The NBC sitcom Friends debuted in 1994 to so-so ratings and mixed reviews, with many writing it off as simply the next in a line of half-hour comedies that would be off the air within a few years. It was impossible to imagine that we’d just seen the launch of not only one of the most popular sitcoms in history, but also one of the most enduring. Hand in hand with another NBC sitcom that was underestimated early on—Seinfeld—Friends would become a staple of 1990s pop culture and remain a mainstay in the 21st century, past its end-date, thanks to heavy DVD sales and massive popularity in syndication.
Most recently, Friends entered the digital age via Netflix’s streaming library, where it reached an entirely new audience. Although the beloved series has since left Netflix and is now streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
But as the fall TV season approaches, during which networks will unveil a slew of new sitcoms that can only hope to just barely graze the type of popularity and lasting power that Friends enjoyed, now seems like a fitting time to take a look back at the legacy of the NBC sitcom season-by-season.
You don’t enjoy the kind of long-lasting popularity of Friends without some semblance of quality, and throughout its ten seasons on NBC, the series certainly hit some iconic highs—and more than a couple lows. Even the most uneven of seasons still has its bright spots, which makes my task of ranking all ten seasons from worst to best slightly difficult.
Regardless, here goes the one where I rank all the Friends seasons:
10) Season Nine
Standout Episode: “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister”
As Friends began production on its ninth season in 2002, all involved were under the impression that it’d be the last one. The actors’ contracts were up and they were getting expensive ($1 million an episode expensive), so the first few episodes of this season set up the show’s finale (eg. Chandler moving to Tulsa). However, after much begging from NBC, the cast agreed mid-production to return for an abbreviated tenth season, and so showrunners Marta Kauffman and David Crane had to abandon their finale set-up and start moving things back to a place that could set up the next season.
All of this to say that there’s a reason Season 9 feels uneven, and while Friends has always been a silly show, you can feel it creatively beginning to run out of steam when there’s a subplot in which Joey can’t remember if he’s already slept with the woman he’s dating.There are bright spots to be sure, namely stellar guest appearances by Christina Applegate as Rachel’s sister and Jon Lovitz as one of Rachel’s highly memorable dates. But Season 9 is also when the writers finally reached the point where they apparently had tackled all the possible road blocks to Ross and Rachel getting together, opting for a hail mary of a story arc in which Rachel falls in love with Joey. No, Friends. No. Bad Friends.
9) Season One
Standout Episode: "The One Where Rachel Finds Out"
It takes most sitcoms a few episodes to find their groove, and even something as huge as Friends was once stumbling around to find its creative voice. The series’ first season certainly shows promise as an ensemble comedy about twentysomething friendship, but some of the characters audiences would grow to love are significantly different in their initial incarnations. Matt LeBlanc’s Joey in particular is a bore as the stereotypical “guy’s guy”, Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe is pitched too far into flower child territory as opposed to lovable oddball, and Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel toes the line between endearing and insufferable as a spoiled daddy’s girl trying to make it on her own.
There are certainly glimmers of what the show would go on to embrace, like a dash of heartfelt sincerity with regards to Ross’ impending fatherhood and the “will they/won’t they” of Ross and Rachel—a hallmark of Friends if there ever was one—but there are also times when the series gets too goofy for its own good, like giving Ross a pet monkey. Which, granted, the show itself even makes fun of in subsequent seasons, but is one of those “huh?” storylines where the series was trying to find its own sitcom identity.
8) Season Four
Standout Episode: “The One with the Embryos”
As Friends wore on, it became clear that while audiences pined for the romance of Ross and Rachel, Chandler was quickly becoming the favorite character. So one of the fourth season’s main arcs attempts to give Chandler some dimension with a plot in which he essentially steals Joey’s girlfriend and must deal with the repercussions. Through no fault of Matthew Perry’s, the arc doesn’t totally land and pales in comparison to the Ross/Rachel drama of the previous season, lacking the necessary emotional “oomph.”
