50 best 'Friends' episodes of all time

- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 4, Episode 7
- Air date: Nov. 13, 1997

When Chandler develops intense feelings for Joey's girlfriend, Kathy (Paget Brewster), he tries to convince Joey to break it off. Phoebe discovers Ross used to play the keyboard in college and persuades him to play his music for the gang. She loves his "sound," but the crowd at Central Perk doesn't agree.

- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 10, Episode 3
- Air date: Oct. 9, 2003

Jealous of Monica's tan, Ross decides to get a spray tan. When he fails to follow the instructions, he winds up many shades darker than he intended. Rachel and Joey try to hook up, but Rachel can't stop slapping him, and Joey can't unhook her bra—something that usually comes naturally to him.

- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 4, Episode 23
- Air date: May 7, 1998

In this two-parter that closed out Season 4, the gang travels to London to see Ross take thee Emily (Helen Baxendale) as his wife. Everything that can go wrong happens leading up to Ross' wedding to Emily, starting with the fact the hall they planned to get married in has been demolished ahead of schedule.

Joey has a lovely day exploring London, but after a call with Phoebe (who was too far along in her pregnancy to fly) and an episode of "Cheers," he becomes incredibly homesick. Meanwhile, in New York, Rachel, who initially RSVP'd no because of her secret feelings for her ex, decides to head to the airport to stop Ross from saying, "I do."

- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Director: Michael Lembeck
- Season 3, Episode 21
- Air date: April 17, 1997

Joey, smitten by a video of baby chicks that he sees on TV, adopts one. When Chandler insists Joey take it back, he adopts a baby duck, too. Monica's ex, Pete (Jon Favreau), offers her a job at his restaurant, but he is still clearly in love with her, and she can't decide whether or not to accept the position.

- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Director: Michael Lembeck
- Season 2, Episode 13
- Air date: Jan. 28, 1996

Ross finds out that his former pet monkey Marcel is the star of a movie filming in New York, and the whole gang goes to the set so the two can reunite. Only Marcel doesn't seem to recognize Ross. Meanwhile, Rachel and Monica lock eyes with Jean-Claude Van Damme and fight over who should ask him out.

- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Director: James Burrows
- Season 1, Episode 23
- Air date: May 11, 1995

The birth in question here is Ben's, the first offspring to join the "Friends" gang. When Ross' ex-wife, Carol (Jane Moore Sibbett), goes into labor, everyone rushes to the hospital. There, Rachel flirts with Carol's doctor (Jonathan Silverman), and Joey spontaneously becomes the birth coach for a woman he meets (played by Leah Remini).

Meanwhile, Ross gets into an argument with Carol's current partner, Susan (Jessica Hecht), and finds himself locked in a janitor's closet with her and Phoebe, who helps them prioritize what matters most. Also, in a bit of foreshadowing, Chandler and Monica make a marriage and baby pact.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 8, Episode 23
- Air date: May 16, 2002

In the first part of the Season 8 finale, Rachel goes into labor and watches in frustration as many of her hospital roommates deliver babies while she's still laboring. To make matters worse, one of these patients is the one and only Janice (Maggie Wheeler), Chandler's (and Ross') ex. Cue the signature, "Oh my god."

Monica and Chandler decide to have a baby while waiting at the hospital—a full-circle moment—and Ross' mom (Christina Pickles) gives him his grandmother's engagement ring to propose to Rachel.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 7, Episode 23
- Air date: May 17, 2001

A few days before Monica and Chandler's wedding, Joey discovers he got the part in a big World War II movie. He's thrilled to meet his famous co-star (played by Gary Oldman) but less than thrilled when the guy keeps spitting in his face during the scene. Seeing his parents (Kathleen Turner and Morgan Fairchild) at the rehearsal dinner proves to be too much for Chandler, who gets cold feet and runs away.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 5, Episode 23
- Air date: May 20, 1999

The gang finds out that Joey's movie in Las Vegas fell through, and he's actually working in a casino as a gladiator. Elated because she had lunch with Richard (Tom Selleck) and didn't feel anything, Monica gives Chandler his anniversary present—two tickets to Las Vegas—a few days early. The whole group decides to tag along.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 9, Episode 8
- Air date: Nov. 21, 2002

