We Ranked The 50 Best “Friends” Episodes — Here's What Made The Cut

We OBVIOUSLY are completely open to debate on this one! Please, leave comments! We want to know your thoughts. Bonus points if they’re not mean comments, because we’re just out here writing about a show that we all love, ya know?

Adding a family member to the gang’s antics was always a bright spot on Friends, especially when it was Reese Witherspoon as Jill. Even though Jill and Ross almost became a couple here (ick!), it’s Monica being sick (“I’m finddddd!”) that made this episode worthy of the top 50 best episodes.

Christina Applegate arriving as Rachel’s sister Amy was one of the best guest-starring moments in Friends. Not only was it a Thanksgiving episode, but Amy added an extra level of chaos when she wanted to be Emma’s guardian if Rachel and Ross died. Best quote, “I was thinking about changing her name. I’m just not a big fan of Emily.”

This was a rare tender episode of Friends, which made it the perfect penultimate episode for the series. From Chandler’s unexpectedly poignant goodbye to Rachel to Ross and Rachel’s gut-wrenching scenes, it definitely hit us in the feels. Plus, Erica (Anna Faris) arrived to FINALLY make Monica and Chandler parents. I’m emotional.

You would think Monica getting engaged to Chandler would be the most important thing in this episode, but in typical Ross and Rachel fashion they just had to upstage this moment too. Honestly, Monica yelling off the balcony that she was engaged was PEAK Monica Geller.

We had to include this one because it brought us the epic music video for “Smelly Cat” — a Phoebe Buffay classic and arguably one of the most important Friends recurring jokes. Bonus points: It was the first of the Eddie (Adam Goldberg) episodes. We’ll get to this later, but we could write an 18-page letter front-and-back about how damn funny Eddie is.

While we’re a little bit more obsessed with what happened AFTER Vegas (keep reading!), we still have a soft spot for this two-parter where we learned the truth about Joey’s flop movie, Monica and Chandler almost got married, and Ross and Rachel ACTUALLY GOT MARRIED.

Throwback to the early Chandler and Monica “secret relationship” days! This was when Chandler accidentally kissed Monica goodbye and ended up having to kiss Rachel and Phoebe in order to hide it. While that kicked off the episode, it was also notable because Phoebe wanted to create some memories after missing the group’s trip to London.

Following Chandler and Monica’s wedding, Phoebe and Monica learned that Rachel was actually the one who was pregnant. The most memorable moment? When Phoebe told Rachel her pregnancy test was negative just to see if Rachel actually wanted to have a baby. Risky, but it paid off.

Truthfully, we always forget how few episodes Mr. Heckles was in because he made a lasting impact. When Mr. Heckles died and made the gang clean up his apartment, Chandler also had an existential crises when he realized how similar he was to Heckles. Also, Phoebe and Ross argued over evolution.

This episode fundamentally changed the Friends structure we knew and loved — Monica and Rachel stopped being roommates! THE END OF AN ERA. This episode also gave us the line, “And I have to live with a boy!” which was so damn relatable.

An episode with some important milestones for the gang. Ross and Rachel had sex for the first time in the museum, Monica reconnected with Richard and started dating him, and of course, Chandler and Joey got their La-Z-Boy chairs. Honestly, a solid episode all around.

Frank and Alice got married (weird!) and then asked Phoebe to carry their babies (weirder!). There was a weird subplot where Joey worked at the museum with Ross, but what REALLY made the episode was when Monica taught Chandler about erogenous zones — ironically taught Chandler how to be good at sex!

Listen, this may be the hottest take on here, but we will DIE ON THIS HILL. Joey trying to learn French makes us laugh every damn time. Stupid? Sure! Unrealistic? Yup! Further proof that the writers just turned Joey into a complete bumbling idiot by the end? Yesiree! But. It. Was. So. Funny. The End.

Honestly, two of the biggest episodes of Friends! Chandler decided to propose to Monica, but Richard came back into Monica’s life and realized he was still in love with her. Of course, it all worked out in the end and we were left with the iconic Chandler and Monica candle proposal.

