The 21 best 'Friends' episodes
"So no one told you life was gonna be this way, Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A....Well, I'll be there for you..." Nearly everyone who watched television in the late 1990s can hum the catchy theme song from "Friends," and most people have seen at least a few reruns. To others, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Phoebe and Rachel were like, well, friends.
The show went through 10 seasons, producing a total of 236 memorable episodes. The stars became the highest paid actors on television, and "Friends" is one of the most-watched series of all time. Most of us have our favorite episode, but what do the ratings tell us? PrettyFamous found the 21 best episodes of "Friends" based on ratings from IMDb. The IMDb rating (1-10) is calculated by taking all the IMDb votes cast by IMDb registered users for each episode, and then generating a single rating by calculating the average. Each episode is ranked based on ratings as of January 2016. Many episodes ranked highly and there were quite a few ties. In this case, the episode with more votes ranked higher.
#21. The One With the Red Sweater
IMDb Rating: 9.0
IMDb Votes: 1,127
Memorable Quote:
Chandler: You opened all the presents without me? I thought we were supposed to do that together.
Monica: You kissed another woman?
Chandler: Call it even?
Monica: Okay.
In "The One with the Red Sweater," Rachel's hunky ex Tag makes his final appearance in the series. This episode also sets the foundation for the future of Ross and Rachel's relationship when we find out who the red sweater really belongs to.
#20. The One With Monica and Chandler's Wedding: Part 2
IMDb Rating: 9.0
IMDb Votes: 1,198
Memorable Quote:
Chandler: The Bings have horrible marriages. They yell. They fight. And they use the pool boy as a pawn in their sexual games.
Ross: Chandler, have you ever put on a black cocktail dress and asked me up to your hotel room?
Chandler: No.
Ross: Then you are neither of your parents.
Luckily, Chandler's friends help him deal with his cold feet before the wedding, and Joey is able to officiate in time. After Monica and Chandler say "I do," the song "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters plays. The Foo Fighters happen to be Courteney Cox's favorite band.
#19. The One With the Jellyfish
IMDb Rating: 9.0
IMDb Votes: 1,407
Memorable Quote:
Rachel: And hey, just so you know, it's not that common, it doesn't happen to every guy, and it is a big deal!
"The One with the Jellyfish" had everyone asking "Is that really what you do for a jellyfish sting?" (A definite "No" according to Scientific American.) Audiences also love this episode because Ross and Rachel decide to give their relationship another try.
#18. The One With Unagi
IMDb Rating: 9.0
IMDb Votes: 1,456
Memorable Quote:
Joey: I used to get medical experiments done on me all the time!
Chandler: Ah, finally: an explanation.
Joey goes to extreme measures to make extra cash while Ross shows off his karate skills in this hilarious episode. According to IMDb, Ross is actually mistaken with the phrase "unagi" — the correct term is "uranagi."
#17. The One With All the Resolutions
IMDb Rating: 9.0
IMDb Votes: 1,481
Memorable Quote:
Ross: I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, "No divorces in '99. Whoo."
Rachel: But your divorce isn't even final yet.
Ross: Just the one divorce in '99. WHOO. This year I'm going to be happy, I'm gonna make myself happy.
Chandler: So, do you want us to leave the room?
Midway through season five, the cast reflects on their resolutions for the new year.
#16. The One With the Flashback
IMDb Rating: 9.0
IMDb Votes: 1,785
Memorable Quote:
Ross: We'd be out and Carol would be like, "Ross, look at that beautiful woman," and I'd be like, "My wife is cool."
Phoebe: Do you think that Susan woman's her lover?
Ross: Well now I do!
Janice, the character that everyone loves to hate, prods the group into reminiscing about their past. We find out that Rachel almost got together with Chandler, and Monica initially had a crush on Joey.
#15. The One With the Football
IMDb Rating: 9.0
IMDb Votes: 1,922
Memorable Quote:
Ross: Cheater, cheater, compulsive eater!
Things get heated in "The One with the Football," another episode from season three. It's one of the most memorable Thanksgiving episodes, mostly because it's entertaining watching the cast play football and seeing Monica's competitive side shine.
#14. The One With the Proposal: Part 2
IMDb Rating: 9.1
IMDb Votes: 1,302
Memorable Quote:
Monica: In all my life... I never thought I would be so lucky. As to... fall in love with my best... my best... there's a reason why girls don't do this!
Through a series of crazy mishaps, Monica and Chandler finally find themselves alone in the apartment, each of them ready to get down on one knee. This episode is the last time Richard, played by Tom Selleck, appears in the show.
#13. The One With Ross's Wedding: Part Two
IMDb Rating: 9.1
IMDb Votes: 1,391
Memorable Quote:
Ross: I Ross, take thee Rachel.
Ross's wedding flub is one of the best lines from the entire series. This episode also features a cameo from "House" actor Hugh Laurie. He fully disagrees with Rachel's plan to sabotage Ross's wedding and tells her, "Oh, I'm sorry, can I interrupt? I just want to say that you are a horrible, horrible person. And by the way, it seems perfectly clear that you were on a break."
#12. The One Where Ross Got High
IMDb Rating: 9.1
IMDb Votes: 1,393
Memorable Quote:
Ross: It tastes like feet!
Joey: Well, I like it.
Ross: Are you kidding?
Joey: I mean, what's not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good!
