It has been 20 years since Friends aired its final episode, The Last One or The One Where They Say Goodbye. And many of us are still not ready to say goodbye. Such has been the influence of this sitcom. Its enduring popularity is why you can still see fans of the show discussing everything about the show in public gatherings, be it favourite episodes, best scenes, memorable quotes or even whether — the biggest debate of them all — Rachel and Ross really were on a break. Having watched and rewatched the show more times than I can count, here is my definitive ranking of every Friends season from best to worst.
It’s a daunting task, to be sure, particularly for a show like this, where even the so-called “worst” seasons are actually pretty good and have some iconic episodes. And even when the writing was lax and the storylines did not make all that much sense, the real reason we still watch Friends over and over is because of the cast. I am quite convinced that it was these brilliant, charismatic actors that really made this show click. Just seeing those actors exchanging witticisms and banter was worth the time.
Whether it was the dynamic duo of Matt LeBlanc as soft-in-the-head but still lovable Joey Tribbiani and Matthew Perry as sarcastic yet good-at-heart Chandler Bing, or Lisa Kudrow’s eccentric and sometimes a little scary Phoebe Buffay, each actor brought something distinct and unique to the show. Jennifer Aniston (who, it must be said, has had the most successful career among her co-stars) played Rachel Green as a spoiled yet endearing young woman, but she also brought out that flightiness that made the character more complex. Completing the ensemble were siblings, Courteney Cox’s fusspot and perfectionist Monica Geller and David Schwimmer’s lovably awkward nerd Ross Geller.
Matthew Perry’s best quotes and one-liners as Chandler Bing in Friends
Across 10 seasons and 236 episodes (!), these characters entertained us, made us laugh, smile, annoyed and even cry. We follow their lives as they grew from young twentysomething roommates struggling with relatable challenges like career and relationships to mature people who are “well-settled in life” in the end, as they say.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s dive right in. Note that this ranking is a personal one and it is possible, even likely, that you will disagree. And that’s okay.
Friends season 1 to 10: Ranked best to worst based on quality
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1 /10
Best episode: The One with All the Thanksgivings
I think it was always going to come down to seasons 4 and 5. For me, season 5 edges out, but barely. It is hard to find any fault in any of the episodes and it remains compelling from start to finish. There is such solid storytelling and character work here that the show struggled to repeat it before and after. The humour is at its sharpest, the emotional beats land nicely and the chemistry between the cast members is off the charts. For me, the highlight of this season is The One with All the Thanksgivings, where the characters gather together and discuss their worst Thanksgivings. I also loved the following episode The One with Ross’s Sandwich, in which Ross gets particularly possessive about his sandwich. Overall, Friends season 5 is a masterclass in television storytelling. The two-part finale The One in Vegas was also pretty awesome.
2 /10
Best episode: The One with the Embryos
Packed with many, many iconic moments and episodes, this season is nearly perfect throughout. The One with the Embryos has to be one of the show’s best episodes ever. Funnily, the reason is not what the title says, but a quiz held between Monica and Rachel on one side and Joey and Chandler on the other. The scene was recreated in the reunion special episode in 2021. The One with Ross’s Wedding, the two-part finale is another highlight, which is about Ross’ ill-fated wedding with Emily in London. Of course, Ross makes a mess of the vows when he utters Rachel’s name instead of Emily. The episode, and the season, ends on this cliffhanger.
3 /10
Best episode: The One with the Videotape
This is the season where Joey and Rachel first get romantically involved and it doesn’t work. Not just in the show but also for the audience. But other than that, season 8 is practically perfect. The plotlines are almost without exception supremely entertaining. And that is when you do not include celebrity guest appearances from Brad Pitt, Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn. The second episode sees a fun and heartwarming resolution to the mystery of the red sweater that decides whose baby Rachel is pregnant with. Of course, it’s Ross. There is the standout episode The One with the Videotape, where Rachel and Ross argue over who among them made the first move leading to Rachel getting pregnant. It’s comedy gold.
4 /10
Best episode: The One with the Proposal
In season 6, Friends continued its trend of proving both humour and emotion. The standout episode this season, for me, was the two-part finale The One with the Proposal. Monica and Chandler, of course, do not marry until the end of the subsequent season, but this king-sized episode too has been etched in the minds of Friends fans. It beautifully captures the essence of a relationship between two people. There are lots of ups and downs and a couple of times Chandler misses his chance. But eventually, he does propose and the episode ends with them slow-dancing to Eric Clapton. Even otherwise, this season is quite strong throughout. Ross struggles with fatherhood, Joey has career troubles and there is one weirdly hilarious episode that will either work for you or it won’t: The One with Unagi. It did for me.
