Friends is a comfort show adored worldwide that strikes a perfect balance between comedy and slapstick humor, interspersed with heartwarming moments and heartbreaks along the way. Friends' main characters always bounce back, often turning pain into humor, a trait embodied most notably by Chandler.
10 Funniest & Most Iconic Friends Quotes
Part of the reason Friends remains so memorable is the sitcom's immaculate writing, which stayed consistently strong for a decade.
Every Friends character is uniquely funny. Joey is goofy, Phoebe is eccentric, Rachel’s humor is effortless, Monica is high-strung, Ross is pedantic, often turning his awkward moments into unintentional comedy. Last but not least, Chandler thrives on sarcasm. The characters’ distinct traits combined to create a hilarious 10-season run, with several Friends episodes hitting absolute home runs.
10 “The One With the Prom Video”
Season 2, Episode 14
Friends Season 2, Episode 14 shows Ross’ good side, and undoes the damage caused earlier when he made a list comparing his then-girlfriend Julie with Rachel. Once Rachel discovers the list, she gives Ross a piece of her mind, vehemently declaring that they are unlikely to be a couple.
Ross tries his best to persuade Rachel, but in the end, an old videotape from their younger days saves the day. Rachel rushes to embrace him after discovering that he had dressed up to take her to her high school prom, only to be left heartbroken when her date, Chip, finally showed up. Though it’s an emotionally charged episode, comedy definitely does not take a backseat, with every character getting their moment to make the audience laugh.
9 “The One With the Dozen Lasagnas”
Season 1, Episode 12
After Monica is left with a dozen lasagnas she made for her vegetarian aunt, she gives one away to friends and recurring characters. Meanwhile, Rachel’s Italian boyfriend, Paolo, comes on to Phoebe, leading to their breakup, and Ross is all excited about fatherhood.
Friends Season 1, Episode 12 squeezes maximum laughs out of everyday stakes, from Chandler and Joey choosing a foosball table over a dining set to Monica beating the guys at their game in their house.
8 “The One With the Jellyfish”
Season 4, Episode 1
Friends Season 4 opens strong with a hilarious episode focused on Rachel’s 18-page letter, Phoebe talking to her birth mother, and the mystery surrounding Monica’s Jellyfish sting. Friends Season 4, Episode 1 also toys with the idea of Monica and Chandler as a couple, which only earns laughs at first.
Keanu Reeves Reacts To Matthew Perry's Tasteless Death Joke Directed At Him
Keanu Reeves was not too pleased to hear Matthew Perry's death joke directed at him in Perry's memoir about overcoming his addiction.
Later, Joey, Chandler, and Monica grapple with embarrassment after Monica finally admits she was stung and peed on at the beach. It’s peak Friends absurdity, all rolled into one episode, topped off by Chandler’s admission that he peed on Monica to help with the sting. At the episode’s end, Ross and Rachel once again go back and forth over the meaning of taking a break, and end their relationship for good.
7 “The One With Chandler in a Box”
Season 4, Episode 8
A Chandler-centric episode with an incredible payoff, Season 4, Episode 8 puts him in direct conflict with his roommate and best friend, Joey. After learning that Chandler kissed his girlfriend Kathy, Joey cuts ties with him, even declaring his intention to move out of the apartment.
Monica, meanwhile, invites Richard’s son, Timothy, to Thanksgiving dinner, a decision her friends object to. Chandler ultimately climbs into a box to earn Joey’s forgiveness, leading to slapstick humor and an emotionally satisfying climax.
6 “The One With the Football”
Season 3, Episode 9
Another Thanksgiving classic, Season 3, Episode 9 is filled with pure slapstick comedy, capturing just how chaotic the ensemble can really be. Monica and Ross tell their friends that their mom forbade them from playing football after Monica accidentally broke Ross’s nose while trying to win the Geller Cup during a fiercely competitive childhood game.
"The One with the Football" has a high rewatch value. The gang heads to a local park, with the Geller siblings refusing to let go of their rivalry even after midnight. Meanwhile, Chandler and Joey compete for the affections of a Dutch woman named Margha, and the ridiculous Geller Cup is shown on the screen. It turns out the cup is nothing more than a troll doll nailed to a 2x4.
5 “The One Where Everybody Finds Out”
Season 5, Episode 14
Friends Season 5, Episode 14 solidifies the show’s emotional core, revealing Monica and Chandler's romance, albeit in a thoroughly humorous manner. It also bids goodbye to the ugly naked guy, as Ross befriends him to get his apartment.
It is through this apartment that Phoebe, and later Ross, discover that Monica and Chandler are a couple, setting off a series of frenzied reactions. At the end, Ross secures the apartment, and Phoebe cleverly gets Chandler to confess that he loves Monica.
4 “The One With the Routine”
Season 6, Episode 10
What begins with the gang simply decorating Monica’s Christmas tree crescendos into peak visual comedy when Ross and Monica break into their dance routine during the taping of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. While Season 6, Episode 10 is notable for this physical comedy bit, Chandler, Phoebe, and Rachel use Monica’s time away to hunt down her hidden Christmas presents.
Matthew Perry Apologizes For Keanu Reeves Death Comments
Following a tasteless remark at Reeves' expense, Perry later apologized for it, claiming he's a fan of the John Wick actor.
As Monica and Ross struggle to get onto the platform, Joey does his best to keep his roommate and crush Janine as his dancing partner, filling the episode with hilarious visual gags. Ross and Monica’s awkward dance number remains the show’s most unforgettable comedic moment.
3 “The One Where Ross Got High”
Season 6, Episode 9
Another Thanksgiving hit, "The One Where Ross Got High" boasts some of Friends’ best writing and is driven thoroughly by sharp dialogue. It uses the secondary characters, namely Jack and Judy Geller, to tap into the chaotic dynamics of the six friends. Chaos simmers when Ross tells Monica that their parents’ dislike of Chandler stems from Ross once pinning his college pot-smoking on him.
Monica has prepared a Thanksgiving dinner, but Ross and Joey would much rather be elsewhere. Phoebe descends into full-blown eccentricity, Rachel adds beef to her dessert, and Monica hides from her parents that she and Chandler are living together. All of these bits collide, with Judy delivering her sharpest dialogue to critique each of them in the end.
2 “The One With the Rumor”
Season 8, Episode 9
Set against a Thanksgiving backdrop, Season 8, Episode 9 features Brad Pitt in a memorable guest appearance. Despite his star power, he never overshadows the six friends; instead, he gives each of them space to shine in their own right.
Pitt plays Will Colbert, Monica and Rachel’s high school friend, whom Rachel once gave a hard time. Now healthier and transformed, Will harbors resentment toward Rachel. He even lets the friends in on a secret: that he founded the “I Hate Rachel Green Club” with Ross in high school. Meanwhile, Joey vows to eat an entire turkey. The episode has enough chaos, giving Monica space to slip into the mother hen of the ragtag team.
1 "The One With the Embryos”
Season 4, Episode 12
Friends Season 4, Episode 12 is cleverly structured, with the apartment quiz embodying its very essence. Chandler and Joey face off against the women across the hall, with Ross playing the quiz master. Confident she will win, Monica raises the stakes by betting the apartment in a quiz on who knows whom better.
Phoebe’s embryo implant procedure at the clinic, with Frank Jr. And Alice by her side, is an engaging B-plot. Monica and Rachel lose the apartment and end up in Chandler and Joey’s lair for a short while before they ultimately take it back.