When the gang decided to go in and buy lottery tickets together, of course some crazy stuff ensued. The best part of this episode though? Phoebe dropping the tickets off the balcony after being scared by a pigeon and then calling pretending to apologize as the pigeon.

It’s so fun to see Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe all just chillin’ in wedding dresses. Plus, the comedic timing of Rachel trying to convince Jo-shuuuu-a (aka Tate Donovan aka Jimmy Cooper from The O.C.) she was not really moving too fast, only for him to walk in on her wearing a WEDDING DRESS. So good. Oh, and we learned that Chandler said “wah-pah!” instead of “whipped.”

A lot happened in this milestone two-parter! After a miserable labor, Rachel had her baby. Monica and Chandler decided to have a baby. JANICE SHOWED UP. And, Ross and Rachel had yet another near-miss in their relationship with the whole Joey proposal thing that could have been cleared up in one minute, but OKAY.

A perfect ending for Season 1, Rachel learned that Ross had feelings for her after Chandler let it slip. Of course, this began the saga of Ross and Rachel missing each other at airports when Rachel excitedly decided to profess her love for Ross, only to see him return with Julie.

The first real Ross and Rachel episode. When Rachel doesn’t know how to do her laundry, Ross offered to spend the evening showing her how. Also, who doesn’t love the classic, “I turned all my laundry pink” plot line. Plus, this episode featured Maggie Wheeler’s first appearance as Janice!

While the episode may be named after Ross’s fantasy about Princess Leia, one of the better storylines in this episode was the dynamic between Joey, Chandler, and Janice. (“Joey and Janice’s day 👏 of 👏 fun 👏!”)

The episode that started it all! Rachel stumbling into Central Perk in a wedding dress was just the start of this show, but still a huge moment. Also, how could we not appreciate Paul the Wine Guy?!

Sigh, 2001. A time when Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were still married, and Brad appeared in this Thanksgiving episode as the co-founder of an “I Hate Rachel” club with Ross.

We’ll never forget where we were and who we were with when we first watched this episode live. It was a perfect send-off to the show. From Phoebe’s musical moments to the arrival of Chandler and Monica’s twins (aww!!!) to Ross and Rachel’s dramatic ending — “Did she get off the plane???” It was just what we needed. Plus, the final moments where they all leave their keys to Monica and Chandler’s apartment and the group gets coffee one last time. We sobbed.

“I Ross take thee Rachel.” And that’s all we need to say about that.

We’ll never forget Ross and Rachel drunkenly stumbling out of a Vegas wedding chapel, but what ensued afterwards was even funnier. Ross and Rachel realizing that they got married was hysterical, but also the fact that Ross doesn’t want to add another divorce to his list was PEAK Ross.

One of our personal favorites, this episode was a classic Phoebe episode at its finest. Monica tried to recreate Phoebe’s grandmothers cookie recipe from the great “Nestle Toulouse.” Lisa Kudrow’s comedic timing in this episode was next level.

We’re about to hit you with some triple Ross — you’ve been warned! First up, this friggin’ hilarious episode where Ross continually messed up the basic instructions for getting a spray tan and learned that some people count “Mississippi-less-ly.” Oh, and in non-Ross news, Jennifer Coolidge played Monica and Phoebe’s annoying ex-friend Ah-man-dah, and made a perfect arse of herself. And finally, this marked the end of Joey and Rachel as a couple. THANK GOD.

Watching Ross completely lose his shit as he insisted he was FINE with Rachel and Joey hooking up was honestly one of the more relatable things he did on the show. I cannot help but crack up when he said, “I’M MAKING FAJITAS!” or when he gave his speech about love — “Ahh, love. L-O-V-E, love.”

Ross may get on our nerves sometimes, but this episode was one of the funniest in the series. Ross went to get his teeth whitened and let’s just say he could light up a pitch-black room afterwards.

One of the more iconic Friends Thanksgiving episodes, it perfectly relived the gangs’ worst memories from the holiday. From Monica chopping off part of Chandler’s toe to Joey getting his head stuck in a turkey, there were so many stand-out moments. But, Monica doing a dance with a turkey on her head, which led Chandler to accidentally saying “I love you” (technically for the first time, but more on that later) was so priceless.

