Friends The 15 Best Characters From The Series Ranked

Friends: The 15 Best Characters From The Series, Ranked

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1 Friends: The 15 Best Characters From The Series, Ranked

The characters on Friends were truly the heart of the show. Here is a look back at the all-time best characters the show had to offer its fans.

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Many factors have attributed to Friends’ success over the years as it has moved from its killer ratings during its decade on air to being a constant rewatch for fans in this era of streaming. The era in which it is captured, the writing, and the reliability all contribute. Still, arguably above all else, it is the characters that have given the show its staying power.

The main gang of six is one of the most iconic central casts of all time. Even if there are those characters who are unlikeable and even hated by some fans, they make the show what it is alongside some special recurring side characters who have become beloved in their own right.

Updated on May 30th, 2021 by Rhys McGinley: For a decade between 1994 and 2004 Friends not only produced some unbelievable stories and episodes but some of TV’s most iconic and beloved characters. The main six speak for themselves in terms of quality and impact, but joining them throughout the ten seasons is a catalog of excellent side and recurring characters who left the mark not only on the show but on the audiences, well remembered this many years later. The series gave fans so many great characters that it is impossible to talk about just ten.

15 Carol Willick & Susan Bunch

Undoubtedly the most significant piece of representation in Friends comes in the form of Carol and Susan, Ross’ ex-wife and her wife, who build a family and raise Ben along with Ross.

At the start, the two were very unlikable at points, like having Bunch in Ben’s name but not Gellar. But they proved themselves as one of the best, healthiest, and most progressive relationships in the show, and a pair of fantastic mothers to Ben.

14 Estelle Leonard

Joey’s agent did not appear in many episodes of Friends, but Estelle Leonard always managed to provide a laugh for audiences during her stint, as well as an emotional end.

Loyal to Joey, with Joey loyal to her also, Estelle helped Joey get jobs on Days Of Our Lives, Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E, and in movies. Of course, she was lackluster in many departments, but she was a funny character whose death was surprisingly affecting.

13 Frank Jr.

There are a lot of great family members in Friends, but when it comes to siblings (excluding Monica and Ross, of course) there are none better than Frank Buffay Jr.

Eccentric, weird even, with energy and care up the wazoo, Frank Jr. was a great inclusion to Phoebe’s life, matching her weirdness in a different way, and providing fans with one of the best stories in the show, Phoebe’s pregnancy.

12 The Chick & The Duck

Playing on the idea that Chandler and Joey were like a married couple, the Chick and the Duck was a fantastic inclusion to the early seasons of Friends.

The pair of animals helped the dynamic of Friends’ best duo’s in their early years, and provided so many funny moments until they drifted off the show and passed away. This entry also includes Duck Jr. and Chick Jr. a great gift from Joey, and Marcel, a fun character in Ross’s life for a short time.

11 Gunther

In terms of side characters, there are few more iconic than the manager of Central Perk, Gunther, who, outside of the main six, appeared in most episodes of Friends.

Was his crush on Rachel a bit strange at points? Yes. But was he a hilarious character consistently throughout the show? Absolutely. Gunther helped make Central Perk one of the most iconic settings in sitcom history.

10 Janice Litman-Goralnik

There are a good few iconic quotes and catchphrases sprinkled throughout Friends, but few have quite the level of recognizability and often hilarity of Janice’s “Oh my God!”

Janice is the first true love interest audiences meet in Friends except for Ross’s ex-wife and Barry. She continues to pop up for all ten seasons of the show, admittedly with higher quality cameos coming when Chandler is not with Monica. Nevertheless, she is always a fun sight and a great inclusion to the show.

9 Richard Burke

Speaking of love interests, it is pretty surprising that Richard Burke only appears in ten episodes of Friends, yet still makes such a colossal impact on the show, both in terms of the characters, namely Monica, and the fans.

Suave, classy, mature, and Monica’s greatest love except for Chandler, Richard is a great character with some great moments in his limited time, even getting multiple mentions when he is no longer a part of the show.

8 Jack & Judy Geller

Ross and Monica’s parents are also a great part of the show, with Jack and Judy being the most prominent parental figures in the show, with only rare appearances from the rest of the gang’s.

