Overview
Season 1
The first season of Friends, Premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The season contains 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 18, 1995. This season introduces the six main characters: Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing and Ross Geller.
Rachel, who left her fiance at the altar on her wedding day, has come to New York and ends up living with Monica. It establishes early on in the season that Ross has been infatuated with Rachel since the two characters attended high school. Several episodes revolve around his attempts to tell her how he feels. Meanwhile, Ross’s estranged lesbian wife Carol is pregnant with his baby. This puts him and Carol’s lesbian life partner, Susan, in an awkward position. When the baby is born at the end of the season, Ross, Carol, and Susan agree to name him Ben: after a name tag on a janitor’s uniform worn by Phoebe.
The episodic nature of the season sees the other characters having multiple dates, many of which go wrong (Monica dates a minor in one episode). The recurring character of Janice is introduced as a girlfriend Chandler breaks up with in an early episode but frequently returns to through the ensuing ten seasons.
At the end of the season Ross leaves for a fossil dig in China, but when Chandler lets it slip about Ross’s continuing feelings for Rachel on her birthday, she is shocked; She rushes off to the airport to tell him about her feelings, only to find out that he has a new girlfriend.
Season 2
The second season of Friends, Premiered on NBC on September 21, 1995. The season contained 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 16, 1996. TV Guide placed the season at #31 on their list of television’s 100 all-time greatest seasons, being one of the series’s three on the list.
This season features more serialized storylines; it begins when Rachel discovers that Ross is dating Julie, someone he knew from grad school. Julie returns for several episodes early in the season. Rachel’s attempts to tell Ross she likes him mirror his own failed attempts in the first season, but she accidentally lets it slip out on a phone call. When Ross finds out, he dumps Julie, but Rachel is angry because of a list of bad things about her. Eventually, a prom video reveals that Ross intended to take Rachel to the prom when her prom date was late. This makes Rachel forgive him and they begin a relationship that lasts into the following season..
Joey, a struggling actor in the first season, gets a part in a fictionalized version of the soap opera Days of Our Lives but loses the part soon after when he angers the writers by saying in an interview that he writes many of his own lines.
The second season also served to deepen Chandler and Joey’s friendship. This becomes especially apparent in the episodes in which Joey temporarily moves out and a creepy guy named Eddie Menuek moves in. Chandler is disgusted that Eddie doesn’t like what he likes, and has trouble bonding with him, so he allows Joey to move in and pretend that Eddie never lived there.
Tom Selleck begins a recurring guest role as Dr. Richard Burke. Richard, a friend of Monica and Ross’ parents who is recently divorced and with grown children, is 21 years older than Monica but despite this they date for the second half of the season. In the season finale, they end the relationship when they realize that he does not want any more children and she does. Another surprise comes when Chandler falls in love with a woman over the Internet and when he goes to meet her at Central Perk, Janice walks in. Despite this, they decide to get back together, for real.
Season 3
The third season of Friends, premiered on NBC on September 19, 1996. It is usually regarded as some of the series’s finest work. The season contained 25 episodes and concluded airing on May 15, 1997.
This season took on a significantly greater serialized format. Rachel begins working at Bloomingdales and Ross becomes jealous of her co-worker, Mark Robinson. Ross and Rachel break up after Ross sleeps with a hot girl from the copy shop, Chloe. His insistence the he and Rachel were ‘On a break’ becomes a running gag through the remaining seasons. The Two show significant animosity towards each other through the second half of the season. Though the cliff-hanger ending suggests the two reconcile. Interestingly, the first episode after they break up does not focus on the two of the, But on Chandler, who is having a very hard time dealing with the situation; as it reminds him of his parents’ divorce.
Phoebe Buffay, established as having except for an identical twin sister, becomes acquainted with her half-brother, Frank Jr. and in the finale discovers her birth mother she never knew she had. Joey develops a crush on Kate, his acting partner in a new play. At first she doesn’t harbour feeling for him, even after sleeping together. However, after her boyfriend/director dumps her following a scathing review of the play, she turns to Joey for support. The relationship doesn’t last long, as she is given an opportunity on a soap opera in Los Angeles.
