May 27 will be a throwback Thursday to Must-See TV. The long-awaited “Friends” reunion special will premiere on HBO Max, which also just so happened to have launched on that date one year ago. The special is not a new episode, so do not expect to see where Ross and Rachel are 17 years later or what happened to Joey after “Joey” was canceled (remember “Joey”?).
The reunion is just that: a reunion between the six stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer — at their home for 10 years, the original Stage 24 soundstage (renamed the “The Friends Stage” in 2004 when the series ended), on the Warner Bros. lot, reminiscing about their iconic series with appearances from those who were part of it (Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler and Reese Witherspoon) and some who were not but are presumably fans (David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS and Lady Gaga, among others). You definitely got the feels when that acoustic version of “I’ll Be There for You” started playing in the teaser.
“Friends: The Reunion” was originally supposed to film and premiere last year as part of HBO Max’s launch and on the heels of the 25th anniversary of the show’s September 1994 series premiere, but COVID-19 obviously threw those plans out the window. It’s just as well because the Emmy-winning sitcom remains as timeless as ever. Lots of shows become mega hits, but few can transcend generations and endure like this.
“Friends” — which won the Best Comedy Series Emmy in 2002, and lead and supporting statuettes for Aniston (2002) and Kudrow (1998), respectively — is just endlessly rewatchable. And whether it is or isn’t your day, your week, your month or even your year, Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe will always be there for you — for us. They were for 10 years and 236 episodes, and many of these highly quotable installments are instant classics. Say “paste pants” or “the meaning of the box is three-fold,” and any “Friends” fan worth their salt will immediately tell you which episodes those are from.
So in honor of “The One Where They Get Back Together,” tour our gallery of the series’ top 25 greatest episodes. It wasn’t easily narrowing it down, but if you ask could these episodes be any better, the answer is no. So grab some coffee from Central Perk, curl up on the nearest orange couch and check out our photo gallery above.
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25. THE ONE WITH PHOEBE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY (S. 9, E. 5)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Good things come to those who wait — if those who wait are one of the friends. This is one of the episodes that features someone, Phoebe and Joey in this case, waiting for all the other friends to arrive for the former’s birthday dinner. But they’re late because Monica is pissed at Chandler for smoking, while Ross and Rachel have accidentally locked Emma in their apartment. Everyone and every story gets a chance to shine here – Ross’ Odyssey-like hypothetical tale of Emma fighting a bird on fire in their flooding apartment is a highlight – but the MVP is Phoebe, who completely loses it at the end and yells at Judy to PICK UP THE SOCK.
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24. THE LAST ONE, PARTS 1 AND 2 (S. 10, E. 17-18)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. The series finale earns its spot here on sheer sentimentality alone. Sure, there are laughs, but the one-hour closer was about, as the kids would say, all the feels. It’s not easy to send off one of the biggest shows of all time, but the finale captures why these friends have truly become our family, as every beat — no matter how familiar or predictable it is (airport chase! Surprise twins!) – is about to crack you wide open. By the final scene in Monica’s empty apartment and Chandler’s perfect final line, you’re just a puddle.
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23. THE ONE HUNDREDTH (S. 5, E. 3)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. The milestone 100th episode features a milestone event: Phoebe giving birth to the triplets she was carrying for her brother Frank. Shenanigans arise — an OBGYN obsessed with Fonzie, Joey having to pass kidney stones (his own birthing plot), the baby named after Chandler turning out to be a girl, Chandler giving us a brand new definition of “goofing around” — and they’re all anchored by a lovely final scene, in which Phoebe bids the babies adieu. “Everyone said labor was the hardest thing I’d ever have to do, but they were wrong. This is,” she says. “OK, I’ll settle for being your favorite aunt. I know Alice’s sister has a pool, but you lived in me.” Lisa Kudrow is brilliant here, and honestly, it’s kind of hard to fathom that she lost the Emmy with this and another fabulous episode on this list as her submissions.
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22. THE ONE WITH THE MORNING AFTER (S. 3, E. 16)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. “Friends” doesn’t get enough credit for some of the risks it took. A cheating storyline and a breakup aren’t novel on TV, but how “Friends” deals with the aftermath of Ross sleeping with Chloe the copy girl is noteworthy, especially for a sitcom. Refusing to shortchange the fallout, the episode focuses on Ross and Rachel’s excruciatingly realistic, slow-burn breakup fight, giving it the time and weight it deserves. The drama is deftly balanced by the other four, who are stuck in Monica’s room during the fight and turn to eating organic leg wax. And while we didn’t know it then during the painful heartbreak, this was when one of the show’s most iconic lines was born: “We were on a break!”
