Sitcomdle

Episode guide

Essential Friends Episodes

NBC, 1994 to 2004

Our 11 character guides for Friends point to 42 key episodes across 10 seasons. Of those, 15 turn up in two or more guides, so they come first, followed by every episode in air order.

Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.

The essentials(15)

Episodes that matter to more than one character, the most shared first.

  1. Season 3, Episode 16

    "The One with the Morning After"

    In 3 guides
    • Rachel Green: Rachel learns Ross slept with someone else during their break and ends the relationship.
    • Ross Geller: Rachel discovers Ross slept with someone during their break and ends the relationship.
    • Gunther: Gunther lets Rachel know that Ross slept with someone else during their break.

  2. Season 4, Episode 12

    "The One with the Embryos"

    In 3 guides
    • Chandler Bing: Chandler and Joey beat Monica and Rachel in a trivia contest and win their apartment.
    • Joey Tribbiani: Joey and Chandler win Monica and Rachel's apartment in a trivia game.
    • Phoebe Buffay: Phoebe has embryos implanted to carry her brother's babies.

  3. Season 4, Episode 23

    "The One with Ross' Wedding"

    In 3 guides
    • Chandler Bing: Chandler and Monica spend the night together in London.
    • Monica Geller: Monica and Chandler spend the night together in London, starting their secret relationship.
    • Ross Geller: Ross says Rachel's name instead of Emily's while taking his wedding vows in London.

  4. Season 6, Episode 24

    "The One with the Proposal"

    In 3 guides
    • Chandler Bing: Chandler's plan to surprise Monica nearly backfires before they get engaged.
    • Monica Geller: Monica tries to propose to Chandler by candlelight, and he finishes the proposal for her.
    • Richard Burke: Richard tells Monica he still loves her, then urges Chandler to go after her.

  5. Season 10, Episode 17

    "The Last One"

    In 3 guides
    • Rachel Green: Rachel gets off the plane to Paris and chooses a future with Ross.
    • Ross Geller: Ross races to the airport to tell Rachel he loves her before she leaves for Paris.
    • Gunther: Gunther finally confesses his love for Rachel before she leaves for Paris.

  6. Season 1, Episode 2

    "The One with the Sonogram at the End"

    In 2 guides
    • Gunther: Gunther first appears behind the counter at Central Perk as a background character.
    • Carol Willick: Carol tells Ross she is pregnant with his child and will raise the baby with Susan.

  7. Season 2, Episode 7

    "The One Where Ross Finds Out"

    In 2 guides
    • Rachel Green: Ross hears Rachel's drunken voicemail admitting she has feelings for him, and the two share their first kiss at Central Perk.
    • Ross Geller: Ross learns that Rachel has feelings for him, and they finally kiss.

  8. Season 2, Episode 15

    "The One Where Ross and Rachel...You Know"

    In 2 guides
    • Monica Geller: Monica caters a party for Dr. Richard Burke, and the two fall for each other.
    • Richard Burke: Monica caters a party for Richard, and the two start dating.

  9. Season 2, Episode 24

    "The One with Barry and Mindy's Wedding"

    In 2 guides
    • Janice: Chandler's mystery online date turns out to be Janice.
    • Richard Burke: Richard and Monica break up over whether to have children.

  10. Season 3, Episode 10

    "The One Where Rachel Quits"

    In 2 guides
    • Rachel Green: Rachel quits waiting tables at Central Perk to chase a career in fashion.
    • Gunther: Gunther tells Rachel she needs retraining, and she quits to pursue fashion.

  11. Season 5, Episode 14

    "The One Where Everybody Finds Out"

    In 2 guides
    • Chandler Bing: Phoebe flirts with Chandler to force a confession, and the standoff ends with him admitting he loves Monica.
    • Monica Geller: The rest of the group discovers Monica and Chandler's relationship.

  12. Season 7, Episode 23

    "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding"

    In 2 guides
    • Chandler Bing: Chandler gets cold feet but makes it down the aisle to marry Monica.
    • Monica Geller: Monica and Chandler get married despite a runaway groom scare.