Monica begins a relationship with Pete Becker, a millionaire who has a crush on her. At first, she only sees him as a friend, but eventually, the two begin to date. Preparing for what she thinks is a marriage proposal; Pete confides in her that he wants to become the Ultimate Fighting Champion. After seeing him get beat up badly in two matches, she tells him he has to give it up. Since he wont, she breaks up with him.
Season 4
The fourth season of Friends, premiered on NBC on September 25, 1997. This season contained 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 7, 1998. It also concluded a run of seasons generally considered among the series’s best, from Seasons 1-4 (or sometimes 2-4). It was also one of three entries on TV Guide’s list of the Top 100 TV Seasons, containing “Friends” seasons.
In the Season 3 finale, Ross enters a room greeting to one of either Rachel or Bonnie. In the season premiere, it’s revealed he’s actually saying “Hi” to both of them, as he finds Rachel spreading Bonnie’s bald head with lotion. Bonnie leaves off and Ross continues his interrupted kiss with Rachel. He decides to break up with Bonnie to get back together with Rachel, who writes a letter to him. However, she’s willing to reconcile with Ross only on condition that he accepts that the letter “does” (state that he accepts full responsibility of everything wrong with their previous relationship). However, Ross is too tired to read a 36-page letter in the early hours of dawn (“18 pages – front and back”), but his desire to get back with Rachel is such that he accepts the letter, unknowingly to what he’s agreeing to. When he does actually read the whole letter, he changes his idea, and thanks to Rachel’s continuous reference to the letter after they have sex, they break up again.
Meanwhile, Chandler and Joey are with Monica at the beach, where she gets stung by a jellyfish. Joey, who saw a feature on the Discovery Channel, suggests peeing on the bite, but gets the stage-fright, so Chandler does it. In doing this, he ends his continuous speculations of a relationship with Monica, who despite defining Chandler a cute, great guy, calls him “the guy who peed on me”. Not long after, Chandler and Joey are robbed in broad daylight, and for a while they fill the apartment with rusty patio furniture and a canoe (The One With The Cat).
Having learnt the truth about her birth mother, Phoebe is extremely disappointed about her and the fact that she never tried to find out about her. Phoebe storms off, never wanting to see her again. After tracking her down, however, Abbott starts off an uncomfortable but moderately friendly rapport with her daughter (albeit with some initial struggling). It’s during this season that Lisa Kudrow (who plays Phoebe) becomes pregnant. This is written in the show as her surrogate pregnancy which she goes through for her brother and his new wife (who also get married in this season but we actually meet for the first time in the third season).
Joey starts dating an actress named Kathy, who Chandler has a crush on. However, Chandler and Kathy kiss while she still sees Joey. Uncomfortable about Joey finding out about her and Chandler, Kathy breaks up with Joey, but he still finds out about the kiss from Chandler, whose guilt is so great that he buys new furniture for their empty apartment. He becomes so angry that he starts sending off the stuff Chandler bought, until Chandler resolves the issue by spending Thanksgiving in a box (The One With Chandler In A Box). Thanksgiving this year is awkward for Monica, who invites Dr Timothy Burke, Richard’s son, and kisses him, a brief lip contact which reminds her of her ex-boyfriend, but Joey and Chandler make up on this day. Chandler starts dating Kathy, but breaks up with her after she sleeps with her fellow actor, who Chandler sees having simulated sex with his girlfriend in a play.
Monica starts a catering business with Phoebe, but after reviewing Alessandro’s restaurant and accepting a job as head-chef there, she and Phoebe break the catering business up. Her new rapport with her fellow workers is quite difficult at first, but following Chandler’s suggestion, she fires Joey in a set-up and gains control of the kitchens. She and Rachel also lose their apartment to Joey and Chandler in this season (as a bet with a quiz with personal questions about each other). To make matters worse for Rachel, her boss Joanna dies, and as a result she gets shunted in Personal Shopping at Bloomingdale’s, where she meets Joshua, who she has a crush on. After several incidents which prevent Rachel from expressing her true feelings to him (including an unplanned opera visit which ends up with Rachel introducing Ross to his new girlfriend, Emily), she starts dating Joshua.
