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Friends Characters
Friends follows six twentysomethings in Manhattan through love, work, and a lot of coffee at Central Perk.
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- NBC
- Original run
- 1994 to 2004
- Guides
- 11
- Lead
- Ensemble cast
Friends follows six friends navigating their twenties and thirties in New York City: Rachel Green, who arrives in a wedding dress after leaving her fiance at the altar; paleontologist Ross Geller and his perfectionist sister Monica, a chef; sarcastic Chandler Bing; aspiring actor Joey Tribbiani; and free-spirited musician and masseuse Phoebe Buffay.
Most episodes happen in two apartments across the hall from each other and at Central Perk, the coffee house managed by the quietly lovestruck Gunther. Recurring faces like Janice, Mike Hannigan, Richard Burke, and Carol Willick drop in to complicate the gang's love lives.
Friends ran for ten seasons on NBC, and nearly all of its episode titles begin with "The One." It became one of the most watched and most rewatched sitcoms ever made.
New to the show, or planning a rewatch? Start with the essential Friends episodes, led by the 15 that matter to more than one character. Already a superfan? Try the 30-question Friends trivia quiz.
Friends main cast(6)
- Chandler BingMain castPlayed by Matthew PerryThe sarcastic, self-deprecating wisecracker of Friends, a commitment-phobic office worker who uses jokes as armor, shares an apartment with Joey…
- Joey TribbianiMain castPlayed by Matt LeBlancThe sweet, food-loving, not-so-bright struggling actor of Friends, a ladies' man from a big Italian American family who lands a soap opera role and…
- Monica GellerMain castPlayed by Courteney CoxThe fiercely competitive, neat-freak chef whose Greenwich Village apartment is the gang's home base, and whose surprise romance with Chandler Bing…
- Phoebe BuffayMain castPlayed by Lisa KudrowThe quirky, free-spirited masseuse and singer-songwriter of Friends, who survived a rough childhood on the streets of New York with her optimism…
- Rachel GreenMain castPlayed by Jennifer AnistonThe former daddy's girl who runs out on her wedding, waits tables at Central Perk, builds a career in fashion…
- Ross GellerMain castPlayed by David SchwimmerMonica's nerdy, lovable older brother, a dinosaur-obsessed paleontologist with three divorces, two kids, and a lifelong crush on Rachel Green that…
Friends side characters(5)
Recurring characters who were never part of the main cast. See side characters from every show.
- GuntherSide characterPlayed by James Michael TylerThe bleach-blond, deadpan manager of Central Perk, who serves the gang their coffee for ten seasons while quietly nursing an unrequited crush on…
- JaniceSide characterPlayed by Maggie WheelerChandler's loud, nasal, impossible-to-shake ex-girlfriend, famous for her machine-gun laugh and her trademark greeting…
- Mike HanniganSide characterPlayed by Paul RuddThe easygoing former lawyer turned piano player who meets Phoebe Buffay on a last-minute blind date arranged by Joey and becomes the man she marries…
- Carol WillickSide characterPlayed by Anita Barone and Jane SibbettRoss Geller's first wife, who leaves him after realizing she is a lesbian, then has his son, Ben, and raises him with her partner, Susan…
- Richard BurkeSide characterPlayed by Tom SelleckThe handsome, mustached ophthalmologist and old friend of the Geller family who falls for Monica despite their 21-year age gap…
Friends couples and catchphrases
See how they compare with the best sitcom couples from every show, or find all 5 Friends catchphrases in our list of famous sitcom catchphrases.
Think you know Friends? Today's mystery character could be from any of our 34 shows.
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