Friends Meets Seinfeld: 5 Couples That Would Work (& 5 That Wouldn’t)
When looking at the datable characters in both Friends and Seinfeld, there is potential for a few crossover couples and some that would never work.
Although both are classic sitcoms from the 90s, Friends & Seinfeld have left behind incredibly different television legacies — the first show shaped the sitcom trend of the later decades, and the second was a comedy masterpiece which remains beloved to this day. Nevertheless, each of them revolved around a fixed set of characters, all of whom are friends/occasional lovers, having zany adventures in NYC.
Merging these two worlds is almost an impossible task because the essence of each series is extremely different from the other. But to take this thought experiment further, here are the crossover couples that are actually believable, and those that make no sense in any universe.
Would Work: Joey Tribbiani & Susan Ross
Susan is quite smart, which simply cannot explain why she chooses to be in a relationship with George (to the point of getting married, even). However, this implies that she has a taste for dunderheads, and there is none bigger than Joey Tribbiani.
Of course, his philandering habits aren’t going to cut it in this context, and it seems that Susan is the only woman with enough authority to compel him to change his ways. Or not, but success is more likely.
Wouldn’t Work: Monica Geller & Cosmo Kramer
Kramer and Monica would get along famously if the topic of conversation sticks to food. She is a world-class chef and he has a finely-tuned palate. But this is where their synchronicity ends because she would take one look at the disaster that is his apartment before having an explosive conniption right there in the hallway.
In other words, her compulsive behavior and unnecessarily detailed sanitary practices will get in the way of any romantic possibilities. Imagine Monica having to deal with that nasty industrial hot tub in his living room.
Would Work: Elaine Benes & Chandler Bing
Chandler has a tendency to react to most situations with his unique brand of sarcasm, a trait that is annoying at the best of times. Elaine, on the other hand, is ridiculously picky about what she wants in a man, but from her past relationships, it’s obvious that humor is an essential component.
Besides, she would have a great time poking fun at Chandler’s endless stream of insecurities, from his phobia of commitment to his inscrutable fear of being seen as a gay man. He would return the jabs in equal measure, commenting snarkily about Elaine’s random obsessions and fleeting fancies.
Wouldn’t Work: Phoebe Buffay & George Costanza
George is best known for his inexplicable fussiness about the smallest of things, a fact that would hamper even a friendship with Phoebe, let alone something deeper. Her disregard for social conventions, for example, renaming herself Princess Consuela Bananahammock, would strike him as utterly bizarre.
This would lead to his nerves acting up, and end in one of his trademark meltdowns. Also, it’s a certainty that Phoebe is going to display no sympathy for this kind of churlish tantrum, thereby hammering another nail in this particular coffin.
Would Work: Rachel Green & Jerry Seinfeld
Rachel may have been born into wealth, but she grows into her own person through hard work and by not getting her every whim catered to by her parents. Jerry, interestingly, has a knack for finding incredible women exactly like Rachel (but to be fair, he gets bored very easily).
Interestingly, she isn’t too choosy with her mates, given that she actually dates Joey at one point, so Jerry Seinfeld is an obvious upgrade. He is in entertainment too, but his work is consistent, he pays his taxes, and he is terrified of being arrested for the silliest reasons: something that Ross has been guilty of.
Wouldn’t Work: Ross Geller & Elaine Benes
Elaine has strong opinions about everything, and she absolutely cannot tolerate the notion that she could be wrong about something, going to all extents to prove the “value” of her words.
Ross is identical in this respect, as seen when he harangues Phoebe about not “believing in the theory of evolution,” without caring about her perspective whatsoever. These two characters are liable to spend their time in an eternal battle consisting of arguments and counter-arguments, at least until one of them collapses from exhaustion.
Would Work: Jerry Seinfeld & Monica Geller
Monica and Jerry share the one feature that truly binds them together (and alienates everyone else) — their unyielding desire to clean every object, body part, and surface in sight. They would live together in a sterile environment rivaling those of advanced scientific labs, with everything around them preserved in a perfect state of disinfection.
The only domestic issue they might face is one of competitiveness, as both of them rarely like to lose. Most importantly, Courteney Cox has actually played Meryl, one of Jerry’s girlfriends on Seinfeld.
Wouldn’t Work: Susan Ross & Chandler Bing
Chandler is the sensible, sardonic type, but Susan may not enjoy his version of comedy so much, being used to men who are silly and completely detached from the world. Furthermore, she has a close relationship with her parents, and though George hates his own, he still plays the good son when he has to, fake or not.
Chandler, however, doesn’t speak to his for several years, but shares the same opinion about them as George does: that parents are the cause of every misery in their lives. To be perfectly honest, this pairing is largely unpredictable.
Would Work: George Costanza & Rachel Green
George and Rachel, on paper, seem like the worst match in existence, which is exactly why a romance between them would blossom. Jerry and Elaine would tease him about her various quirks, trying to get him to lose interest; and the Friends would simply be aghast that Rachel is comfortable stooping so low, given her prior conquests.
This will then have the forbidden fruit effect, since both characters are shockingly persevering when it comes to dating, cementing them together more firmly.
Wouldn’t Work: Newman & Anyone Else
The fact that Newman has dated women (or people or anything with a pulse) is painful to imagine, regardless of the proof offered in the show. Unfortunately for him, Phoebe, Monica and Rachel are not going to appreciate his creepy leers, evil guffaws, and random rants about how people take the postal service for granted.
Newman can barely produce coherent sentences half the time, while paradoxically waxing eloquent over inane subjects. In other words, his eccentricities are far too severe for the women in Friends to give him the time of day, yes, even Phoebe.
