Before Friends, Courteney Cox Starred In A Very Different Type Of Sitcom With Bronson Pinchot

Thanks to Courteney Cox's role as Monica in the smash-hit sitcom "Friends," Cox has earned a phenomenal career filled with iconic roles in film and television. However, she didn't start out as one of the highest-paid TV actresses of all time. The Birmingham, Alabama, native had humble beginnings.

After taking part in a casting call with director Brian De Palma of "Carrie" and appearing in Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" music video in 1984, Cox's budding television career began to take off. Cox landed a starring role in an X-Men-esque NBC sci-fi series called "Misfits of Science," then took on guest spots in 1980s TV staples "The Love Boat" and "Murder, She Wrote." And fans may remember her stints as the girlfriends of both Alex P. Keaton in "Family Ties" and Jerry Seinfeld in "Seinfeld." However, just before she took on the role of Monica Gellar and became an internationally known superstar, there was one other sitcom that she starred in that differed greatly in quality.

Created by the former head writers of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers, "The Trouble With Larry" was meant to be a new vehicle for Bronson Pinchot on CBS after he wrapped up his beloved series "Perfect Strangers" on ABC. The former Balki Bartokomous starred as Larry Burton, who has been missing for a decade after he was dragged away by baboons on his honeymoon. When he returns to his wife, Sally (Shanna Reed), Larry discovers that she remarried and had a nine-year-old daughter (Alex McKenna) who may or may not be his. But all that seems to be water under the bridge since he suddenly falls in love with his former sister-in-law Gabby, who is played by Cox.

"The Trouble With Larry" debuted on August 25, 1993, just three weeks after "Perfect Strangers" ended its acclaimed eight-season run. However, the new show featuring Bronson Pinchot was not nearly as funny or clever. Despite fat jokes and sl*t-shaming being the norm during that time period of comedy, Larry's jabs were often more mean-spirited than other shows. In fact, almost every joke he made punched down, the targets typically being Sally's new husband, Boyd, played by Perry King; Courteney Cox's Gabby, whom Larry was supposed to be in love with; or a character played by Marianne Muellerleile, who was different in every episode. Even for the early 1990s, it was egregious.

Critics at the time agreed as well, with the Orlando Sentinel calling the show "sophomoric dreck ... which tests the self-control of anyone with an IQ over 50 and a sledgehammer or handgun in the house." With a review like that, it's no wonder that "The Trouble With Larry" was canceled on September 8, 1993, after only three episodes. If you're a glutton for punishment, six of the seven episodes produced by that time can currently be found on YouTube. Your time could probably be better spent watching the must-see "Friends" or TGIF standout "Step by Step" if you wanted to see Cox and Pinchot in better shows from the '90s.

Interestingly enough, Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers also had another sitcom debut on CBS in 1993 shortly after "The Trouble With Larry" was canceled. However, "It Had to Be You," starring Faye Dunaway and Robert Urich, lasted only four episodes, meaning the showrunners produced two of the shortest-lived TV series of all time in the same season.