Friends is undoubtedly one such sitcom that doesn’t have any hater. The series that ran from 1994 to 2004 has blessed us with so many fun moments. Despite ending decades ago, it is still considered the best. While all the American sitcom episodes are worth watching, here, we have accumulated a list of 10 of the best episodes that you shouldn’t ignore.
18. The One with the Baby on the Bus (Season 2 Episode 6)
No episode of Friends can ever be boring, but whenever we talk about the best episodes of the ultra-popular sitcom, we cannot ignore this one. The episode mainly revolves around Joey and Chandler as they take care of Ben when Monica and Ross rush to the hospital after the latter has an allergic reaction to eating Monica’s Kiwi-Lime pie.
The crazy best friend-duo takes Ben out, but hilariously, they forget him on the bus they were on while talking to two gorgeous ladies. On the other side, Ross gets cranky as he is scared of injections, so he accidentally injures Monica by pressing her hand really hard.
17. The One with the Cheesecakes (Season 7 Episode 11)
This episode will always remain close to my heart as it brings out the best in my favorite character, Joey. He is always seen goofing around, but in this episode, he makes us realize what a loyal friend looks like. While Rachel has Ross and Monica has Chandler, Pheobe gets comforted by Joey when she feels low. Also, Pheobe is rarely seen getting serious even in the toughest situations, but in ‘the one with the cheesecakes’, she gets teary after bidding goodbye to David.
Besides that, Chandler and Rachel didn’t leave any stone unturned in this episode to make us laugh hard with the cheesecake jokes. On top of everything, let’s not forget how hilarious the episode’s ending is. Rachel and Chandler eat the cheesecake that has fallen on the floor, and Joey later joins them.
16. The One with the Football (Season 3 Episode 9)
One of the most fun to watch episodes of Friends, ‘The One with the Football,’ sees the gang playing football. Years ago, Monica broke Ross’s nose while playing football and since then the siblings have been restricted to playing the game by their mom. On the other hand, dealing with the breakup with Janice, Chandler doesn’t want to play the game either, but Joey somehow convinces him.
As the game begins, it’s almost impossible to control our laughter. Ross and Monica become captains and they pick up the members of their team. Monica, Joey, Pheobe Vs. Ross, Chandler, Rachel. Initially, the motto of both the teams remains gaining points but soon Chandler and Joey get distracted by a Dutch girl named Margha, living in the neighborhood. The episode gives us some really laugh-out-loud moments.
15. The One with Ross’s Wedding (Season 4 Episode 23, 24)
Ross and Rachel were meant to be together, but they decided to move on after they broke up. They also dated many individuals, but nothing worked out until Ross met Emily. However, just before the duo marries, Ross realizes he still loves Rachel. However, he still gets married to Emily.
This episode is one of the most special in the TV show’s history as it marked the beginning of a love story that no one forgets to talk about, even after so many years. Yes, we are indeed talking about our forever favorites, Chandler Bing and Monica Geller!
14. The One with Ross’s Sandwich (Season 5 Episode 9)
Ross is certainly the most underrated character of the sitcom, but I think that he made equal efforts to make us laugh like Joey and Chandler. This episode sees Ross crying over the most stupid thing. Someone ate his sandwich, and he continuously cribs about it. Well, the way he talks and the way he tries to show his anger makes things extremely hilarious. He says that the sandwich was the only good thing in his life. Can you imagine?
Apart from that, no one except Joey knows about Chandler and Monica’s secret, so when Pheobe finds Chandler’s underwear at Monica’s home, the smarty-Bing puts all the blame on Joey, and he accepts it. Joey is a friend every one of us needs, isn’t he?
13. The One Where Everybody Finds Out (Season 5 Episode 14)
The One Where Everyone Finds Out makes you fall out of your seats holding your stomach, it’s that funny. Pheobe finds out about Chandler and Monica when she accompanies Rachel and Ross to Ugly Naked Guy’s apartment after he moves out. Pheobe’s ‘My Eyes, My Eyes’ can’t be forgotten. The humor and the dialogue in this episode are truly the best in this fifth season’s episode.
After Pheobe gets involved in the game, things get super waggish. She decides to play a seduction game with Chandler, and on the other side, Monica and Chandler are totally aware of what their friends are up to, so they take all this as a challenge.
12. The One with the Routine (Season 6 Episode 10)
Dancing is not everyone’s cup of tea, and the Geller siblings made us realize this in this episode. They performed the routine they made when they were in eighth grade. I have never seen someone look this stupid while dancing like Monica and Ross did in front of a huge crowd, embarrassing themselves. However, they indeed made us laugh with their hookups.
As the episode is about Christmas, we see Rachael, Chandler, and Pheobe trying to find the presents Monica has brought for them.
11. The One with Unagi (Season 6 Episode 17)
How can someone forget about Ross’s Unagi sequence when talking about Friends? Rachel and Pheobe go to self-defense class one day, and while they tell Joey and Ross about it, the latter starts lecturing them. He says that he learned Karate long ago, and there is a special concept called Unagi in Japanese. At that time, the look on Rachel’s and Pheobe’s faces was hilarious.
Ross tries to scare Pheobe and Rachel to show that he is the master of the Unagi technique. However, he can’t stop from shouting insanely when the girls do the same with him. Furthermore, Chandler and Monica struggle to make each other a present for Valentine’s Day.
