I was thinking for my first blog post I should probably talk about something that I absolutely love. Since it just got taken off Netflix, I figured why not talk about Friends. Considering I have seen every episode at least 3 times, I think it’s fair to say I am pretty much a Friends expert. If you are doubting this lets just say I can recite every line from Season 4 Episode 12 “The One with the Embryos”. Whether you believe me or not, I think it’s time to address a much needed issue: how do you rank the best Friends characters?
Over the years, I have gotten in many arguments with my family about who the best character in the show is. Each character has had so many iconic scenes from “PIVOT!” to “My eyes! My eyes” each one has their own special thing. That is why ranking of them is different based on each person’s opinion. Over the years I think I have been able to gather enough information and opinions from other fans of the show to put together the most accurate ranking of these characters.
Starting with…
#1: Phoebe Buffay
I feel that Phoebe is probably the most underrated character of the entire cast. She is apart of almost every iconic scene in the show, but I won’t be putting any spoilers in here for those of you that want to watch Friends, if you haven’t yet. Which I don’t really understand why some people haven’t watched at least part of the show, but that’s their choice. Anyways, Phoebe is the best character on Friends because of her ability to be consistently funny throughout the entire show. Phoebe would have to be my very favorite character because of her ability to completely in-body the quirkiness that is Phoebe Buffay. Hands down, she has some of the funniest scenes and just adds to some of the best episodes to make them even better.
#2: Joey Tribbiani
How you doin? 
Come on, how can Joey not be in someone’s top 2? He’s an Italian actor that’s kinda ditzy, he was born and raised in Queens. He acts all tough by dating around but deep down he’s just a guy that really cares about those he loves. Also, if you ever need to know something about Joey it’s that Joey LOVES food. I think that fact alone just proves my argument about how Joey is the 2nd best. Also, Joey would have to be the 2nd best character because of his ability to be so relatable to anyone watching the show. I think everyone should have Joey in their life. He is always someone that you can count on laughing from each episode. He also has a sweet side that he keeps hidden, but when it comes out, Joey shows how much he truly cares for people.
#3: Chandler Bing (AKA Mrs. Chanandler Bong for you true fanatics)
I would have to say, I think Chandler is probably the most controversial character in the show because some people don’t understand a lot of his jokes. While I love them because it is all sarcasm. Chandler is definitely one of my favorites of the show because of his quick-wit humor. He’s always the person to have a joke ready for any situation, which is why I enjoy his character so much. Also, the ability Chandler has to pull off a sweater vest I mean it takes a special type of person to be able to do that. His humor is the main reason why I have given him the ranking of 3rd.
#4: Rachel Green
The very first impression everyone has of Rachel is that she just walked out on her wedding because she realized she didn’t love her fiance. I mean good for her, it takes a lot of courage to walk away from her life plan. She brings a lot of love to the group as its newest member. Along with being one of the most fashionable women in the 90’s when the show started. She even had people copying her famous haircut known as the Rachel. Rachel is someone everyone has a friend like her, she gets along with everyone in the group in her own unique way.
#5: Ross Geller
Oh, Ross. Now don’t get me wrong, Ross has a lot of really funny scenes but as a character overall, I would have to say he is probably the most frustrating of all 6 but he does have some really good moments in the show. Ross’s character was just set up to be somewhat annoying, he is a paleontologist that just got divorced. Also, he has had a crush on Rachel FOREVER, which is very frustrating in the beginning of the show because he never attempts to make a move to date her. Then he complains when she starts dating another guy. Seriously? You can’t complain about it when you didn’t even attempt to be with her. Also, the amount of gel that he puts in his hair, it’s just too much and everyone knows it. They even make fun of the gel multiple times in the show, and Rachel describes it as “crunchy”. Ew! Who likes to have crunchy hair. Even though all this is very annoying, Ross isn’t the worst out of the 6 because of his relationship with Rachel and his connection with Chandler from college creates many entertaining and classic story lines.
#6: Monica Geller
Monica, Monica, Monica, I would have to put her at the back end of the Friends rankings simply because sometimes she is just too Monica. For those of you that have watched the show, you know exactly what I am talking about. For the people that haven’t watched Friends, to put it simply, Monica is a very controlling, neat-freak, and acts like everyone’s little sister. You love her, but a lot of the time she can be way too nosy and annoying. She has her moments as all the other characters do, but she does not have nearly as many memorable
In the end, each Friends character brings something different to the show, they all make the show what it is. Without each of them, the show would not be nearly as iconic as it is. I hope that you other fans agree with me on this ranking, but I know it’s always hard to decide who is the best. Anyways, I must go now before I get too sad about the fact that I can’t binge watch Friends anymore.
Haha. This is a great ranking of the friends cast and although if I ranked them before reading I would have said differently, I totally agree with your ranking after reading this blog. Phoebe is definitely underrated and is often looked over as she does not really have as much drama as the other characters making them stand out more. I was struggling between Ross and Monica for last place, as Ross can be incredibly obnoxious, but you are right his relationships with others bump him up to 5th. Monica is definitely last for me after you reminded me of how much of a neat freak she is. She seems to simultaneously have the controlling tendencies of someone’s mother as well as the annoyance of a younger sibling. You talk about a lot of key moments taking place throughout the series, which of them do you think is the most iconic?
Anyway, I thought this blog was very funny and spot on for the character ranking. You should look into other shows that could have the characters ranked also.
Hi Grace,
I’ve got to disagree with your ranking because Chandler Bing is 100% the best Friends character. He’s by far the funniest character on the show with his witty sarcasm. For some reason, I also really like Ross. His life is a disaster for basically all of the show, which kind of makes him the most relatable. Other than that, your analysis of the characters is spot on.
Although Friends isn’t the greatest show I’ve ever watched, it’s definitely up there because of how iconic the characters are. Even today, the actors in Friends are still most well-known for their roles in the show, which goes to show how well each of them filled their role.