Look back on the show, it feels as though each 20-or-so-minute nugget contributed its own signature phrases and cult moments, which remain firmly embedded in pop culture nowadays.
Yet it is interesting to comb through those combined 4,720-ish minutes of television and separate the highs from the lows. Friends will surely always have a special place among the series that set the standards of the sitcom genre.
That’s why the show remains a relevant topic of discussion to this day, and why it has come under renewed scrutiny as some (including this writer) have attempted to dissect the way it broached topics such as gender, sexuality, women’s rights, and body politics.
Some of Friends’s best episodes still stand out for what they contributed to the history of television – an all-too-rare lesbian wedding, a surrogacy storyline, the empowering tale of a young woman finding her footing in the corporate world. Others are, quite simply, funny in a laugh-out-loud, goofy way, fuelled by the kind of moments that explain why Friends is, for many, the televised equivalent of comfort food.Here it is, then: a full ranking of all 236 episodes of Friends, from worst to best.
1. The One with the Lesbian Wedding – Season two, episode 11
In 1996, The One with the Lesbian Wedding gave viewers the first same-sex wedding between two women shown on network television. Sure, the episode itself isn’t without flaws (some might argue that Carol and Susan’s wedding remained fundamentally heteronormative) but it remains one of the milestones from Friends’s legacy. It’s also moving and plants the seeds for some of the most enduring character arcs of the show, from Joey’s soap opera career to Monica’s professional woes and Rachel’s evolving family dynamics (beginning with her parents’ divorce). Phoebe’s storyline, which sees her supposedly possessed by the spirit of a recently deceased elderly massage client, is full of her character’s trademark whimsy and quirkiness. This is, in many ways, the quintessential Friends episode.
2. The One Hundredth / The One with the Triplets – Season five, episode three
Lisa Kudrow carries this season five episode – which, as one of its two titles suggests, was the 100th of the show, on her shoulders as Phoebe, who agreed to be her brother’s surrogate, gives birth to triplets. Kudrow gives a memorable performance as Phoebe’s feelings escalate from fear (while she readies herself for contractions), to frustration (when her doctor turns out to be an overly dedicated fan of the Happy Days character Fonzie) and, finally, to sadness (when her last-minute request to keep one of the babies fails to materialise). It’s a touching take on surrogacy, which manages to address some of its emotional entanglements while still showing how Phoebe can move on with her life and find her place as the babies’ aunt.
3. The One with the East German Laundry Detergent – Season one, episode five
It’s filled with many of the moderately funny Friends staples – Chandler’s unsatisfying relationship with Janice, Joey’s romantic troubles, and of course, “Ugly Naked Guy”, Monica’s neighbour from across the street – but the laundromat scene alone salvages the entire episode. What begins as an innocent attempt at learning how to wash her clothes by herself sees Rachel stand up for herself when another woman tries to steal her cart. It’s not just a fundamental element of the character journey that sees her grow from a spoiled young woman who has never had to fend for herself into an accomplished professional and capable parent. It’s also a moment that will ring true to many who have moved to New York over the course of their lives: the city, because it’s so big, overpopulated and filled with overachievers, has a way of teaching even the most timid of wallflowers how to advocate for themselves.
4. The One Where Ross Got High – Season six, episode nine
At first glance, this isn’t one of Friends’s most memorable tour de forces. The Thanksgiving episode begins with the ordinary concerns – Monica doesn’t want to tell her parents that she and Chandler are living together, Ross and Joey are itching to get dinner over with so they can spend time with Joey’s attractive roommate Janine and her friends – but it escalates into amazing levels of absurdism. Rachel’s failed trifle, which includes beef, remains a cult reference. But most memorable is Judy Geller’s monologue when she puts all six friends in their places one by one, swiftly handling everyone’s issues – from Monica’s reluctance to tell them about her relationship with Chandler to the revelation that Ross smoked pot as a teen.
5. The One with the Birth – Season one, episode 23
In the penultimate episode of the first season of Friends, Carol give birth to Ben, further exploring the family dynamics of Carol, Ross and Susan as co-parents. Ross and Susan’s near-constant fighting causes them to get locked in a closet with Phoebe – an unlucky accide
