Jennifer Aniston nabbed a part on “Molloy” three months after moving to Los Angeles to make it as an actor. When it was canceled after a few episodes, she leapfrogged to different jobs. First up was the TV spin-off of “Ferris Bueller,” where she played Ferris’ spoiled sister. The series was canceled after 13 episodes.
Next, Aniston tried her hand at sketch comedy in “The Edge.” The series starred Julie Brown, Wayne Knight of “Seinfeld” fame, future director Paul Feig, and Tom Kenny, who would go on to voice SpongeBob SquarePants. It couldn’t compete with shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “In Living Color” and was canceled after one season.
Aniston’s final failed sitcom before “Friends” was 1994’s “Muddling Through,” a mother-daughter comedy on CBS. By that point, Warren Littlefield, the president of NBC’s entertainment division, had his eyes set on Aniston for “Friends” and exercised some of his TV influence. “Warren Littlefield turns to me and said, ‘Kill it!'” Fox Senior Strategist Preston Beckman recalled to The Hollywood Reporter. “So I did.” Littlefield cast Aniston while she was still under contract for “Muddling Through.”
“Molloy” may not have left a lasting impression, but Mayim Bialik looks back fondly at the show for setting the course of her and Aniston’s careers. In 2015, she posted a behind-the-scenes photo of “Molloy” to Facebook.
