7 Most Underrated Friends Episodes That Deserve More Love

Over 236 episodes, Friends became one of the most popular and highest-grossing TV series of all time, but not every episode gets the recognition they deserve. Released over ten seasons between 1994 and 2004, Friends examined the lives of six friends living in New York City throughout their 20s and 30s. Monica (Courteney Cox), Ross (David Schwimmer), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Chandler (the late Matthew Perry) became a part of practically every household, and everybody has their favorite episodes, but some have fallen under the radar.

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“The One Where Everybody Finds Out,” The One with Chandler and Monica’s Wedding,” and, of course, “The Last One,” might be some of our favorite Friends episodes, but there’s also a lot of love for the more underrated chapters of the iconic sitcom. With 236 episodes, it’s understandable that some get forgotten about, but some of the funniest episodes are ones that are often harder to remember. Following Matthew Perry’s tragic passing in 2023, the six Friends cast members will never be seen altogether again, but we still have these brilliant episodes to look back on.

7. The One Where Ross Can’t Flirt

Friends season 5, episode 19, “The One Where Ross Can’t Flirt,” takes place while Monica and Chandler are preparing to go out for their ten-month anniversary. Ross suspects Chandler of flirting with the pizza-delivery girl, Caitlin (Kirstin Dattilo), and becomes mad because he’s attracted to her. When he tries his luck, he finds he isn’t as adept at flirting, opening the door for some hilarious comments and exchanges. This episode is small-scale, confined, and intimate, but contains some brilliant jokes and some heart, particularly when Joey’s grandmother appears to watch him on Law & Order, despite his role being cut.

6. The One With Joey’s Fridge

Who’s to blame when Joey’s fridge breaks, Chandler, Rachel, or Ross? Anybody but Joey, or old age. Joey gorges himself on everything in his fridge when it breaks in Friends season six, episode 19, “The One with Joey’s Fridge,” while Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe help Rachel find a date for a charity ball, and Ross struggles to accept Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden), his student girlfriend, going on Spring Break. This is kind of a non-episode where not much actually happens to progress the overall narrative of the series, but it’s still incredibly funny and cringe-worthy in the best way.

5. The One With All The Cheesecakes

While Monica and Ross are preoccupied at their cousin’s wedding, that Monica wasn’t invited to, and Phoebe and Joey argue over their monthly dinner being disrupted when David (Hank Azaria) comes back into town, Chandler and Rachel are the heart of this episode. Friends season 7, episode 11, “The One with All the Cheesecakes,” saw Rachel catch Chandler eating a stolen cheesecake, but she joins in with his crime when realizing how great the cheesecake is. This is a fantastic episode that marks another chapter in Phoebe and David’s story while spotlighting the lesser-seen bond between Chandler and Rachel.

4. The One With The Football

Friends‘ Thanksgiving episodes are some of the series’ strongest, but even some of these haven’t been given the recognition they deserve. This includes Friends season 3, episode 9, “The One with the Football,” which sees the six friends play football while Monica cooks Thanksgiving dinner, but, of course, this becomes more than a friendly competition. Joey and Chandler battle over who gets to date Margha (Suzanna Voltaire), while Monica and Ross fight for the Geller Cup. This was a fun, self-contained episode that stressed the sibling bond between Monica and Ross while providing some moments of levity and tension.

3. The One With All The Resolutions

Kicking off 1999, Friends season 5, episode 11, “The One with All the Resolutions,” provided some of the series’ most hilarious scenes, especially for Ross. In this episode, all the friends make New Year’s resolutions, and while Chandler struggles not to make fun of his friends and Phoebe tries to teach Joey how to play guitar, Ross’ aim to do something new everyday goes hilariously wrong. We all remember that iconic pants paste moment, but it simply doesn’t get talked about enough, so this underrated New Year episode certainly deserves more attention thanks to David Schwimmer’s brilliance.

2. The One Where Monica And Richard Are Just Friends

It’s amazing that Friends managed to fit so many small storylines into each episode, and Friends season 3, episode 13, “The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends,” was no exception. While Monica and Richard (Tom Selleck) test being friends with benefits, and fail, Rachel and Joey swap books, though Little Women ends up in the freezer while The Shining gets spoiled. Phoebe also struggles to deal with her new boyfriend’s (Markus Flanagan) fashion sense – or lack thereof. This is a strong episode that highlights the bond between Monica and Richard, allowing them to part more maturely than before.

1. The One Where No One’s Ready

The 50th episode of Friends, season 3, episode 2, “The One Where No One’s Ready,” is one of the most interesting bottle episodes in TV history. Filmed in real time, the episode sees Ross rushing everyone to get ready to attend a function. It’s a brilliant episode with a fast-paced and fluid narrative, moving from one small event to the next with ease. Ross’ panic is mirrored in Monica’s fear over tampering with Richard’s answering machine, while Chandler and Joey’s feud over the chair is hilarious. This episode often falls under the radar, however, likely due to its self-contained plot.

What are your favorite episodes of Friends? Let us know in the comments!