‘Seinfeld’ was already a big hit by the time ‘Friends’ made its debut. Lisa Kudrow has revealed how Courteney Cox’s knowledge of the inner workings of Seinfeld helped create a more productive working environment on the set of Friends. Cox played Meryl, a woman who dated Jerry Seinfeld in the season five episode “The Wife”. Although it was her only appearance on the show, it was enough to give her insight into what made Seinfeld so successful.
![[The cast of Friends (L-R David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc)]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/09/18/16/SEI178163008.jpg)
Speaking on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast, Kudrow championed Cox as being “so smart” and would share what she briefly learned on Seinfeld to help the rest of the cast. “She was also the one when we were first shooting the pilot would say: ‘Listen y’all, I did Seinfeld. They help each other all the time. If you think I could be doing something funnier, tell me. You’ve gotta tell me. We need to help each other out.’”.
“That set a tone which carried through the whole ten years for us,” Kudrow added. Friends first aired on NBC in 1994, initially taking the evening slot after Mad About You. However, it was only after Friends reruns aired after Seinfeld that the show “exploded”, Kudrow said. “I remember going to some party and Jerry Seinfeld was there, and I said, ‘Hi,’ and he said, ‘You’re welcome.’”.
