information:filtering, stylistic:tone, structural:summarization
Critical reception

When Friends premiered in September 1994, critics initially perceived Monica as the show's main character; Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker attributes this to the fact that Cox was the show's most famous cast member at the time. The actress has garnered largely positive reviews for her performance, with Tucker concluding that Cox "plays straight woman... with alluring modesty". Tony Scott of Variety commended the entire cast for "appear resourceful and display sharp sitcom skills... especially Cox", while The Baltimore Sun's David Zurawik described her acting as "terrific". John Kiesewetter of The Cincinnati Enquirer praised Cox's ability to "deliver both verbal and physical comedy". Contactmusic.com 's Sophie Miskiw commended Cox for portraying Monica with "endearing neurosis ". As a character, Lifetime described Monica as "neurotic yet lovable". Bustle 's Emma Lord wrote, "I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to be Monica Geller", describing her as a "smart" and "savvy" character. Despite admitting that Monica is "probably not our favourite character", TalkTalk conceded that she is "wonderfully neurotic", while Nick at Nite reviewed her as "just as lovable as she is neurotic", despite her overbearing personality. Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times was receptive towards the entire cast, especially Cox and her character, who he described as "strong" and "likable and funny". Also writing for the Los Angeles Times, Glenn Whipp lauded Cox's tenure on Friends, enthusing that the actress successfully "took a character loaded with obsessive-compulsive quirks and a goofy, overly competitive nature and fashioned a flesh-and-blood woman". Describing the actress' comic timing as "impeccable", Whipp went on to write that Cox "brought out Monica's insecurities in a way that turned self-deprecation into an art form". Jenna Mullins of E! dubbed Cox "a fantastic comedic actress". Alec Harvey of The Birmingham News described Monica as a "very, very funny" character. Kayla Upadhyaya of The Michigan Daily appreciated the fact that "Cox brought moments of sincerity and severity to Monica". However, The Washington Post panned Cox's performance as "degrading", while Mike Ryan of ScreenCrush dismissed Monica as a "fairly normal, but boring" character.