  13. Season 8, Episode 23

    "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby"

    In 2 guides
    • Rachel Green: Rachel gives birth to Emma after a long labor, the episode that won Aniston her Emmy.
    • Janice: Janice shares Rachel's labor room and gives birth to a son.

  14. Season 9, Episode 3

    "The One with the Pediatrician"

    In 2 guides
    • Phoebe Buffay: Joey's improvised blind date for Phoebe turns out to be Mike Hannigan.
    • Mike Hannigan: Joey's improvised blind date for Phoebe turns out to be Mike.

  15. Season 10, Episode 12

    "The One with Phoebe's Wedding"

    In 2 guides
    • Phoebe Buffay: Phoebe and Mike marry in the snow, with Joey officiating.
    • Mike Hannigan: Mike and Phoebe marry in the snow with Joey officiating.

Every key episode by season(42)

Season 1(4 episodes)

  1. Season 1, Episode 1

    "Pilot"

    • Rachel Green: Rachel runs out on her wedding to Barry and moves in with Monica.

  2. Season 1, Episode 2

    "The One with the Sonogram at the End"

    An essential, in the guides for Gunther and Carol Willick. Read the notes

  3. Season 1, Episode 5

    "The One with the East German Laundry Detergent"

    • Janice: Janice debuts as Chandler struggles to break up with her and needs Phoebe's help.

  4. Season 1, Episode 23

    "The One with the Birth"

    • Carol Willick: Carol gives birth to Ben while Ross and Susan learn to get along.

Season 2(8 episodes)

  1. Season 2, Episode 6

    "The One with the Baby on the Bus"

    • Phoebe Buffay: Phoebe loses her Central Perk gig to a professional singer and debuts "Smelly Cat."

  2. Season 2, Episode 7

    "The One Where Ross Finds Out"

    An essential, in the guides for Rachel Green and Ross Geller. Read the notes

  3. Season 2, Episode 10

    "The One with Russ"

    • Joey Tribbiani: Joey lands the role of Dr. Drake Ramoray on Days of Our Lives.

  4. Season 2, Episode 11

    "The One with the Lesbian Wedding"

    • Carol Willick: Ross encourages Carol to marry Susan despite her parents' refusal to attend.

  5. Season 2, Episode 15

    "The One Where Ross and Rachel...You Know"

    An essential, in the guides for Monica Geller and Richard Burke. Read the notes

  6. Season 2, Episode 16

    "The One Where Joey Moves Out"

    • Richard Burke: Monica and Richard struggle to tell her parents about their relationship.

  7. Season 2, Episode 18

    "The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies"

    • Joey Tribbiani: Joey brags that he writes his own lines, and the show's writers kill off his character.

  8. Season 2, Episode 24

    "The One with Barry and Mindy's Wedding"

    An essential, in the guides for Janice and Richard Burke. Read the notes

Season 3(5 episodes)

  1. Season 3, Episode 5

    "The One with Frank Jr."

    • Phoebe Buffay: Phoebe spends time with her newfound half-brother, Frank Jr.

  2. Season 3, Episode 8

    "The One with the Giant Poking Device"

    • Janice: Chandler ends things with Janice after learning she kissed her ex-husband.

  3. Season 3, Episode 10

    "The One Where Rachel Quits"

    An essential, in the guides for Rachel Green and Gunther. Read the notes

  4. Season 3, Episode 13

    "The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends"

    • Richard Burke: Monica and Richard try being friends again and quickly fall back together.

  5. Season 3, Episode 16

    "The One with the Morning After"

    An essential, in the guides for Rachel Green, Ross Geller, and Gunther. Read the notes

Season 4(4 episodes)

  1. Season 4, Episode 8

    "The One with Chandler in a Box"

    • Chandler Bing: Chandler spends Thanksgiving in a crate to earn Joey's forgiveness for kissing Kathy.

  2. Season 4, Episode 12

    "The One with the Embryos"

    An essential, in the guides for Chandler Bing, Joey Tribbiani, and Phoebe Buffay. Read the notes

  3. Season 4, Episode 15

    "The One with All the Rugby"

    • Janice: Chandler tells Janice he is being transferred to Yemen to avoid her, and she insists on seeing him off at the airport.

  4. Season 4, Episode 23

    "The One with Ross' Wedding"

    An essential, in the guides for Chandler Bing, Monica Geller, and Ross Geller. Read the notes

Season 5(6 episodes)

  1. Season 5, Episode 3

    "The One Hundredth"

    • Phoebe Buffay: Phoebe gives birth to Frank Jr. and Alice's triplets.

  2. Season 5, Episode 8

    "The One with the Thanksgiving Flashbacks"

    • Monica Geller: Thanksgiving flashbacks reveal how a teenage Monica first met Chandler and why she wanted to lose weight.

  3. Season 5, Episode 14

    "The One Where Everybody Finds Out"

    An essential, in the guides for Chandler Bing and Monica Geller. Read the notes

  4. Season 5, Episode 16

    "The One with the Cop"

    • Ross Geller: Ross tries to carry a new couch up the stairs without paying for delivery, with famously bad results.

  5. Season 5, Episode 21

    "The One with the Ball"

    • Gunther: Rachel unloads her hairless cat on Gunther and turns a profit.

  6. Season 5, Episode 23

    "The One in Vegas"

    • Ross Geller: A drunken night in Las Vegas ends with Ross and Rachel married.

Season 6(3 episodes)

  1. Season 6, Episode 12

    "The One with the Joke"

    • Gunther: Gunther fires Joey from his waiter job after Joey closes the shop for an audition.

  2. Season 6, Episode 15

    "The One That Could Have Been"

    • Carol Willick: An alternate reality imagines Ross and Carol still married.

  3. Season 6, Episode 24

    "The One with the Proposal"

    An essential, in the guides for Chandler Bing, Monica Geller, and Richard Burke. Read the notes

Season 7(3 episodes)

  1. Season 7, Episode 15

    "The One with Joey's New Brain"

    • Joey Tribbiani: Drake Ramoray is set to come out of his coma with a new brain, putting Joey back on the soap.

  2. Season 7, Episode 16

    "The One with the Truth About London"

  3. Season 7, Episode 23

    "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding"

    An essential, in the guides for Chandler Bing and Monica Geller. Read the notes

Season 8(2 episodes)

  1. Season 8, Episode 16

    "The One Where Joey Tells Rachel"

    • Joey Tribbiani: Joey confesses his feelings to Rachel, who gently tells him she does not feel the same.

  2. Season 8, Episode 23

    "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby"

    An essential, in the guides for Rachel Green and Janice. Read the notes

Season 9(3 episodes)

  1. Season 9, Episode 3

    "The One with the Pediatrician"

    An essential, in the guides for Phoebe Buffay and Mike Hannigan. Read the notes

  2. Season 9, Episode 7

    "The One with Ross' Inappropriate Song"

    • Mike Hannigan: Phoebe meets Mike's wealthy, disapproving parents.

  3. Season 9, Episode 23

    "The One in Barbados"

    • Mike Hannigan: Mike flies to Barbados and wins Phoebe back over David.

Season 10(4 episodes)

  1. Season 10, Episode 12

    "The One with Phoebe's Wedding"

    An essential, in the guides for Phoebe Buffay and Mike Hannigan. Read the notes

  2. Season 10, Episode 14

    "The One with Princess Consuela"

    • Mike Hannigan: Mike answers Phoebe's ridiculous new name by changing his own to Crap Bag.

  3. Season 10, Episode 15

    "The One Where Estelle Dies"

    • Janice: Janice considers buying the house next door to Monica and Chandler, and Chandler sets out to stop her.

  4. Season 10, Episode 17

    "The Last One"

    An essential, in the guides for Rachel Green, Ross Geller, and Gunther. Read the notes

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