Long before the series finale aired, a Friends season 2 episode broke TV viewership records and became the most-watched episode of all 10 seasons. Friends remains one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, with its ability to draw viewers being apparent from the 1994 debut season. The acclaim of the sitcom didn’t wane over the next decade, but even Friends’ season 10 finale couldn’t beat the viewing numbers of a 1996 cameo-filled event.
Friends’ season 10 ending became the fifth-most-watched series finale of all time with 52.5 million viewers tuning in, standing behind the ratings of only Seinfeld (76.3 million), The Fugitive (78 million), Cheers (80.4 million), and M*A*S*H (106 million). While this clearly shows the extent to which Friends captivated audiences for an entire decade, it is odd that the majority of the show’s most-watched episodes were back in season 2 – including its record-breaking installment. Six out of Friends’ ten most-viewed episodes were from season 2, with the others being major event episodes like the series finale, season 8 premiere confirming Rachel’s pregnancy, season 8 finale in which Rachel and Ross’s daughter is born, and the season 9 premiere revealing if Rachel and Joey were actually engaged.
The record-breaking, most-watched Friends episode was season 2’s “The One After the Super Bowl,” the two-part venture that premiered directly after the 1996 Super Bowl. The episode attracted 52.9 million viewers, with its success reigniting the trend of giving the post-Super Bowl time slot to established TV shows rather than new series. Despite its title, Friends’ season 2 episode had nothing to do with the Super Bowl, as its major appeal was the multiple cameos of celebrities like Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Chris Isaak, Fred Willard, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Not only was the popularity of Friends’ Super Bowl episode record-breaking for the series itself, but it also still holds the title for the highest-rated Super Bowl lead-out episode ever.
Why Friends’ Super Bowl Episode Had Such Mixed Reviews
Friends‘ “The One After the Super Bowl” episode may have accumulated the most viewers, but the actual subject matter in the episode didn’t land with most critics. The Friends episode’s main storyline followed Ross trying to see his monkey Marcel, with the other characters’ stories being based around the cameos of major stars. Monica and Rachel fought over dating Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joey dealt with a stalker played by Brooke Shields, Chandler was the victim of revenge by an old classmate played by Julia Roberts, and Phoebe got a gig singing for children at a library from her new boyfriend played by Chris Isaak. With so much going on in the two-part episode, “The One After the Super Bowl” was criticized for being bloated, primarily due to the sheer amount of storylines and celebrity appearances.
The stunt casting of big names all within one episode was thought to be excessive, and diminished the quality of the episode as an exciting story in the Friends characters’ lives. Negative reviews ranged from criticisms of the episode being an unabashed stunt to boost ratings, a fragmented and poorly paced outing, and a Love Boat knock-off. Alternatively, Friends‘ season 2 episode was positively found to be a fun event-style installment in the spirit of the rest of the sitcom, a great career revival for guest star Brooke Shields, and a slapstick Friends story that produced some of the season’s funnier moments. Although Friends’ most-watched episode didn’t land with all critics, it’s undoubtedly one of the sitcom’s most ambitious installments.