Rachel's selfish middle sister Amy (Christina Applegate) shows up for Thanksgiving dinner and causes problems among the gang. She remembers Ross as the guy who was weirdly obsessed with Rachel and Monica as Rachel's overweight friend. Although Amy doesn't congratulate Rachel on Emma's birth and can't remember her niece's name, she insists she should be Emma's godmother.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 7, Episode 6
- Air date: Nov. 9, 2000

Joey and Ross fall asleep on the couch together and wake up cuddling. After agreeing it was the best nap they'd ever had, they make a habit of it. Monica makes Rachel and Phoebe audition to be her maid of honor, with Joey and Ross acting as judges.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 5, Episode 3
- Air date: Oct. 8, 1998

The friends take Phoebe to the hospital after she goes into labor slightly early. Joey starts having sympathetic labor pains that turn out to be kidney stones. Monica freaks out when Chandler says they're not serious and threatens to go on a date with an attractive nurse in retaliation.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Ben Weiss
- Season 10, Episode 2
- Air date: Oct. 2, 2003

Ross doesn't take the news of Joey and Rachel's relationship particularly well and gets drunk at a dinner party with disastrous results. Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler visit friends of Phoebe's who have adopted a child; Chandler accidentally reveals to the child his parents adopted him.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Pamela Fryman
- Season 3, Episode 25
- Air date: May 15, 1997

Phoebe finds out about an old friend of her parents, who is also named Phoebe (Teri Garr) and decides to visit her in Montauk to ask about the past. The friends go with Phoebe for moral support and to enjoy a short beach vacation. Ross' girlfriend Bonnie (Christine Taylor) arrives unexpectedly, making Rachel, who is still in love with Ross, jealous. A heated argument ensues, leading to a kiss between Ross and Rachel. With Bonnie in the next room, Ross must decide who he wants to be with.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Michael Lembeck
- Season 2, Episode 15
- Air date: Feb. 8, 1996

Ross and Rachel go on their first official date but wind up hooking up in an unexpected location when Ross has to run an errand for work. Meanwhile, Monica caters for a party for her parents' friend Richard and falls for him despite a 21-year age gap.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 1, Episode 24
- Air date: May 18, 1995

Joey signs up for a fertility study to make some extra cash. The only catch? He can't have sex during the weeklong study, which hampers his plans with his new girlfriend. Ross leaves for a work trip to China, and right after he goes to the airport, Chandler lets slip that Ross is in love with Rachel—quite the Season 1 cliffhanger.

- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Director: James Burrows
- Season 1, Episode 18
- Air date: March 2, 1995

Rachel is one step away from getting her dream job as an assistant buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue despite some silly mistakes on her resume. Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe demand to join the guys' poker night, claiming it's sexist to exclude them. The women join but lose because they don't understand the rules in one of "Friends" more poorly aged episodes.

- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 8, Episode 24
- Air date: May 16, 2002

After 21 hours of labor, Rachel is finally ready to go to the delivery room. After the birth, Janice visits and freaks Rachel out about being a single mother, inspiring her to speak with Ross about their earlier kiss. Later, Joey comforts Rachel, and she mistakenly thinks he is proposing after he picks up a ring box that fell out of the pocket of Ross' coat.

- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 10, Episode 12
- Air date: Feb. 12, 2004

The "Friends" writers didn't necessarily rush everyone to the altar in the show's 10th and final season, but Phoebe does marry Mike (Paul Rudd) during a blizzard. Throughout the episode, Phoebe fires and rehires militant Monica as her wedding planner, but all plans eventually go out the window due to the weather. Phoebe and Mike decide to say "I do" in the street outside Central Perk. Chandler walks Phoebe down the aisle, Ross walks Mike's dog down, and Joey stands in for the officiant (he got ordained for Monica and Chandler's wedding in Season 7).

- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 10, Episode 16
- Air date: April 29, 2004

Monica throws a going away party for Rachel before she moves to Paris. Rachel pulls each of her friends aside at the party for a heartfelt goodbye—except for Ross. Feeling hurt, Ross storms off. Rachel chases after him and confesses that the reason she couldn't say goodbye is because it's just too hard, and the pair share a romantic kiss.

- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 10, Episode 8
- Air date: Nov. 20, 2003

Monica doesn't want to cook her annual Thanksgiving dinner but relents when Chandler agrees to help. Everyone else arrives late: Rachel and Phoebe entered Emma in a baby beauty pageant with a grand prize of $1,000, and the guys snuck off to a Rangers game.

- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 5, Episode 1
- Air date: Sept. 24, 1998

After Ross accidentally says Rachel's name at the altar instead of Emily's, he tries to repair the relationship, but Emily is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler adopt an "only in London" rule for their new relationship and seek a private place to get some alone time.

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 6, Episode 22
- Air date: May 4, 2000

Ross is dating his student, Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden), but when her dad Paul (Bruce Willis) finds out, he threatens to have Ross fired if he doesn't stop seeing her. Naturally, the threat doesn't deter Ross, and he and Elizabeth head to her family cottage for a getaway. They quickly discover Paul and Rachel, who have also started dating, have the same idea. In another storyline, when Rachel, Phoebe, and Monica come across a gorgeous museum, they all decide to put their names on the waiting list to get married there, which gives Chandler a scare.

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 10, Episode 11
- Air date: Feb. 5, 2004

Rachel and Monica throw Phoebe an elegant bachelorette party but realize that what Phoebe really wants is a stripper—so they call the only one in the phonebook who's available at the last minute: Officer Goodbody (Danny DeVito).

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 5, Episode 2
- Air date: Oct. 1, 1998

Monica and Chandler are still secretly dating, and Chandler accidentally kisses Monica goodbye in front of their friends. To cover it up, Chandler also begins randomly kissing Rachel and Phoebe. Pregnant Phoebe feels left out after the gang keeps referencing the London trip, so they plan a trip to Atlantic City. Before they can leave, the outing gets interrupted by Phoebe's water breaking.

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: Shelley Jensen
- Season 4, Episode 1
- Air date: Sept. 25, 1997

A trip to the beach goes awry when Ross and Rachel get back together, prompting Ross to break up with his girlfriend Bonnie (Christine Taylor). When a jellyfish stings Monica, Chandler pees on her leg while Joey watches, mentally scarring them. Meanwhile, Phoebe has an emotional conversation about her past with her birth mother.

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: Michael Lembeck
- Season 2, Episode 22
- Air date: May 2, 1996

The group decides to throw Rachel a surprise birthday party. The only problem? Rachel's parents want to come but can't stand each other. The friends throw two parties with very different vibes—one in Monica's apartment and one in Joey and Chandler's apartment as they smuggle people back and forth.

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: Peter Bonerz
- Season 2, Episode 7
- Air date: Nov. 9, 1995

Shortly after Rachel realizes she has feelings for him, Ross gets a new girlfriend named Julie (Lauren Tom). Monica sets Rachel up on a blind date—but instead of getting her mind off Ross, she drinks too much, spills her feelings to her date, and leaves Ross a drunken voicemail confessing everything.

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 3, Episode 9
- Air date: Nov. 21, 1996

In another Thanksgiving episode, things get a little off track when the group decides to play a "friendly" game of touch football. However, Monica and Ross' old sibling rivalry soon makes it a much more intense competition.

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: Gail Mancuso
- Season 3, Episode 2
- Air date: Sept. 26, 1996

Ross has invited the entire group to a black-tie event at the museum where he works, but everyone takes their time getting ready. Rachel can't decide what to wear, Phoebe stains her dress with hummus, Monica agonizes over an old voicemail from Richard, and Joey and Chandler get into a childish argument about who had dibs on the chair. The fight births the infamous, "Look at me, I'm Chandler, could I be wearin' any more clothes?" line.

- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Director: James Burrows
- Season 1, Episode 7
- Air date: Nov. 3, 1994

The power goes out across New York City, leaving Chandler trapped in an ATM vestibule with legendary model Jill Goodacre. While he struggles to figure out how to talk to her, the rest of the group gets to know one another better in Monica's apartment. Ross tries to make a move on Rachel on the balcony, but it doesn't go according to plan. He loses his chance after Rachel bumps into a handsome Italian stranger in the hall, Paolo.