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21. THE ONE WITH ALL THE POKER (S. 1, E. 18)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Inspired by the cast’s real-life poker games (encouraged by director James Burrows), this is basically a bottle episode, in which the girls try to learn and beat the guys at poker. There’s lots of great lines (Phoebe: “You know what I just realized? ‘Joker’ is ‘poker’ with a ‘j.’ Coincidence?” Chandler: “Hey, that’s ‘joincidence’ with a ‘c’!”) and everyone’s competitive sides rear their heads. (Surprisingly, Monica is not the most competitive one here, but that’s because they hadn’t established that trait for her yet.) Things get particularly heated between Ross and Rachel, but he ultimately folds to let his longtime crush, who just found out she didn’t get a job, win. It’s the first time you truly get a sense of how much he likes her.
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20. THE ONE WITH ROSS’S WEDDING, PARTS 1 AND 2 (S. 4, E. 23-24)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. No one could do a season finale cliffhanger like “Friends” did, and its biggest one of all came in the London-set Season 4 closer, when Ross utters those immortal four words during his vows to Emily: “I take thee, Rachel.” That nearly makes you forget the two-parter’s other big shocker: Monica sleeping with Chandler (“Do you think he knew I was here?”), setting up an unexpectedly perfect romance within the group.
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19. THE ONE WITH ALL THE CHEESECAKES (S. 7, E. 11)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Rachel and Chandler was such an underrated pairing on the show, but the few stories they did have together, they completely crushed it. Here, a cheesecake from Mama’s Little Bakery gets delivered to Chandler’s by mistake, and he and Rachel just can’t quit eating it. Or stealing a new one to eat it. The final scene of Joey pulling a fork out of his jacket to eat cheesecake off the floor with them remains one of the show’s best gags. And really, all we wanted was cheesecake after this.
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18. THE ONE WHERE ROSS IS FINE (S. 10, E. 2)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Ross is everyone’s least favorite friend. That’s just a fact. But he’s the best friend (pun fully intended) when he becomes a human disaster and goes completely off the rails, which was something the show tapped into in the back half of its run. Joey and Rachel are dating, and Ross is totally not fine about it, despite what he says. David Schwimmer is Emmy-worthy here as he fully commits to the absurdity of Ross’ actions (getting progressively smashed, carrying a burning plate of FAJITAS without oven mitts) without losing sight of Ross’ pain and pathos underneath the ridiculousness. Meanwhile, Chandler pulls a double whammy of accidentally telling a kid he’s adopted and that Santa’s not real.
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17. THE ONE ON THE LAST NIGHT (S. 6, E. 6)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. “Friends” wasn’t afraid to shake things up, and things were a-changin’ when Monica and Chandler decided to move in together, meaning Rachel has to move out. This episode takes place on the night before the move, when emotions are running high. Phoebe’s advice to Monica and Rachel to name things they won’t miss about each other turns into them complaining about each other and a fight over candlesticks, while Chandler tries to give Joey rent money by inventing a game called Cups. It’s a funny and ultimately sweet installment that honors what is truly the “end of an era” in the show’s run.
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16. THE ONE IN VEGAS, PARTS 1 AND 2 (S. 5, E. 23-24)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Four of “Friends”’ 10 season finales included weddings, but none was more shocking that this one. Chandler and Monica decide to have a shotgun wedding when they’re in Vegas even though neither is really sure about it. But they are beaten to the altar by none other than a super drunk Ross and Rachel, adding another twist to their already complicated relationship. In hindsight, we should’ve seen it coming, but the episode is wall-to-wall packed with hilarious stories between Ross and Rachel drawing on each other, Chandler feeling threatened by Richard, Phoebe’s slot machine lurker and Joey’s hand twin that the reveal is feels both shocking and rewarding.
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15. THE ONE WITH THE FOOTBALL (S. 3, E. 9)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. “Friends”’ Thanksgiving episodes are legendary, and this one gives us various forms of competition through a game of touch football. There’s Chandler and Joey dueling over a Dutch woman, the football game itself between the guys and the girls, and Ross and Monica’s always absurd sibling rivalry. Taking the group outside of the usual setting of Monica’s apartment was a smart, refreshing choice. Plus, the Geller Cup being a troll doll nailed to a 2-by-4 would be something Ross and Monica would fight over.
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14. THE ONE WITH THE VIDEOTAPE (S. 8, E. 4)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Videotapes (remember those?) are a huge part of Ross and Rachel’s relationship. After Rachel tells Ross he’s the father of her baby, they argue over who came onto whom before he reveals he had inadvertently taped their fateful hookup. This is one of those episodes where all the various threads — Chandler and Monica being given a fake number by their new honeymoon friends, Joey’s Barcelona pick-up story — come together gloriously by the end. Because it was Rachel who came onto Ross using Joey’s Barcelona story that she got from Phoebe, who heard it from her friend Irene, who heard it from Ken Adams, aka Joey.