Season 4’s other main arc involves Ross marrying Emily (Helen Baxendale), an entirely forgettable character who didn’t make much of an impression when it comes to the show’s legacy. As a result, she feels more like a plot device to make Rachel jealous than a genuine romantic prospect for Ross, and so this arc doesn’t entirely deliver either.
What does deliver, however, is Phoebe serving as a surrogate for her brother Frank and his wife. “The One with the Embryos” is one of the show’s best episodes, and it doesn’t even involve Ross and Rachel getting together and/or breaking up! Kudrow would win her first and only Emmy for her outstanding work in this episode, and deservedly so.
7) Season Two
Standout Episode: “The One with the Prom Video”
The show’s second season was an improvement over the first, embracing some of the things that worked (Ross and Rachel) and abandoning a few of its more outlandish premises—though it’s still not quite “top tier” Friends. The road to Ross and Rachel getting together is the most compelling arc of the season, as Kauffman and Crane played audiences like a fiddle in “The One with the List”, where the two characters almost seal the deal, only for Ross’ pro/con list to rightfully put Rachel off the idea. And their doing of “the deed” is executed to perfection in “The One Where Ross and Rachel…You Know.”
But it’s “The One with the Prom Video” that truly stands out here, not only because it introduced a device that would be well-mined in future seasons—the flashback—but also because it wonderfully blended excellent comedy with the show’s sincere emotional center.
6) Season Ten
Standout Episode: “The Last One”
While Friends’ final season was shorter (a stipulation of the cast returning) than all the others, and maybe a bit sillier than the later seasons, it also has its own special charms. David Schwimmer in particular shines in episodes like “The One with Ross’s Tan,” in which the entire premise is that Ross is getting a spray tan. He sells it beautifully, and the way he plays Ross’ reaction to the whole Rachel/Joey fiasco helps ease the pain of that particular story decision.
The season is also bolstered by a significant amount of Paul Rudd as Phoebe’s soon-to-be-husband Mike Hannigan, and you can never go wrong with more Paul Rudd. Rudd and Kudrow’s chemistry is fantastically complimentary, and an episode like “The One with Princess Consuela” is a wonderful showcase for their comedic sensibilities.
And then there’s the finale, of course. Kauffman and Crane stick the landing with a two-part series finale that doesn’t forsake the show’s signature comedy for non-stop emotions—though there are plenty of emotional moments too. For all their ups and downs and for all the cynicism about their relationship, it’s tough not to feel elated seeing Rachel return to Ross’ apartment. Even though we all clearly knew she was getting off that plane.
5) Season Six
Standout Episode: “The One Where Ross Got High”
While there aren’t too many “big emotional arcs” of Season 6 aside from Chandler’s proposal, this particular stretch of episodes is just some really well-crafted comedy. “The One Where Ross Got High” is one of the show’s funniest Thanksgiving episodes and reminds viewers just how fantastic Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles are as Ross and Monica’s parents, and “The One with the Apothecary Table” (often cited as one of the best uses of product placement in modern television) proves once again that Kudrow is one of the best comedic actresses working today.
Schwimmer also does swell work in Season 6 as he first attempts to keep the fact that he never officially annulled his marriage to Rachel a secret, and then navigates the particulars of dating a student while teaching at NYU. There’s also the divisive flashback double-episode “The One That Could Have Been”, which I happen to think uses the conceit quite well and gives the actors a chance to shine as variations on their characters. And then of course things culminate in the teary finale “The One with the Proposal,” which features a perfectly timed Tom Selleck re-appearance.
4) Season Seven
Standout Episode: “The One with Monica and Chandler’s Wedding”
Despite how poorly the Rachel/Joey romance worked out, it’s easy to see why the writers would attempt this particular pairing. Chandler and Monica were never planned to end up together, but following that Season 4 finale cliffhanger in which the two sleeping together was merely meant as a joke, the writers opted to give Chandler and Monica a shot and, well, the rest is history. One of the big delights of their relationship is watching the planning of their wedding, which is the main arc of the show’s seventh season. Things begin with a bang in “The One with Monica’s Thunder”, which puts Courteney Cox’s talents to perfect use and also serves as a sort of meta commentary on how often the Ross/Rachel relationship had been mined throughout the show’s run.