5 /10
Best episode: The One with the Morning After
It is with season 3 that you can see Friends finally finding its stride, and you can basically notice writers zeroing in on what really works with the audiences (and in general) and prominently focusing on that. There are laughs aplenty, of course, but also a lot of raw emotion here. The cast members, who were still young actors then, gave excellent performances. This season also introduced the biggest debate among Friends fans, the one related to ‘We were on a break’ in The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break episode.
6 /10
Best episode: The One with the Prom Video
This is where the consistently great Friends seasons begin. Season 2 is pretty excellent, building nicely on the foundation established by a comparatively uneven season 1. For one, we saw Rachel and Ross finally coming together in a relationship and the best episode was undoubtedly The One with the Prom Video, which added cool backstory material for their bond. The episode was a nice blend of humour and emotion that became a bedrock of the show later. This season was also the first time, Aniston really got to develop Rachel as a living and breathing human being along with the writers and she also showed off her acting chops. We also saw Chandler struggling to cultivate a serious relationship, which later led nicely into his relationship and then marriage with Monica.
7 /10
Best episode: The One with Monica and Chandler’s Wedding
It feels while watching season 7 like the writers had planned the show’s ending starting from season 7. The highlight, of course, was Monica and Chandler’s wedding in the end which was a payoff of all the buildup earlier. But the show also had some really strange plot developments and character arcs. The one subplot involving Ross and Cassie (Denise Richards) is quite icky. But we circle back to the two-part finale wedding episode (s), which is superb, and the season does not seem all that bad now. The relationship by that point between Monica and Chandler felt fully developed and they looked rather great together. Of course, the festivities were not without their share of drama and mishaps but all was right in the end.
8 /10
Best episode: The One with the Blackout
To paraphrase Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that the first season of a sitcom is one of its weakest. Since the show is still struggling to find its footing, it is probable that some of its early episodes, especially when watched much later, will not stick the landing. It’s true for Friends as well. There is some awkwardness and the characters do not feel fully fleshed-out. That is not to say this season does not have strong comedic and character moments. It is not at all a lost cause. Right from the outset, the chemistry between the main cast members is strong. It also laid the groundwork for the character dynamics that paid off later on in the show. Yes, it does not reach the heights of some of the later reasons, but it still serves as a decent introduction to these characters.
9 /10
Best episode: The Last One
Yes, for me season 10 was one of the show’s lowest points and here. But again, as I said, this is Friends we are talking about. So a few aspects of this sitcom seem dated now, but I believe it remains one of the best American sitcoms ever. Season 10 was the end of everything as the writers prepared to give every member of these Central Perk regulars a hopefully satisfying conclusion. And they somewhat succeeded. Make no mistake, I love the season. It has some really touching and poignant moments as it was difficult to bid these characters goodbye. By the end, we knew them so much that they felt like our actual, real-world friends. But there are also contrived plot points and rushed resolutions as though writers wanted to race somebody to the finish. One good example is the end of Joey’s arc. But this season also boasts of some excellent episodes with my favourite being The One Where Ross Is Fine, The One with Phoebe’s Wedding and, of course, the best one this season — the series finale.
10 /10
Best episode: The One with Rachel’s Other Sister
I said above that a typical Friends fanatic’s ranking of the show’s seasons will probably differ from mine in general, but I am confident a majority of people will agree that season 9 is the worst season of the show. It felt like the scribes scripting the episodes were suffering from writer’s block and instead of taking the time to write good jokes and carefully planned character arcs, they went with the first draft. Ross and Rachel could not figure out whether they really were in love and wanted to stay together or not. This dynamic was perhaps cute the first million times, but not so much afterwards. Joey and Rachel’s romantic relationship subplot was likewise not thought through as it did not lead to anything meaningful. Also, the humour was pretty weak this time around. There were also a lot of episodes that seemed too filler-y.
(Hero and featured image: Courtesy of IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
-How many seasons Friends had?
Friends ended after 10 seasons.
-Is Friends season 11 coming?
It is likely not coming. There might be a reboot later, but it will not involve the original cast as Matthew Perry, who played Chandler in the show, passed away in 2023.
-Why are there only 17 episodes of Friends?
There are 236 episodes of Friends in total if we do not include the reunion episode that was released in 2021.
-Why did Friends end?
Friends ended because the people involved in bringing out the show, creators, writers and the cast, decided it was time to conclude the show. By the time season 10 was in production, the cast members had been involved with one show for a decade and they were likely ready to explore roles in other TV shows and movies.
Kshitij is a journalism graduate who did not initially intend to become a film critic, but such are the vagaries of destiny. Now, Kshitij is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild, bringing expertise and experience in evaluating entertainment content with him. Additionally, he serves as a jury member on the Critics' Choice Awards in India. When he's not busy wielding words, catch him nose-deep in books or joyfully lost in the realms of gaming and photography.