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13. THE ONE WITH THE PROPOSAL, PARTS 1 AND 2 (S. 6, E. 23-24)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. This episode has everything. Ross finally ends his “frowned upon” relationship with his student, Elizabeth. Joey doesn’t understand auctions and buys a boat, Mr. Beaumont. Phoebe imbibing all the alcohol at said auction because the more she drinks, “the less there is for the kids to drink.” Rachel tries to lock in Ross as her backup husband if they’re still single at 40. Richard returns and declares his love for Monica, throwing a wrench into Chandler’s plan to propose. His plan to throw her off the scent seemingly derails their whole relationship — until he opens the door to a candlelit apartment with Monica waiting for him. Try and watch that pitch-perfect proposal without getting misty-eyed.
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12. THE ONE WITH ALL THE RESOLUTIONS (S. 5, E. 11)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. This is yet another peak David Schwimmer episode, in which he’s more than happy to look like a complete idiot. Ross’ New Year’s resolution to do something new every day leads to the Great Leather Pants Incident of 1999. Hot and sweaty, he can’t put the shrunken pants back on in his date’s bathroom, and on Joey’s advice, ends up with his legs covered in a sticky mix of powder and lotion. “You can make yourself a pair of paste pants,” Joey says, introducing “paste pants” into our lexicon. The episode’s other big moment has Rachel finally discovering Chandler and Monica’s secret relationship, sparking one of the show’s best arcs.
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11. THE ONE WITH CHANDLER IN A BOX (S. 4, E. 8)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Chandler must atone for his sin: kissing Joey’s girlfriend Kathy. So Joey makes him stay in a box on Thanksgiving to “do some thinking.” It’s a great gag, thanks to, well, the large box itself and Chandler’s quips (“The meaning of the box is three-fold”), and it culminates in a heartwarming moment when Kathy tells the box/Chandler that she’s leaving town because she doesn’t want to come between two best friends. Have you ever seen anything sadder than Chandler’s finger waving bye-bye to her? That’s enough for Joey to let bygones be bygones and give them his blessing. And then there’s Monica, who gets in one of the best lines after everyone mocks her for inviting Richard’s son, Tim, over for dinner: “Judge all you want to, but married a lesbian, left a man at the altar, fell in love with a gay ice dancer, threw a girl’s wooden leg in a fire, live in a box!”
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10. THE ONE WITH THE JELLYFISH (S. 4, E. 1)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. This is arguably “Friends”’ best season premiere and where “We were on a break!” really took off as an iconic line. After Ross chooses Rachel over Bonnie, Rachel writes Ross a letter setting some terms before they officially get back together. He never finishes it because she “rambled on for 18 pages — front and back!” The final scene is just firing on all cylinders between Ross and Rachel’s fight, and Joey, Chandler and Monica recounting their traumatizing experience on the beach, when Joey tried to and Chandler finally did pee on Monica to relieve her jellyfish sting. It’s the first hint of Mondler and a reminder of what a great friend Joey is. Because if he had to, he’d pee on any one of you.
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9. THE ONE WITH UNAGI (S. 6, E. 17)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Ah, salmon skin roll. This is one of those non-big event episodes where every storyline just works. Anytime the show leans into Ross’ goofy arrogance, you know you’re getting something good. In this case, it’s unagi, a “state of total awareness” Ross tries to teach Phoebe and Rachel by surprise-attacking them. But they get the last laugh when they jump out from behind curtains, forcing a scream to come out Ross’ mouth that only dogs could hear. Then there’s Joey, who recruits Carl (“Damnit, Carl!”), a man who looks nothing like him, to be his identical twin for a paid medical study, and Chandler re-gifting a mixtape to Monica for Valentine’s Day… that has Janice’s voice on it. Oh. My. God.
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8. THE ONE WITH ALL THE THANKSGIVINGS (S. 5, E. 8)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. “Friends” combines two of its favorite things into one here: flashbacks — especially those to Ross, Monica, Chandler and Rachel’s teen years — and Thanksgiving episodes. We get a bevy of flashbacks as the group recounts their worst Thanksgivings ever, shedding new light on Chandler and Monica’s relationship, which is still on the down-low. He rejected her and mocked her weight way back then, which encouraged her to lose weight the following year, when she accidentally chopped off the tip of his pinky toe. A flashback sight gag of a turkey on Joey’s head pays off with Monica donning one to apologize to Chandler, who reflexively says those three big words, “I love you.” It was such a “Friends” way to handle such a big moment in their relationship and a signal that yes, the show is taking this relationship seriously.