Judy Geller can be awful to Monica, but that actually helps her character because it makes Monica better and can be very relatable for many people. On the other hand, Jack is simply hilarious nearly every time he makes an appearance and even gets some surprisingly emotional moments, like when he comforts Monica after her breakup with Richard.

7 Mike Hannigan

In the later seasons, the iconic Paul Rudd slotted perfectly into Friends and became a huge surprise hit as one of the best love interests of the entire show, falling head over heels for Phoebe after a rocky start, both of which were a result of Joey’s forgetfulness.

Mike made sure that as the show came to an end that Phoebe got a satisfying conclusion. Rather than getting pushed to the side with no real direction like Joey, Phoebe managed to get married, with the promise of children in the future. Mike made that happen and had so many great moments in his short time on the show on top of that.

6 Phoebe Buffay

Moving onto Phoebe, it may be harsh to put her bottom of the main six, especially considering that half the time, Ross is unbearable. However, in terms of television characters, Phoebe contributes the least to the show.

She is amazing a lot of the time, with a slew of iconic moments and quotes, funny stories, and, of course, the surrogacy arc. But, at the same time, Phoebe is also the odd one out of the group, and if there were any member of the main gang that could be classed as non-essential, it is her. On top of that, she has very little growth throughout the show and never really gets her past fully fleshed out.

5 Ross Geller

In terms of likability, there is no doubt that out of the central six, Ross Geller falls to the bottom of the list, but there is really no way he could not be included in and among the best characters of the show.

Ross is a crucial part of the show and has some fantastic moments in terms of being absolutely hilarious and serious narrative. He does some awful things, and personality-wise, he can be a total jerk, but in terms of a TV main character, he is consistently either solid or great in the scope of the Friends world; he can just be intolerable. He may not grow to the extent of other characters, but he definitely does develop and learn as time goes on, and his romance with Rachel, while toxic at times, has made him pop culture royalty.

4 Monica Geller

Ross’s little sister Monica is also a pivotal part of the show, and while she is not everybody’s cup of tea with her obsessive cleaning and bossiness, she is, unlike her brother, likable a lot of the time.

Not only is she the consistent occupant of the central apartment of the show, but she is also one half of the show’s best and most solid romance; she undergoes a good bit of personal growth, particularly pertaining to said romance. Monica also achieves so many of her goals in life as the show progresses, something which she is scared she will not do at the start of the show.

3 Joey Tribianni

In the early seasons of the show, Joey is an incredible part of the show. His friendship with Chandler is perhaps the highlight of the entire first few seasons; he is charming, hilarious, and interesting with his struggling actor career.

Unfortunately, as time went on, the writers completely shunned any development for Joey, and he fell to the wayside, becoming increasingly dumb, thrust into silly storylines, and never finding the maturity in life as the other characters did. This arguably prevents Joey from being in the top three characters, but those early seasons along with the fact that even when he is not having serious life changes, he is involved in everybody else’s, helping out incredibly and regularly being the best friend of the group really helps his argument.

2 Rachel Green

Rachel Greene is a pop culture icon, with her fashion, quotes, and character growth all having their own special places in many people’s hearts and helping her be a consistently amazing character across ten seasons of Friends.

At the start of the show, Rachel can be annoying with her spoilt nature and naivety, but that simply adds to how great of a character she is as she undergoes insane development. She goes from clueless coffee waitress to a successful member of the fashion industry with a child and a level of maturity that surpasses other members of the gang while still retaining her personality throughout.

1 Chandler Bing

It is a true toss-up between Rachel and Chandler when it comes to who is the show’s best character. On this day, though, Chandler takes it, aided by how consistent he is in every important aspect.

He is hilarious from start to finish; he grows and develops as a person and character so much; his friendship with Joey is the best friendship of the show, while his relationship with Monica is the best relationship of the show. Chandler goes from an insecure, immature, job-hating goofball to a happy, mature, stable goofball with a family. He is always there for his friends, and while he makes mistakes, and while he can be frustrating at times, he is the show’s best character over ten seasons.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/friends-best-series-characters-ranked/

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