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: David Schwimmer
- Season 8, Episode 2
- Air date: Oct. 4, 2001

Rachel reveals that she's pregnant to some of the gang, and they urge her to tell the father. They find a red sweater in Rachel's apartment and think it's a clue to the father's identity. Meanwhile, Ross realizes he lost the disposable cameras containing Monica and Chandler's wedding pictures; he and Chandler try to fake some new photos. At the end of the episode, which David Schwimmer directed, Ross sees the sweater and unknowingly reveals he's Rachel's baby's father by saying he's been looking for it for a month.

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 5, Episode 24
- Air date: May 20, 1999

On their trip to Las Vegas, Monica and Chandler make up after a big fight and hastily decide to get married. But when they head to the chapel, they see a very drunk—and familiar—couple coming out: Mrs. Ross and Mr. Rachel.

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: Joe Regalbuto
- Season 5, Episode 11
- Air date: Jan. 7, 1999

The group tries to keep their New Year's resolutions to disastrous results. Ross wears leather pants on a date to try something new (only to get stuck with them down in his date's bathroom), Rachel tries to stop gossiping, Phoebe teaches Joey how to play the guitar, and Chandler tries to go a whole week without making fun of anyone.

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 5, Episode 9
- Air date: Dec. 10, 1998

Ross makes an epic day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich to take to work, but someone else eats it. He goes ballistic, prompting his boss to put him on sabbatical and send him to anger management therapy. Meanwhile, Joey is annoyed about constantly covering up Monica and Chandler's secret relationship.

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: Peter Bonerz
- Season 4, Episode 8
- Air date: Nov. 20, 1997

After Chandler kisses Joey's girlfriend, Kathy, Chandler will do anything to get his friend's forgiveness—even sit in a wooden crate for several hours on Thanksgiving to think about what he's done. Meanwhile, Monica gets ice in her eye and goes to the on-call eye doctor, who turns out to be Richard's son, Timothy (Michael Vartan).

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 6, Episode 17
- Air date: Feb. 24, 2000

Rachel and Phoebe sign up for a self-defense class, but Ross tells them that everything they learned is useless without knowledge of the Japanese technique of "unagi." The three of them spend the entire episode trying to catch each other off guard. Joey, in need of quick cash, thinks hiring a lookalike will help him get into a paid identical twin study.

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 5, Episode 8
- Air date: Nov. 19, 1998

Chandler hates Thanksgiving because it brings up memories of his dad coming out and the end of his parents' marriage. The others have also experienced some truly awful turkey days, so they share their worst holiday stories, uncovering some secrets in the process.

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: James Burrows
- Season 3, Episode 16
- Air date: Feb. 20, 1997

The morning after Ross and Rachel go on their infamous break, she shows up at his apartment ready to work on their relationship, only to later find that he brought home another woman. He tries desperately to keep her from finding out, but she eventually does. The rest of the gang wind up trapped in Monica's room while the argument in the living room continues for hours.

- IMDb user rating: 9
- Director: Peter Bonerz
- Season 3, Episode 6
- Air date: Oct. 31, 1996

When Janice asks the group how many of the friends have dated each other, they start reminiscing about all the times they almost slept together throughout their friendships. This activity is a stunner for Season 3, considering what the exercise might look like in Season 10.

- IMDb user rating: 9.1
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 7, Episode 24
- Air date: May 17, 2001

Monica and Chandler's wedding day almost stalls when the groom goes missing. Rachel tries to placate Monica while Phoebe and Ross track down Chandler in his office and help him realize that getting married doesn't mean turning into his parents. Meanwhile, there's a mysterious pregnancy test in the bathroom at Monica's apartment. The owner turns out to be Rachel in this Season 7 cliffhanger.