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7. THE ONE WITH THE COP (S. 5, E. 16)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. This episode requires one word and one word only: PIVOT! If you’ve moved large pieces of furniture in the last 20 years and didn’t yell “PIVOT!”, you’re doing it wrong. Even Courteney Cox is doing it in 2019. The best thing about that scene is that you know the writers and producers just probably thought it’d be funny to see Ross, Chandler and Rachel struggle carrying a couch up the stairs, not that “PIVOT!” would become one of the show’s most famous lines. A huge part of that is due to David Schwimmer’s absolutely hysterical line reading of the word. He makes each plea sound different and more desperate than the last, stretching vowels into tones that sound like birds squawking.
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6. THE ONE WITH THE BLACKOUT (S. 1, E. 7)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. There comes a point in every successful show’s first season where everything comes together for the first truly great episode. This was that for “Friends” (it’s also Courteney Cox’s favorite). A city-wide blackout leaves five of them stuck in Monica’s apartment, where Ross is hilariously attacked by a cat, which turns out to be owned by that crap weasel Paolo. Meanwhile, Chandler futilely tries to play it cool when he’s trapped in an ATM vestibule (or is it an atrium?) with Jill Goodacre, producing some of the show’s most classic lines, like “Gum would be perfection.” And you know you can still hear Chandler’s muffled “I’m trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre!” in your head.
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5. THE ONE WHERE ROSS GOT HIGH (S. 6, E. 9)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Hands down the best of the Thanksgiving outings, this installment finds Chandler trying to get in Jack and Judy’s good graces now that he’s living with Monica. Problem: They hate him because Ross told them Chandler, not him, was smoking pot in college. All the while, Rachel is making her infamous accidental beef trifle that tastes like feet (David Schwimmer’s high-pitched squeal on “feet” is aces). It all builds to a side-splitting round of yelling secrets, which was indeed “a lot of information to get in 30 seconds.”
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4. THE ONE WITH THE PROM VIDEO (S. 2, E. 14)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. There can be a lot of pressure on shows to finally put together their “Will they? Won’t they?” couple, and “Friends” offers a prime example of how to do it superbly, tying together the past and the present. An old prom video reveals that Ross had slapped on a suit to take Rachel to the prom after her date, Chip, was MIA, only for Chip to show up at the last minute and leave a smitten Ross devastated. Seeing this, Rachel forgives him for that ridiculous pros and cons list about whether he should be with her, and they kiss. “See? He’s her lobster,” Phoebe says, giving us a new term for soul mate. The prom video is the first time we see Ross, Rachel and Fat Monica as teens, a well the show will repeatedly return to over the years.
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3. THE ONE WHERE NO ONE’S READY (S. 3, E. 2)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. One of the greatest bottle episodes in TV history, this one also unfolds in real time, with Ross impatiently waiting for everyone to get ready for some black-tie dinosaur function. The best “Friends” episodes focus solely on the core six spending time together and this installment has that and then some, chock-full of priceless gags and riffs. Everyone has a killer moment to shine, from Monica’s voicemail shenanigans to Joey and Chandler’s feud over a chair (“The cushions are the essence of the chair!”) that results in Joey exacting the most insane yet perfect revenge: “Look at me, I’m Chandler. “Could I be wearing any more clothes? Maybe if I wasn’t going commando.”
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2. THE ONE WHERE EVERYBODY FINDS OUT (S. 5, E. 14)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Everybody was going to find out about Chandler and Monica’s covert romance eventually, so let’s have some fun with it. After seeing them get it on up against a window (“My eyes! My eyes!”), Phoebe uses the strongest tool at her disposal – her sexuality – to seduce Chandler. But then the messers become the messees, and we are treated to a hysterical game of one-upmanship between Phoebe and Rachel, and Chandler and Monica (“They don’t know that we know they know we know”). Chandler and Phoebe’s faux date is for the ages (“So this is my bra”) before Chandler gives in and tells everyone he’s in love with Monica. This was the second episode Lisa Kudrow submitted for the Emmys, along with “The One Hundredth,” and yup, we still can’t believe she lost with this potent 1-2 combo.
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1. THE ONE WITH THE EMBRYOS (S. 4, E. 12)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Just a stone-cold classic. The episode, which co-creator Marta Kauffman says “embodies the series,” takes its title from Phoebe’s in vitro fertilization storyline, but it’s remembered for that iconic trivia game between the guys and the girls, hosted by Ross. Every ridiculous factoid revealed is not only hilarious but feels real (Rachel’s real favorite movie being “Weekend at Bernies,” Chandler first touching a girl’s breast at 19), and you’re sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the next question and answer. There are some all-time great jokes (Miss Chanandler Bong, transponster) — and the stakes escalate to a bet over Monica’s apartment. The genius of the episode lies in two things: The writers and producers’ guts to actually go through with the apartment switch after the guys win (another example of the show willing to take risks and switch things up), and the marriage of funny (the game) and heartfelt (Phoebe’s speech to the teeny embryos and pregnancy announcement), which was always what “Friends” did best. We love and care about these characters, and no episode tapped more into that affection and investment than this one.
