Friends is one of the most influential TV shows of all time, and it has many great episodes. Created by David Crane and Marta Kaufman, Friends follows Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and Ross (David Schwimmer) as they do their best to navigate adulthood in New York City.
Friends made TV history and broke records during its original run, and it ranks among the best sitcoms of all time and one of the best TV shows, in general. However, Friends isn’t a perfect show, and it has many flaws and some not-so-entertaining episodes, but luckily, there are more good and great episodes than bad ones.
25
The One With The Prom Video
Season 2, Episode 14
“The One With The Prom Video” is the episode that officially kicks off the chaotic relationship between Ross and Rachel. After watching an old video from Monica and Rachel’s prom, the latter understood the extent of Ross’ feelings for her – and this is the episode that gave us the iconic “lobster” quote.
“The One With The Prom Video” is a fun look at the characters’ past, which reveals their flaws but also how much they have grown. Although we now know that the Ross and Rachel relationship wasn’t a healthy one, it’s heartwarming to see what Ross did for Rachel on prom night and Rachel recognizing it.
24
The One With The Morning After
Season 3, Episode 16
The episode above is when the Ross and Rachel relationship officially began, and “The One With The Morning After” is when it officially ended for the first time. Although it’s a more dramatic episode, it’s good to see Ross dealing with the consequences of his actions, though these hurt Rachel the most.
However, the strength of this episode is in its comedic moments, which are everything Ross has to do to trace down who could tell Rachel about his one-night stand and everything the rest of the group does while trapped in Monica’s bedroom.
23
The One With The Cop
Season 5, Episode 16
“The One With The Cop” sees Phoebe finding a police badge and using it until she meets the policeman who lost it, Joey wanting what Monica and Chandler have in their relationship, and Rachel helping Ross find a new couch – and it’s the latter that made this episode memorable and iconic.
Rachel, Chandler, and Ross trying to get the new couch through the narrow stairwell in Ross’ building gave us the hilarious “pivot!” moment, and there’s also the rare moment of Joey wanting a more intimate relationship rather than just something casual is something new in him, but he ends up falling into his same old patterns.
22
The One After Vegas
Season 6, Episode 1
“The One After Vegas” covers the aftermath of Ross and Rachel’s drunken wedding in Las Vegas, which stopped Monica and Chandler from impulsively getting married. The episode gives a spin to Ross and Rachel’s relationship by having them unintentionally back together and dealing with the consequences of their drunken marriage.
“The One After Vegas” also sees a more wholesome side of Monica and Chandler as they keep getting all the “signs” to take their relationship to the next level, so while Ross and Rachel take many steps back in their development, Monica and Chandler continue to grow.
21
The One With The Routine
Season 6, Episode 10
“The One With The Routine” sees Rachel and Phoebe trying to find the Christmas gifts Monica got them and Chandler joining the search, while Joey, his roommate Janine (Elle Macpherson), Monica, and Ross sign in as party people on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
Chandler’s stories were usually with Ross, Joey, or Monica, so it’s always fun to see him interacting and having memorable moments with Rachel and Phoebe. However, what takes the cake in this episode is the title “routine”, a hilarious and absurd choreography Monica and Ross came up with when they were kids, which also shows a rare moment of genuine sibling bond between them.
20
The One With The Holiday Armadillo
Season 7, Episode 10
“The One With The Holiday Armadillo” is where Ross tries to teach Ben about their Jewish heritage, but Ben just wants to talk about Santa Claus, while Phoebe tries to get Rachel to not want to keep living with Joey and move back with her. As the title says, this is the one where Ross dresses up as the “Holiday Armadillo.”
A lot is said about Ross as a father, but this episode shows how far he’s willing to go for his son. The Holiday Armadillo is a completely unexpected addition, and it’s made even funnier by Chandler showing up as Santa Claus and Joey as Superman.
19
The One With Ross’s Wedding
Season 4, Episodes 23 & 24
“The One With Ross’s Wedding” is a two-part episode, and it’s a special one not just because of Ross’ wedding but because it takes the gang (minus a pregnant Phoebe) to London. The strengths of part 1 are Joey annoying Chandler with his excitement about being in London, and Rachel making the sudden decision to go to London to tell Ross she loves him.
Part 2, however, is a lot more memorable thanks to Monica and Chandler sleeping together and Ross saying Rachel’s name at the altar. Part 2 is key to Friends as it completely changed the show with the beginning of Monica and Chandler’s relationship and one of the best cliffhangers of all time with Ross’ slip-up.
18
The One On The Last Night
Season 6, Episode 6
“The One On The Last Night” is all about the night before Monica and Chandler moved in together, so it was the last night of Monica and Rachel as roommates, as well as Chandler and Joey. The episode shows how different the dynamics between both pairs of best friends are: while Chandler worries about Joey’s future without him, Monica and Rachel argue over past differences.
In the end, the episode is about how deeply they all care for each other and how much they treasure their time together, but also how they are ready to move forward in their lives without neglecting their friendships.
Season 3, Episode 9
“The One With The Football” is one of Friends’ Thanksgiving episodes, and it sees the group playing football to win the “Geller Bowl.” The group splits into two teams – boys vs girls –, with Monica and Ross being the captains.
It’s well-known that Monica and Ross don’t always get along, but “The One With The Football” is the closest look there is to their dynamic when they were kids. Monica and Ross truly revert to their younger days of sibling rivalry in this episode, and it’s hilarious to see how far they are all willing to go to distract the opposite team.
16
The One With The Red Sweater
Season 8, Episode 2
“The One With The Red Sweater” solves one of Friends’ biggest mysteries: who is the father of Rachel’s baby. The episode initially leads the audience to believe it’s Tag, but it ends with a true bombshell as Ross is casually revealed as the father.
Although the subplot of Chandler and Ross trying to recreate the former’s wedding pics is funny, the mystery of the red sweater takes all the attention, and it’s one of those episodes that drives the show, as there’s Friends before Rachel’s pregnancy and after it.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
