NBC
“ crosswalk ” is a discussion that has somehow lost its power in late years . The dawning of the Marvel Cinematic Universeas an amusement machine and even clobber liketheSuper Smash Bros. Brothersfranchisehave sort of divest this ambitious word of the impact it once had . Seeing multiple characters from dissimilar blood line come together is n’t necessarily as exciting as it once was — even if anAvengers : Endgamestill has the power to fire us up . Crossovers were n’t exactly fresh in ’ ninety television either , peculiarly within show of the same net . Back in 1994 , though , a especially impressive stunt bare on prime - clock time video , as NBC sought to practice every sitcom in its “ Must See TV ” Thursday lineup to create something that was even more elusive back then , even among the same web ’s title : synergism .
The estimation was to frame the four Thursday sitcom — Mad About You , Friends , Seinfeld , and the now - forgottenMadman of the People — under one rough-cut event , a citywide blackout in New York City . The outcome is an event that was decidedly successful back then and which has become outright iconic today . Known as the “ Blackout Thursday ” of 1994 , it solidified the meshwork ’s “ Must See TV ” lineup as just that : appointment boob tube that command the ethnical landscape and very much defined the late ’ 90 on the little screen . On its thirtieth anniversary , it ’s time to look back at this innovative strategy , which , despite its age , seems more topical and bracing now than ever before .
NBC
Turn off the lights
In a profile man about the event ’s 20th day of remembrance in 2014,Esquireincludesa quote from then - senior NBC executive director Dan Holm , who claimed he did n’t “ recall exactly who came up with the blackout motif , whether it came from the forwarding department or scheduling . ” The truth behind the event ’s inception might be turn a loss to time , or at least well - buried under a pile of he said , she saids . The truth is , a stunt like this was believably not the result of a single head , but rather a radical of masses cooperate — the estimation might ’ve even gone through several stages , for all we know . decide on the daytime of the week was n’t operose , however .
Back in 1994 , Thursday nights on NBC were prosperous . Mad About You , then in its third time of year , was already an Emmy campaigner and among thetop 30 programme of the 1993 - 1994 season . Seinfeldwas really the third - most - watch out show of that season , averaging 19 million viewers , back when the average situation comedy was hitting the 20 million mark on a daily basis ( for comparing , Abbott Elementary , arguably the most successful sitcom presently air on prime - time television receiver , usually comes in under 5 million ) .
And 1994 was also a seminal class for televisionwith the unveiling ofFriends , a contemporaries - define situation comedy that would bridge over the ’ 90 with the early 2000s in ways few other show could . Then on its first time of year , the show was already a strike , slowly asserting the dominance it would have for the next decade . The outlier here wasMadman of the People , a Dabney Coleman vehicle that premiere on September 22 in the 9:30 p.m. expansion slot . At the time , it was actually averaging high-pitched rating — it even ended its one - season runwithin the Top 15 , although history does n’t even bother to remember it now .
The real blaze here was coming up with a blackout as the connective tissue between the show . These were sitcom we ’re talking about , meaning nothing too tragic could tie them together . However , the issue needed to be outstanding enough that it could feel major , at least within the extremely low - stake surround of the sitcom world . One character could have crossed over to every show , but that would have need determination ( and paying ) someone famous enough to place upright out in each show . Death is too grim , and there are only so many visitsJamie Buchman could make to the world ofFriendswithout divest it of its identity element .
Thus , a blackout ! Simple to put to death , low - stakes enough to forbid anyone from suffer , yet of import enough to stop the characters ’ life-time and allow for some wacky hijinks . It really was a thing of beauty , elegantly uncomplicated , yet urge and deeply relatable to an hearing rooted deeply in its electronic devices . blackout palpate globe - shaking when they happen , specially if you have a job or a dedication or , in my case , a deadline . minute turn into hours , and life itself seems to kibosh . In real life , blackouts are dull and frustrating ; in sitcom world , it turns out they are the perfect opportunity to bring out your guitar and singTop of the World .
How NBC started its own citywide blackout
The outcome startle withMad About You , where lead duad Paul ( Paul Reiser ) and Jaime Buchman ( Helen Hunt ) inadvertently do the blackout when trying to hook up their cable television lawlessly . The episode sees their construction mad at them for mess up the cable mesh for everyone and terminate with the dimout still going on — the credits sequence even featuresa cameo from Al Roker , who claims the failure is due to either a complex power bankruptcy “ or some yutz judge to steal transmission line . ”Reiser and Hunt were particularly game , intelligibly excited about the part they played in the overarching crossing over .
Hunt was especially gallant of cause the dimout , while Reiser , rather spit - in - cheekly , claims their yank was so strong it went “ all the way to Dabney Coleman ’s mansion . ” The goodie - two - horseshoe duo of Paul and Jaime were the perfect choice to kick - start the event : even today , the two stay lovable , perfumed to the point of being cavity - inducing . Who could abide brainsick at them ? harebrained about them , though ? Sure .
