Friends is easily one of the most popular and beloved sitcoms of all time. The amount of iconic lines and jokes that have come from the show in its ten-season run is endless. While the first season of Friends was released in 1994 and the final episode aired in 2004, the show is just as popular, almost twenty years later, and continues to reach new audiences due to streaming platforms such as Netflix and HBO Max. Many things about this group of friends were so relatable and have given people around the world so much comfort. The true gift about Friends is that, while watching, you can’t help but feel as though Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, and Ross really are your friends.
In 2021, the cast of Friends Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer reunited on the Warner Brothers set for the hour-and-forty-minute HBO Max reunion special titled Friends: The Reunion. This special reunion was filled with the cast reminiscing on their time filming the show, sharing behind the scenes stories that have never been released, and they even recreated a few of their most iconic scenes. The impact Friends has had on millions of lives is countless, and its legacy is timeless. Here is where every season of the show ranks.
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10 Season 9
Season 9 of Friends is by no means bad, but compared to all the shows other seasons this one doesn’t compare. The characters are still as funny as ever, but at times the plot points tend to feel uncomfortable and forced. One of these awkward moments is the relationship that Joey and Rachel had been developing since season 8 and peaked in season 9. There are Rachel and Joey shippers out there, but the consensus from viewers was that the relationship just doesn’t make sense and the two are infinitely better as friends.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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9 Season 1
Friends first aired September 1994 and was an instant hit. The first season consists of twenty-four episodes that are just under thirty minutes in length and introduce us to the group of six main characters we all know and love. The only reason why season 1 is ranked lower on our list is because we are still just getting to meet Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, and Ross. As viewers fall in love with the characters and their backstory develops, we are able to relate to them more and become invested in their lives.
8 Season 7
Season 7 mainly focuses on Monica and Chandler planning their wedding and everything the friends need to do leading up to the big day. From bad engagement photos to discovering Monica’s parents spent all the money they were saving for her wedding on a beach house, the wedding preparation makes for hilarious episodes. The season finale ends with the happy couple finally up at the altar with all their friends and family there to support them.
7 Season 10
Coming in at number seven on the list is season 10. Released in 2004 this is arguably the saddest season of the show due to the fact that it’s the last. We see all six friends begin to move on from their New York City lifestyle and start the next chapter of their life: Monica and Chandler become parents, Phoebe gets married, and Rachel makes the decision to move to Paris before rekindling her relationship with Ross. The season 10 finale is heartbreaking, but we know their bond is unbreakable, and they’ll always still be friends.
6 Season 2
Season 2 is when Friends was really propelled into stardom. This season is just as funny as season one, but we have a better understanding of who the characters are at this point which made audiences more invested. One of the major conflicts the friends face is welcoming Ross’s new girlfriend Julie into the group after all rooting for Ross and Rachel to get together. Eventually Ross and Rachel do find their way to one another, but things go south when Ross makes a list of the pros and cons about dating Rachel.
5 Season 8
Friends is known for having great celebrity cameos from Reese Witherspoon, Charlie Sheen, Bruce Willis, Ben Stiller and Robin Williams—the list of talented actors who have made a quick appearance on the sitcom is endless. Perhaps the best cameo though was Brad Pitt’s small part in season 8 of the show. Pitt who was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time played Will Colbert, one of Ross’s high school friends who had a raging hatred for Rachel. This episode is hilarious just like the entirety of season 8.
4 Season 4
One of the highlights of season 4 is the love triangle between Joey, Chandler, and Kathy (played by Paget Brewster). When Joey begins to date Kathy, Chandler quickly realizes he has feelings for her as well. Even though Chandler feels awful about having romantic feelings towards his best friend’s girlfriend, he ends up kissing her one night anyway. Friends does a great job of mixing comedy with intense and dramatic moments, and this altercation is a perfect example of that.
3 Season 6
In this season, Ross and Rachel find themselves in an awkward situation when Ross begins to date a student of his and Rachel begins to date the student’s father. This scenario that goes on for a few episodes of the season is uncomfortable yet hysterical. Another major event that is responsible for the excitement surrounding season 6 is that Chandler decides he is going to ask Monica to marry him. He spends an episode going ring-shopping with Phoebe and finally builds up the courage to propose, only to have Monica’s ex-boyfriend Richard come back in the picture at the same time.
2 Season 5
This season was released at the height of Friends’ popularity and marks the halfway point in the series. The season starts off with Ross saying the wrong name at the altar during his wedding. After ruining his marriage with Emily the friends discover that Monica and Chandler had been secretly seeing each other since their trip to London. We also get one of the best Thanksgiving episodes ever in season 5, The One with the Thanksgiving Flashbacks.
1 Season 3
Coming in at number one on the list of every season of Friends ranked is season 3. With some of the funniest and most entertaining episodes of the entire series, all twenty-five episodes of season 3 are amazing. From the hysterical football game the group plays on Thanksgiving to their trip to Phoebe’s friend’s beach house, the storylines are great. We see Ross and Rachel start to show feelings for one another again, and Monica and Chandler foreshadow their relationship in the near future after Chandler asks her if she would ever consider dating him. Even though Season 3 is the best in our opinion, every season of Friends is a must-watch.
