Phoebe Buffay’s Twin Sister Is A Recurring Character On Another 90s Sitcom

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While Friends playfully features Lisa Kudrow as both Phoebe and her twin sister, Ursula, Ursula actually appears more often in the popular ’90s show Mad About You. Because viewers get to know Ursula’s personality on Friends, it’s interesting to see that same energy in a different series.

Phoebe is a unique and eccentric character. She’s a dedicated vegetarian, famously carried her brother’s triplets, isn’t much of a musician, and has a surprisingly sad and mysterious past that includes being homeless after her mother’s death. But one of the most unexpected twists on Friends was learning about her distant, identical twin sister who works in the adult film industry.

Ursula Was Mad About You’s Ditzy Waitress

Okay, so picture this: there’s this diner called Riff’s in Mad About You – it’s basically their hangout, like Central Perk was for Friends. Paul and Jamie, the newly married couple at the heart of the show, are regulars, even though the service isn’t great! Why? Because they always get waited on by Ursula, and honestly, that’s half the fun. It’s a running gag, and it adds a lot of charm to those scenes.

Ursula in Mad About You is a constant source of humor. She often mixes up orders at restaurants, absentmindedly filling teacups with coffee and appearing perpetually confused about how things work.

There’s a funny moment when Paul agrees to order whatever Jamie is having. Ursula immediately questions, “As her?” and goes to find out if that’s okay. These kinds of quick, witty exchanges are common in Mad About You, and they’re a big part of what makes Ursula such a humorous character.

Ursula Actually Predates Friends’ Phoebe Buffay

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The show Mad About You began in 1992, and Lisa Kudrow first appeared as her character Ursula on it in 1993. She was initially hired for a single episode as just a ‘waitress,’ but impressed co-creator Danny Jacobson so much that they decided to keep her character appearing in more episodes.

When Lisa Kudrow was cast on Friends, which started airing two years after Mad About You, the writers created a storyline where Phoebe had a twin sister. This was done to explain how Kudrow could appear on both shows, as they often aired on the same night during their original seasons, making her dual role quite obvious.

Although the character of Ursula in Mad About You is mostly just ditzy, Friends shows us more of her personality. On Friends, Ursula comes across as cold, frequently putting her own needs first, and often treating Phoebe poorly. In one episode, Phoebe even tries to warn Ursula’s fiancé, Eric (played by Sean Penn), that he’s too infatuated to see her flaws.

Do Mad About You And Friends Take Place In The Same Universe?

NBC intentionally scheduled Friends and Mad About You on the same night to create a shared comedic world, similar to Seinfeld. The only issue with Mad About You‘s character Ursula appearing on Friends was maintaining the illusion of that world – it wouldn’t have felt believable if the same actor played different characters on separate shows.

Despite a shaky start with the characters of Ursula and Phoebe, NBC and the show’s creators managed to turn things around and create something truly memorable. They became a surprisingly engaging and well-developed part of the show, standing out in a series that often blended into the background.

Shows like Friends, Mad About You, and Seinfeld mostly keep their characters confined to a few familiar locations – apartments and regular hangouts. This creates such a distinct and self-contained world that it’s easy to forget they all supposedly take place in the same city.

In one episode of Friends, Joey and Chandler ride the bus, but generally, shows like this didn’t often feature iconic New York City public areas or create chance encounters between characters on the street or in the subway.

Ursula And Phoebe’s Worlds Have Collided

NBC created a charming connection between the shows Friends and Mad About You through the characters of Phoebe and Ursula. Jamie Buchman and her friend Fran from Mad About You made a brief appearance on Friends, even visiting Central Perk where the studio audience applauded.

Okay, so I was watching this scene and nearly choked on my popcorn. They see Phoebe at a coffee shop and completely freak out, thinking it’s Ursula! It’s hilarious. Then, Fran subtly asks Jamie if she lost her job at Riff’s, and Jamie’s response is gold – apparently, she and everyone else were subjected to a constant stream of swordfish the night before. Seriously, swordfish?! It was such a funny little detail.

Jamie and Fran cautiously approach Phoebe, a woman they don’t recognize, mistakenly believing she’s their waitress, Ursula, from Central Perk. They place their orders with her. Phoebe simply replies, “Good choice,” and walks off, leaving Jamie and Fran completely convinced they’ve just spoken to Ursula.

Ursula first appears on Friends during season one when Joey and Chandler are at Riff’s, a diner. They accidentally think she’s Phoebe. While not just a quick cameo—Ursula becomes a recurring character on Friends and no other actors from Mad About You appear—the scene at Riff’s is a clear reference to the other show.

Following that, Joey briefly dates Ursula, but breaks it off to avoid hurting Phoebe. The fact that Lisa Kudrow played roles on both Mad About You and Friends added a surprisingly emotional layer to Phoebe’s character and cleverly connected the two shows.

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2025-11-25 22:31