Another Thanksgiving favorite, this episode features Ross and Monica's parents, Judy and Jack Geller, who offer up their classic praise toward Ross and slight disdain for Monica. Fans also love the hilarious flashback of a college-age Ross breaking the rules.
#11. The One in Vegas: Part 2
IMDb Rating: 9.1
IMDb Votes: 1,516
Memorable Quote:
Ross: Well helllooo Mrs. Ross!
Rachel: Well helllooo Mr. Rachel!
The gang heads to Las Vegas to visit Joey. Monica and Chandler come close to a swift Vegas wedding, but Rachel and Ross are the only couple who actually go through with it. After copious amounts of alcohol and some drunken Sharpie face drawings, Ross comes back to New York a thrice-married man.
#10. The One With Ross's Sandwich
IMDb Rating: 9.1
IMDb Votes: 1,543
Memorable Quote:
Ross: You're sleeping with my sister?
Joey: It was only for one night. It was when we were in London.
Ross: This is not good for my rage.
Another episode involving Thanksgiving food, "The One with Ross's Sandwich" exposes Ross's anger problems when an anonymous coworker is eating his delicious Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich. Meanwhile, Joey is still trying to cover up for Monica and Chandler, but his deception is beginning to unravel.
#9. The One With the Thanksgiving Flashbacks
IMDb Rating: 9.1
IMDb Votes: 1,681
Memorable Quote:
Judy Geller: Here, Monica, you can finish off these pies. There was no room in the fridge.
Monica: No. No thank you.
Jack Geller: Well, Judy, you did it. She's finally full.
Audiences love Thanksgiving-themed "Friends" episodes. In this one, the group relives their past Thanksgivings and we learn that Ross and Chandler's style from the 1980s was probably the worst memory of all.
#8. The One With Chandler in a Box
IMDb Rating: 9.1
IMDb Votes: 1,773
Memorable Quote:
Rachel: It's sick!
Monica: Why is it sick?
Rachel: Because it's Richard's son. It's like inviting a Greek tragedy over for dinner.
Thanksgiving, again. While Monica has a very short-lived romance with Dr. Timothy Burke (Richard's son), the plot mostly focuses on Joey and Chandler's altercation over Joey's ex-girlfriend, Kathy. They make amends when Chandler accepts his punishment of being locked in a box while the group enjoys Thanksgiving dinner.
#7. The One With the Videotape
IMDb Rating: 9.2
IMDb Votes: 1,424
Memorable Quote:
Rachel: Oh there he is, the father of my child, the porn king of the west Village.
It has finally come out that Ross is the father of Rachel's baby, but they both have very different stories about exactly how that came to pass. We also learn the infamous "Years ago, when I was backpacking through Western Europe..." story.
#6. The One With the Embryos
IMDb Rating: 9.3
IMDb Votes: 1,903
Memorable Quote:
Ross: What is the name of Chandler's father's all male burlesque review?
Monica: Viva Las Gay-gas.
Chandler: Unfortunately, that is correct.
According to IMDb, this episode is ranked 21 in "TV Guide's Top 100 T.V. Episodes of all time." We learn a lot about the cast in this episode as they play a game about who knows each other better, including Chandler's fear of Michael Flatley from "Lord of the Dance."
#5. The One With the Prom Video
IMDb Rating: 9.3
IMDb Votes: 2,382
Memorable Quote:
Joey: Some girl ate Monica!
Monica: Shut up, the camera adds ten pounds.
Chandler: Ah, so how many cameras are actually on you?
Apparently, this episode is actor David Schwimmer's favorite of all. We see Monica from her plus-size years for the first time, and realize just how long Ross has been pining over Rachel.
#4. The One With the Rumor
IMDb Rating: 9.3
IMDb Votes: 2,586
Memorable Quote:
Will: Look at her holding those yams. Those are our two worst enemies, Ross - Rachel Green and complex carbohydrates.
"Friends" excels in another Thanksgiving episode. This episode was filmed while Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were still together, so of course the producers had to bring him in, as a character who absolutely loathed Rachel.
#3. The Last One: Part 1
IMDb Rating: 9.4
IMDb Votes: 2,663
Memorable Quote:
Monica: What do you mean 'what do we do'?
Chandler: Twins... Twins...
Monica: Chandler, you're panicking!
Chandler: Uh huh, join me, won't you? Okay what do you say we keep one and then just like have an option on the other one?
Erica, Chandler and Monica's surrogate, goes into labor three weeks early and surprises everyone with twins. This episode drew 52.5 million viewers in the U.S., making it the fourth most watched season finale in television history, according to IMDb.
#2. The Last One: Part 2
IMDb Rating: 9.5
IMDb Votes: 2,663
Memorable Quote:
Ross: Did she get off the plane? God did she get off the plane!
Rachel: I got off the plane.
The last episode of the entire series sums up everyone's story, but it is still bittersweet. Monica's apartment is empty for the first time as they prepare to move out of the city. Of course, everyone is relieved to learn that Rachel got off the plane and she and Ross are finally back together, for good (unless they're on a break).
#1. The One Where Everybody Finds Out
IMDb Rating: 9.6
IMDb Votes: 2,610
Memorable Quote:
Phoebe: They don't know we know they know we know. And Joey, you can't say anything.
Joey: Couldn't if I wanted to.
Once everybody finds out that Monica and Chandler are together, the mind games begin. This results in a painfully awkward kiss between Phoebe and Chandler, and Chandler finally confessing his love for Monica.