Three years afterFriendsended its 10-year run on NBC, two of its main stars were back for another of the network’s flagship sitcoms,30 Rock. Unfortunately, their cameo appearances in season 2 of the meta-comedy series created by Tina Fey didn’t go down quite as well as they might have hoped.
While thebest shows featuringFriendscast membersinclude David Schwimmer’sBand of Brothersand Jennifer Aniston’sThe Morning Show, the actors formerly known as Ross and Rachel didn’t manage to get30 Rockon this list. When they appeared in episodes of the sitcom in 2007 and 2008 respectively,the humor of Schwimmer and Aniston’s characters was distinctly hit-and-miss.
David Schwimmer Appeared On 30 Rock As Jared
Jared Played Greenzo, NBC’s Environmentally-Friendly Mascot
Barring a brief recurring role inWill & Grace, not much hashappened in David Schwimmer’s TV careersinceFriendsended. But David’s30 Rockcameo had the potential to be a post-Ross highlight. Schwimmer was cast as Jared, an actor who plays NBC’s eco-friendly mascot Greenzo.
Schwimmer’s character goes a little too method on the30 Rockgang, turning into the studio’s one-man environmental police force. After Jared starts blaming big business for climate change, he’s summarily fired from NBC, endingSchwimmer’s 15-minute stint in the sitcom.
Jennifer Aniston’s Claire Was Featured In The Next 30 Rock Season
Claire Trapped Jack Donaghy In A Relationship He Didn’t Want
One episode after David Schwimmer’s Greenzo met a swift end,30 Rockbrought Jennifer Aniston aboard as Liz Lemon’s crazy friend Claire.Aniston’s character soon seduces Jack Donaghyinto what he wrongly assumes to be a casual affair, bringing chaos to his professional life.
The title of Jennifer Aniston’s30 Rockepisode, “The One with the Cast ofNight Court”,is an homage to the naming conventions ofFriendsepisodes.
Aniston certainly gave the role her all, working a parody of Marilyn Monroe’s birthday serenade of President Kennedy into her performance. Unfortunately, though, there’s no way this 30 Rock cameo could ever be considered among thebest Jennifer Aniston TV moments.
What Went Wrong With Schwimmer & Aniston’s 30 Rock Appearances
The Characters Really Didn’t Suit The Actors
Unlike the best guest-star characters in30 Rock, such asCarrie Fisher’s brilliant cameo as comedy writer Rosemary Howard, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston’s appearances in the sitcom simply didn’t work.Their characters were too downright annoying to relate to, and didn’t suit the actors we were used to feeling sympathy for.
While there might have been something in the basic ideas for Greenzo and Claire, the parts didn’t play to Schwimmer and Aniston’s respective strengths.30 Rockwas a very different sitcom fromFriends, but it could have done with a little more Ross and Rachel, and a little less Jared and Claire – for two episodes, at least.