10. The One with the Proposal (Season 6 Episode 24, 25)
Richard comes back and asks Monica to marry him, but she is now head over heels in love with Chandler, and she wants to be with him. So, she clarifies things with Richard, who then meets Chandler and asks her to be with Monica forever.
Chandler plans to propose to Monica, but before he does, Joey takes him to Monica’s place, where she awaits him so that she can propose to him. After several confusing yet hilarious moments, we finally get to witness the most beautiful ending.
9. The One with the Rumour (Season 8 Episode 9)
It’s Thanksgiving, and this time, the gang has a handsome guest named Will (Brad Pitt). This episode features Brad Pitt as a guest, so it is obviously one of the watch-worthy episodes of Friends. While Monica compliments Will for his appearance, Chandler throws his sarcastic one-liners, and at times, he is tagged along by Pheobe.
Will meets everyone, but after Rachael enters the room, he can’t stop showing how much he hated her since school. Also, let’s not forget that this episode marked the beginning of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s relationship in the real world.
8. The One Where No One’s Ready (Season 3 Episode 2)
While watching Friends, I often felt Ross was the TV show’s most underrated and neglected character. Well, this episode showcases the same. Ross arrives at Monica’s apartment and tries to convince everyone to get ready for the event at his museum as soon as possible.
However, as always, nobody pays attention to him except Pheobe, who appears fully dressed up in front of Ross. After finding Richard’s voicemail, Monica becomes curious while Joey and Chandler get into a kiddish fight over a chair.
7. The One With All The Thanksgiving (Season 5 Episode 8)
This episode is one of the weirdest yet rewatchable episodes of all time. This Thanksgiving comes with a lot of flashbacks featuring several hilarious moments. The episode begins with the gang talking about their worst Thanksgiving. Chandler reveals that his parents got divorced on one such Thanksgiving.
Pheobe’s flashback takes place in her past life, where she loses her left arm while treating a soldier. On top of everything, it’s the episode where we see Joey’s head getting stuck in Monica’s raw Turkey while he puts it on to scare Chandler.
6. The One With Pheobe’s Wedding (Season 10, Episode 12)
Among all the six friends, Pheobe struggled mainly with relationships, so this episode has always remained special to me. Furthermore, Joey and Pheobe’s bond in the TV Show has always been very special, and this episode sheds some light on it. Pheobe’s stepfather is in prison, so she chooses Joey to walk her down the aisle, and as usual, he agrees to help her.
The entire episode sees Monica as Pheobe and Mike’s wedding planner, while Joey starts acting as if he’s the bride’s father. Ross and Chandler get embarrassed after learning that they are not involved in the wedding, as Mike has his friends, so they can only be the groomsmen when one of his friends cannot join the groom for any reason.
5. The Last One (Season 10, Episode 18)
Even though this one’s the toughest episode to watch as the friends bid a final goodbye to us, I never miss a chance to rewatch it as it brings numerous memories that make me grin a bit more. The surrogate mother of Monica and Chandler’s child gets into labor, so the duo rushes her to the hospital. On the other side, we see Joey and Pheobe packing things for Chandler and Monica to help them out.
Rachel and Ross get intimate after their reunion. Erica gives birth to twins, and the TV show ends well on a good note.
4. The One Where They’re Up All Night (Season 7, Episode 12)
In this episode, Ross is again neglected by the gang. He wants to witness a meteor with his friends, but no one really cares. Rachel is busy with her boyfriend Tag and somehow manages to escape. Monica, Chandler, and Pheobe go to sleep, leaving Ross and Joey behind.
While Ross is interested in viewing the meteor, Joey uses his binoculars to spot ladies on the streets. Suddenly, the duo gets stuck on the terrace, and how they overcome the situation makes this episode a lot more hilarious.
3. The One With the Jellyfish (Season 4, Episode 1)
This episode shows friends spending time on a beach. Rachel wants Ross to take full responsibility for their breakup, so she writes him a letter. However, Ross falls asleep and fails to read it entirely, but to avoid embarrassment, he agrees to the conditions mentioned in it.
Moreover, this episode also gives us one of the iconic moments of the TV Show. Monica gets bit by a jellyfish, and Joey comes up with the most disgusting solution that he has seen on the Discovery channel. He asks Chandler to pee on it to kill the pain.
2. The One After Vegas (Season 6, Episode 1)
This episode kickstarts from where the fifth season’s finale episode left. We see the most hilarious beginning of the sixth season. Chandler and Monica see Ross and Rachel coming out of the chapel. Both of them seem to be in an extremely drunk state. After they go out, Chandler and Monica witness Joey and Pheobe rushing toward the Chapel. I couldn’t control my laughter after hearing Chandler’s words, “Is everybody getting married?”
Well, that was just the beginning, as the following day was supposed to be the wildest one. Ross and Rachel wake up, and they don’t remember that they got married last night.
1. The One With the Embryos (Season 4, Episode 12)
In this episode, Pheobe gets his brother’s older wife’s embryo transferred into her uterus. On the other side, Joy and Chandler challenge Rachel and Monica for a rapid-fire to help them decide who knows each other better. This is one of those episodes that made us really wonder, “What’s Chandler’s Job?”
Also, we get to learn that the boys know everything about the girls, including how many towels Rachel keeps with her and for what occasions. It’s a hilarious episode that gets you laughing with each dialogue.
So, these are the very best episodes of Friends, according to me. The inclusion and ranking of these episodes are solely based on our experience. Of course, I can simply go on and include several other episodes in this article, but I decided to keep the number limited to 10.
Ajith Kumar