The event ’s pièce de résistance came in the now - iconicFriendsepisodeThe One with the Blackout . Gathered in Monica ’s ( Courteney Cox ) apartment for the blackout , Ross ( David Schwimmer ) tries to squeal his feelings to Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston ) , but the unlikely arrival of a sealed Italian hunk complicates things for him . Meanwhile , Chandler ( Matthew Perry ) becomes trapped in an ATM with Victoria ’s Secret model Jill Goodacre .
The One with the Blackoutdoes what allthe better episodes ofFriendsdo : it finds the humor in the most routine situations , capturing the round the bend high jinx that can and do happen in tangible life . sure as shooting , not everyone becomes trapped in a confined space with a supermodel , but what this sequence is really about is the impactful and once - in - a - lifetime connection you’re able to form in the span of mere hour . Even if it ’s with someone you ’ll never see again , some present moment are truly secret plan - change . That ’s the whole premise of the situation comedy , after all : it ’s plausible and mediocre , but still feels significant . It might not seem that path , but workaday liveliness contains multitudes .
Friendsends with the blackout termination , which , in hypothesis , should ’ve been the thoroughgoing setup fora classicSeinfeldepisode . Yet , a certain someone flat - out reject to take part in the crossover . Why ? Because he could . In an interview withUproxxin 2015 , formerSeinfeldwriter Peter Mehlman discussed the attempts NBC made to convince Larry David to do a crossover withFriends . The comic consistently turn down the idea , with Mehlman explaining thatSeinfeld‘s considerable succeeder allowed them to get away with things no other show could .
It would ’ve been interesting to see Jerry and company allot with a blackout , but such a gimmicky stunt establish too much for the notoriously misanthropic show . Alas , the sequence that actually aired , The Gymnast , is well remembered for not rivet around the blackout , which in many elbow room is the mostSeinfeldthingSeinfeldcould do .
The event actually continued with the 9:30 show , Madman of the People , but the continuity had been break bySeinfeld . Moreover , the real amnesia was over by that percentage point , and the installment itself revolved around the main character , Coleman ’s Jack , spending his birthday in clink after looting during the blackout . The premise suits the show ’s flavour just fine — indeed , Madman of the Peoplefeels curiously stand for and aimless , like a neutered , far less witty version ofNetwork .
have the main role arrested for looting once again wedge a trammel situation , but without the memory loss , so it just seemed flaky , especially because its lead - in show was n’t a part of the effect . Thus , Birthday in the Big Houseseems out of place , a “ very special episode ” that turns out to be not particular at all .
Let there be light
“ Blackout Thursday ” is a singular consequence in ’ 90s television , noteworthy enough to be remembered lovingly , yet not quite germinal enough to be decade - defining . It is iconic , though , mostly because of the show involve . Arguably , Friendswas the big winner here , delivering the most popular sequence and becoming the unofficial poster child for the crossover . That has more to do with the show ’s overall legacy than with the instalment itself , though , but it ’s still undeniable that when recollect of “ Blackout Thursday , ” our corporate minds instantly picture Ross Geller fighting for his life while a jaundiced cat claw his cervix . Still , the case was a success for NBC , cement its “ Must See video ” card as one of the most successful blocks in idiot box story . “ That ’s when “ Must See boob tube ” started to hit its stride , ” said Holm in theEsquireinterview .
In hindsight , it ’s gentle to cut “ Blackout Thursday ” as a silly paygrade gimmick ; while it was a gimmick , it was n’t featherbrained . There is genuine creativity behind this stunt , and the episodes it produced are strong entry into their several shows . Yet , few who were n’t alive back then might even be aware of it today . On the other hand , saomeone rewatchingFriendscould seeThe One with the Blackoutand not think twice about it .
“ Blackout Thursday ” is the product of its time and place , deeply rooted in ’ XC sensibilities at an almost unrecognizable fourth dimension when families spend entire evenings glued to their telecasting watching one show after the other . What makes it even more of an event is the fact you could not reduplicate it . Sure , you could rain buckets theMad About Youepisode on Sling TV and then watchThe One with the Blackouton Max , but that ’s as far as you ’ll get — Madman of the Peopleis harder to find , with only gritty YouTube clips and the odd episode or two useable to keep an eye on .
Perhaps that was the true achievement of this peculiar stunt : it was n’t so much that it bring in democratic shows under the same streamer ( it did , though ) , but rather that it provided a different experience for the viewers . Like all the good stunt , “ Blackout Thursday ” made viewers believe the improbable without challenging their enjoyment ; it introduce chaos into a extremely controlled background , and on a Thursday night , few things might ’ve seemed more original . At the end of the day , that ’s what amusement is all about .
Mad About Youis available tostream on Sling TV . Friendsis uncommitted tostream on Max .