- IMDb user rating: 9.1
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 4, Episode 24
- Air date: May 7, 1998

The problems keep coming in the second part of this two-part episode: Ross and Emily's parents are fighting over expenses, a drunk man mistakes Monica for Ross' mother, and Rachel misses her flight to London. Rachel arrives just before the ceremony and decides not to stop Ross' wedding after all—only to witness the moment Ross says, "I, Ross, take thee, Rachel," before the episode fades to black. It's a memorable episode for Ross and Rachel fans, sure, but it's also when the romance between Monica and Chandler kicks off in a London hotel room.

- IMDb user rating: 9.1
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 6, Episode 9
- Air date: Nov. 25, 1999

When the Gellers come over for Thanksgiving dinner, the gang tries to hide Chandler and Monica's relationship because Ross' parents dislike Chandler. Ross finally reveals why. In the kitchen, Rachel's efforts to make a traditional English trifle go awry.

- IMDb user rating: 9.2
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 8, Episode 4
- Air date: October 18, 2001

Ross' dating life has faltered, so Joey suggests he videotape his routine so he can give him pointers. When Rachel pays him a surprise visit, Ross forgets to turn off the tape—and they end up getting together. Naturally, the friends all want to see the footage.

- IMDb user rating: 9.2
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 6, Episode 25
- Air date: May 18, 2000

Chandler pretends to hate the idea of marriage to throw Monica off his plans to propose. Little does he know that Richard just told Monica he made a huge mistake and wants to get married and have kids.

- IMDb user rating: 9.2
- Director: Gary Halvorson
- Season 8, Episode 9
- Air date: Nov. 22, 2001

Monica invites her old high-school friend Will (Brad Pitt) over for Thanksgiving dinner, unaware of his dislike for Rachel. It comes out that, back in their high school days when Will used to be overweight, Rachel was mean to him—so he and Ross spread a rumor about her.

- IMDb user rating: 9.3
- Director: James Burrows
- Season 2, Episode 14
- Air date: Feb. 1, 1996

Until this Season 2 episode, Ross has been pining after Rachel, but she puts him solidly in the friend zone. That all changes when the gang watches a home video Monica's parents took of them getting ready for their high school prom, and Rachel realizes that Ross has cared for her all along. In another storyline, Joey gives Chandler an ostentatious gold friendship bracelet—and then overhears Chandler dissing it.

- IMDb user rating: 9.4
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 4, Episode 12
- Air date: Jan. 15, 1998

Phoebe agrees to act as a surrogate for her brother, Frank (Giovanni Ribisi), and his wife, Alice (Debra Jo Rupp), and is eagerly waiting to see if the embryos will attach. Meanwhile, Monica and Rachel take on Chandler and Joey in a high-stakes game to find out who knows each other better. Pro tip: Knowing the name on Chandler's TV Guide (Miss Chanandler Bong) and his occupation (who could say?) could come in handy in a "Friends" trivia game.

- IMDb user rating: 9.6
- Director: Kevin Bright
- Season 10, Episodes 17-18
- Air date: May 6, 2004

The first half of the two-part series finale sets up plenty of drama. For starters, Erica (Anna Faris), the birth mother of Monica and Chandler's twins, goes into labor three weeks early. Then Rachel and Ross sleep together, leading Ross to realize that his feelings for her never really went away. It all leads up to the heart-wrenching second part, which is all about endings: Rachel is leaving for her new job in Paris, while Monica and Chandler are packing up the apartment for the last time before they move to the suburbs to raise their children.

There are plenty of plot twists, heartfelt moments, and, of course, an issue with Rachel's plane's "left phalange." But even the last episode couldn't hold a candle to the following fan-favorite.

- IMDb user rating: 9.7
- Director: Michael Lembeck
- Season 5, Episode 14
- Air date: Feb. 11, 1999

Monica and Chandler managed to keep their love affair from the rest of the gang until this episode. When Ugly Naked Guy's apartment becomes available, Ross desperately tries to get it. The clear view between Ross' prospective new place and Monica's apartment allows the group to see firsthand what Ross is willing to do to get the apartment—and what Monica and Chandler have been up to.

Meanwhile, Phoebe, Rachel, and Joey try to force Chandler and Monica to tell them the truth while Chandler and Monica attempt to call their bluff. They don't know that they know they know they know—you know?

Additional writing by Jaimie Etkin. Story editing by Nicole Caldwell. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn.