Advertisement
Dublin: 9 °C Friday 29 March, 2024
the six

A definitive ranking of the main characters in Friends

Scientific.

friendscover

THEY MIGHT NOT be doing any actual episodes, but the very fact that the cast of Friends will all be appearing on a documentary-style special next month has got everyone excited.

Now, with the fullness of time to appreciate their merits, we can sit down and take a cold, hard look at the worst and the best characters.

So, in descending order of quality:

6. Phoebe

tumblr_inline_nbpccggtPa1qbza03 Tumblr Tumblr

Simple.

Phoebe is the worst Friend by a country mile. First up, her quirkiness is not funny:

4e41a5b9485fdfd1a9ea3ac6a754ccfa

Ever:

tumblr_mav4x5YJbo1rda5z6o1_500 Tumblr Tumblr

NO.

Throughout the series, those quirks start taking a turn for the worse – and Phoebe just straight up becomes unhinged, a bad friend and desperately unfunny:

tumblr_mbwi5g4xpZ1re9hfvo1_500 Tumblr Tumblr

So now:

No, it’s not.

The world sighs when Phoebe comes on screen. Closely followed by…

5. Ross

Ross has his fine moments – the pivot scene, the flirting scene, the moistmaker – so in the sense that he can make you laugh he’s already streets  ahead of Phoebe.

sandwich Tumblr Tumblr

But you can’t ignore some DEEPLY disturbing facts about Ross.

Exhibit A:

He fancied his cousin.

5486182_std Flixster Flixster

Exhibit B:

He seeks out expert help to attack his own friends. 

hqdefault Ytimg Ytimg

The definition of a bad friend there.

And finally, Exhibit C:

He said the WRONG NAME at the altar. 

FRIENDS-10-b Popxo Popxo

Ah here, Ross.

It might be close, but the whole world agrees that both Phoebe and Ross belong together at the bottom of the Friends pile.

4. Joey

Joey might not be the most sophisticated Friend, but he’s still somebody you fundamentally root for the whole way through.

He has that lovable quality that Phoebe and Ross can only dream of:

Two key issues stick out that prevent Joey soaring near the top of the list, though:

  • The Joey and Rachel storyline was a car crash that should never be spoken of again
  • They made him mind-numbingly stupid by the end of show, to the point that it was embarrassing to think of him as a fully functioning adult

Enter Joey “unable to pronounce syllables” Tribbiani:

nx3bVEQ Imgur Imgur

3. Monica

98971bb0-e9b4-0131-6d32-0aa0f90d87b4 Imgix Imgix

In terms of actually wanting to be friends with her, Monica might be low down the list of many. But in terms of ‘characters that don’t make you lose the will to live’, she’s flying high.

And, Monica’s one-liners rival the more famous characters for pure gag quality:

aaf25e77181f6a041272c7dddc8d2421

Not only that, but when she got with Chandler it actually worked – unlike the Joey and Rachel debacle of more recent times.

2. Chandler

Early Chandler – one of the wittiest characters in TV history:

Chandler-chandler-bing-32214151-500-375 Fanpop Fanpop

Later Chandler - meh:

965f5af0-08c9-0132-7063-0add9426c766 Imgix Imgix

But those early pre-Monica days of wit secure him as the second best character in Friends history – with many having him up there as the very best:

His jokes might have got worse, but you’re always willing him to succeed – and his relationship with Monica is damn cute.

1. Rachel

famous-quotes-of-Rachel-1 Celebrityandmodels Celebrityandmodels

The real reason Rachel pips Chandler to the post is consistency. From the early episodes right up to the finale, Rachel was absolutely gas:

0c45a90ef967017ff900624458e6f6e5 Pinterest Pinterest

Yes, the one character that maintains her funny throughout is Rachel Green – and her family members introduce some of the best cameo appearances the series offers.

Her style never hit the low of Chandler’s oversized shirts either:

Bonus points for putting up with Ross for all those years as well.

And, let’s face it, they were the best couple in the whole show:

So now, the scientific ranking is complete: in your opinion, who was the best and worst Friend? And why?

Your Voice
Readers Comments
18
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.