the remainder of the espresso store with no energy. All through “The One with the Blackout,” Buddies jumped between two core subplots: Chandler was caught in an ATM vestibule with Victoria’s Secret supermodel Jill Goodacre, and the remainder of the gang sat round Monica and Rachel’s residence, ready for the facility to return again on.
Buddies and Mad About You technically had a crossover, however not throughout the “Blackout Thursday” occasion. Lisa Kudrow portrayed waitress Ursula in Mad About You, who was later established as Phoebe’s twin in Buddies. Within the Buddies episode “The One with Two Elements: Half 1,” Mad About You‘s Fran and Jamie visited Central Perk and mistook Phoebe for Ursula.
The final was Madman for the Individuals’s “Birthday within the Large Home.” On this episode, Jack endured an terrible birthday and ended up being thrown in jail together with his son, the place he met a drag queen. In the meantime, Sasha obtained caught in an elevator, however met a really engaging development employee. Madman for the Individuals solely lasted one season and was canceled in 1995, however one of many causes it has been remembered is due to NBC’s “Blackout Thursday.”
Why Seinfeld Did not Take Half In NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” Occasion
Seinfeld Nonetheless Aired “The Gymnast” As Regular, However There Was No Blackout
The Seinfeld episode “The Gymnast” nonetheless aired throughout its regular time slot, which was between Buddies and Madman for the Individuals. Nevertheless, it didn’t function a blackout storyline, though the present was marketed as a part of NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” occasion. “The Gymnast” was a really typical episode of Seinfeld, which noticed Jerry in a relationship with a Romanian gymnast, Kramer coping with an irritating kidney stone, and George repeatedly getting caught consuming like a wild canine by Lindsay’s mom.
Regardless of the heavy implication that Buddies and Seinfeld had been a part of the identical TV universe, Seinfeld refused to participate in NBC’s “Blackout Thursday.” It was by no means explicitly defined why this was, not less than not from Jerry Seinfeld himself.
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Nevertheless, Seinfeld author Jeff Schaffer defined in an interview that “Larry [David] and Jerry [Seinfeld] had been nervous about making Seinfeld good, not worrying about Thursday night time and the opposite exhibits” (through Uproxx). Regardless of not collaborating in NBC’s “Blackout Thursday” occasion, Seinfeld’s rankings weren’t significantly impacted by “The Gymnast,” however contemplating it was wedged between Buddies and Madman for the Individuals, it was unlikely it will be.