Other wedding planning highlights include “The One with the Engagement Picture” and “The One with the Vows”, culminating in the season finale’s actual wedding (with drunk Gary Oldman to boot). Cox is undoubtedly the MVP of this particular stretch of episodes, as she manages to find the right balance between comedically Type A and gratingly OCD.
3) Season Three
Standout Episode: “The One the Morning After”
While Friends’ first two seasons were certainly popular, it was the show’s third season that really solidified its legacy. Episodes like “The One Where No One’s Ready” and “The One with the Football” showcased the cast’s excellent comedic timing, while the unforgettable “The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break” begins an arc that would have lasting effects on the series throughout its run. Friends’ secret weapon has always been its willingness to play the emotion and drama straight, and “The One with the Morning After” is a magnificent blend of hard-hitting relationship drama and expertly timed comedic beats.
2) Season Five
Standout Episode: “The One Where Everybody Finds Out”
When Monica and Chandler were shown having slept together in the Season 4 finale, the writers initially planned to address their embarrassment at the one night stand and then simply move on. But for whatever reason, the prospect of pairing off two characters five years into the series’ run actually felt kind of interesting, and so the wonderfully complimentary couple of Monica and Chandler was born.
The writers didn’t rush this relationship to its conclusion, however, and its this comedy mined from their sneaking around and trying to keep their relationship a secret that makes Season 5 one of the show’s best. The season also takes the time to explore the personality differences that seemingly account for the fact that Monica and Chandler never previously got together, which is in keeping with the show’s emotionally honest throughline. This pairing really could’ve been a disaster (see: Joey & Rachel), but thanks to smart writing and Perry and Cox bringing their A-game, the result is one of the show’s most satisfying arcs.
But Monica and Chandler isn’t the only reason Season 5 is so good. The dissolution of Ross’ marriage to Emily provides for plenty of comedic fodder in episodes like “The One Where Ross Moves In”, and the finale’s Vegas setting gives a swell backdrop for stories both hilariously silly (Joey’s hand twin, Phoebe battling a casino “lurker”) and surprising (Ross and Rachel’s bender that ends with marriage).
1) Season Eight
Standout Episode: “The One with the Rumor”
Baby storylines are often the death knell of a TV series. More often than not, they signal that the writers have run out of ideas and are attempting to “mix things up” by making someone pregnant. And nearly every time, it’s not the “creative fix” that the show needed. Whether the Friends writers were stretching for ideas or not, Rachel’s pregnancy resulted in some of the show’s best storytelling, acting, and comedy ever, which is impressive considering it came towards the end of the series’ run. Indeed, Season 8 is the only time Friends won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series, and while it probably deserved the award a couple of other times, it’s tough to argue this win (as well as Jennifer Aniston’s Best Actress win) wasn’t warranted.
One of the reasons Season 8 works so well is that because, possibly more than any other season, this one relies on the ensemble to react as a whole to certain events as opposed to splitting everyone off into little subplots. Whether it’s trying to guess the father of Rachel’s baby or attempting to convince Ross and Rachel to show everyone the video of their conception, these moments beautifully showcase just how well this group of actors worked together.
And it’s a testament to the season’s strength that it’s easy to forget this is where the seeds were planted for the eventual Joey/Rachel ordeal, as Joey begins to develop feelings for Rachel that are subsequently rebuffed—until the finale, that is. Regardless, Season 8 is Friends at its absolute best, serving as a perfect encapsulation of why this sitcom about a group of people hanging out became an enduring cultural phenomenon, solidifying itself as one of the best sitcoms in TV history.
[This feature was initially published at a prior date, but it's been reposted for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!]