Joey landed the role of Dr. Drake Ramoray, which was huge on its own. Plus, Rachel started dating Russ — a guy whose resemblance to Ross was so uncanny because he was literally played by David Schwimmer (or Snaro, if you pay attention to details). It was nice that Ross’s ex, Julie, ended up with Russ, because she was done dirty and deserved SO MUCH BETTER.

Another one of our personal favorites, this episode had such a great Chandler and Rachel dynamic when the duo can’t give up the stolen cheesecakes. The image of Chandler and Rachel on the floor eating cheesecake and Joey arriving with a fork is ICONIC.

This was the ultimate Geller sibling scene, when Ross and Monica desperately tried to get on TV during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and ended up performing their middle school dance routine (which earned them an honorable mention in the brother/sister dance category!). The routine itself was really what earns this one a spot on this list, TBH.

In just two episodes, Chandler got cold feet before his wedding, someone was pregnant, and Joey had to deal with his spitting co-star. Chandler and Monica were adorable and we’re so happy they got their happy ending!

After one full season of pining and missed connections Ross and Rachel’s feelings for each other were finally BOTH out in the open. “You’re over me? When were you…under me?” This was the episode we waited for for so long — the one where they have their first kiss — and it was so worth the wait.

The first of Friends’ iconic “bottle episodes,” this episode perfectly solidified the group dynamic. Also knowing that the cast actually played poker IRL and it inspired the episode is an added bonus!

Let’s kick off the top ten with THREE Thanksgiving episodes in a row. First up, “Chandler in a Box.” As punishment for “crossing the line” with Joey’s girlfriend Kathy, Joey forced Chandler to repent by staying in a box for six hours. LOL. Let’s forget about how Monica was creepily into Richard’s son and remember this iconic quote about it instead: “Fine, judge all you want to, but [to Ross] married a lesbian, [to Rachel] left a man at the altar, [to Phoebe] fell in love with a gay ice dancer, [to Joey] threw a girl’s wooden leg in the fire, [to Chandler] live in a box!”

A classic Thanksgiving episode that featured not only a Geller sibling rivalry, but a rivalry between the guys and the girls in the gang. Honestly, the gang outside playing football is hysterical. Between the girls trying to tackle Chandler to the ground and then when you see what the Geller cup looks like, this episode was iconic.

Our favorite Friends Thanksgiving episode! Not only was this episode perfectly contained in the apartment, but everyone’s comedic timing was amazing. If you want to know why this was a phenomenal episode just watch when the gang admits everything from Ross getting high to Rachel realizing she wasn’t supposed to put beef in the trifle.

Not only did this episode feature the iconic moments where Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross are basically proving who is better at self-defense, but you’ve got Chandler and Monica giving each other homemade Valentine’s Day gifts. Two iconic lines came out of this episode: “Aaah, salmon skin roll” and “I love the way you look every night, Chandler.”

The first great Friends episode in our opinion, this episode centered on the gang trapped in the apartment during a blackout, while Chandler was trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre. You’ve got Phoebe’s iconic fridge song and Ross being attacked by a cat, so overall, it’s just an iconic episode.

This episode proved that you don’t need an elaborate plot line or sets to be funny. The most iconic “bottle episode,” it simply centered on the gang trying to get ready for Ross’s event. You’ve got Chandler and Joey fighting over a chair (“Could I BE wearing any more clothes???”), Monica obsessing over a voicemail from Richard, and Rachel not being able to pick out an outfit. Plus, Ross almost drank the fat, so we learned how much he really cared about Rachel.

This episode may be named after Phoebe trying to get pregnant with Frank and Alice’s baby, but it will forever be remembered for the Jeopardy-like trivia game that Ross moderated. It was Rachel and Monica vs. Joey and Chandler and the stakes were high — ahem, THE APARTMENT. We learned lots of little tidbits about the gang (like, Monica’s towel-sorting system, Joey’s imaginary friend Maurice the Space Cowboy, and MS. CHANANDLER BONG). Ultimately, Monica and Rachel’s ignorance about Chandler’s job (“He’s a transponster!” “That’s not even a WORD!”) lost them their apartment and Joey and Chandler rode into the apartment on the white horse, giving us one of the greatest episodes of TV of all time.