On the American sitcom Friends (1994–2004), Monica E. Geller is one of the show’s six major characters. Monica, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and performed by Courteney Cox, has appeared in every episode of the show’s 236-episode run. Monica Geller, the younger sister of Ross Geller and closest friend of Rachel Green, is a chef noted for her cleanliness, competitiveness, and obsessive-compulsive personality. She invites Rachel to live with her when she forsakes her own wedding.
Monica and Chandler Bing share a room for several years before Monica has a love involvement with her longtime neighbour and friend. The couple adopts Erica and Jack when they are unable to have children of their own.
They then relocate from their little apartment to a larger property in the suburbs.
In terms of casting, comedienne Janeane Garofalo was the front-runner. Cox had previously been given the part of Rachel, but she turned it down in favour of portraying Monica, Rachel’s closest friend. In the meanwhile, Jennifer Aniston was cast as Rachel. Before the first episode of Friends aired, writers argued about Monica’s character because of the scene in which she sleeps with a guy she met on a blind date.
NBC president Don Ohlmeyer argued with Kauffman about whether or not this would make Monica too promiscuous. Studio surveys revealed an overwhelming preference for Monica’s current plot; so, the episode aired as-is.
The character’s battles with childhood weight, difficulties in relationships, and tumultuous connection with her mother would become famous show staples.
NBC released a study report many months before to the launch of Friends, which found that Monica was the only character who was even marginally popular with test audiences.
As soon as the show premiered, reviewers labelled Monica, who quickly became known as the show’s “mother hen,” and Courteney Cox as the show’s major protagonists and stars. Criticism of both Cox and her character has been mainly positive; in particular, the Los Angeles Times credited Cox’s performance with dispelling the stereotype that gorgeous women are incapable of giving comic performances.
Monica was hailed as a prime-time television star for tackling a number of taboo subjects, including safe sex, casual sex, and age inequality in partnerships. Although she has received great reviews for her portrayal, Cox has never been nominated for an Emmy Award during the ten-year run of Friends.