However, Ross and Emily, who are crazy over each other, move on quite fast, and agree to get married in London. This sets off Rachel in a competition with Ross, and proposes to Joshua, who is still in the process of getting his divorce final. She scares him off so much that he breaks up with her. Ross sends out the invitations for his London wedding (The One With The Invitation), and naturally he invites all his friends, but struggles to invite Rachel after Emily’s remarks. He decides to invite her anyway, but she is too worried of being highly uncomfortable seeing Ross marry another woman, so she RSVPs as not coming.
The friends all go to London (The One With Ross’ Wedding, Part 1). Monica helps Ross with the preparations for his wedding, but between the torn-down chapel, the hurried guests menu and other stuff, she almost puts the wedding off by suggesting to Emily to postpone the ceremony; she then helps Ross solve the problem. The rehearsal dinner is a disaster for everyone: Ross can’t get his parents and new in-laws to settle their arguments about payments for the wedding, Chandler can’t deliver the toast, Joey gets homesick (until he meets one of Emily’s bridesmaids, Felicity), and between her mother’s cynical remarks and a drunken guest mistaking her for Ross’ mother, Monica falls in a depression about being single. In USA, Phoebe, who can’t travel by plane because she in her third trimester of pregnancy, has Rachel staying with her. Phoebe helps her re-discover her feelings for Ross.
Ross’ wedding day (and the second part of the season finale) contains a few surprises: Ross almost catches Monica and Chandler, who sleep together; Rachel rushes off to London to tell Ross she still loves him (only to find him kissing his wife-to-be and realize that Ross is happy to marry Emily); and Ross has all his friends as guests to his wedding. The ceremony starts, Emily says her vows, and Ross starts saying his. But he stops mid-stream when he calls Emily “Rachel”, putting an end to the fourth season.
Season 5
The fifth season of Friends, premiered on NBC on September 24, 1998. This season contained 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 20, 1999.
Season five features Monica and Chandler trying to keep their new relationship a secret from their friends. Phoebe gives birth to triplets in the show’s one hundredth episode. She gives birth to a boy, Frank Jr. Jr., and two girls: Leslie, and Chandler. (They had originally thought that there were two boys and one girl, but decided to keep the name Chandler, despite the baby turning out a girl.) Ross and Emily’s marriage is called off as Emily is intimidated by Rachel, and Ross is unwilling to give up his friendship with her as Emily demands. Phoebe starts a relationship with police officer Gary. Monica and Chandler go public with their relationship, to the surprise of their friends. They decide to get married on a trip to Las Vegas, but change their plans after witnessing Ross and Rachel drunkenly stumble out of the wedding chapel.
Season 6
The sixth season of Friends, premiered on NBC on September 23, 1999. This season contained 25 episodes and concluded airing on May 18, 2000.
In the sixth season premiere, Ross and Rachel’s marriage is established to be a drunken mistake, and they divorce several episodes later. Monica and Chandler decide to move into her apartment together, and Rachel moves in with Phoebe. Joey lands a role on a cable television series called Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E, where he stars alongside a robot. Joey, back in show businees, tries to get his celebrity picture back on a dry cleaner’s wall.
Ross gets a job lecturing at New York University, and starts dating one of his students, Elizabeth. Phoebe and Rachel’s apartment catches fire, and Rachel moves in with Joey while Phoebe moves in with Chandler and Monica. Monica, not yet engaged, gets on a two-year waiting list to hold a wedding at a local museum; however, due to a cancellation, the museum calls and offers her a spot sooner, to Chandler’s surprise. He freaks out… or so it seems. Paul tells Ross to stop dating Elizabeth; Ross and Elizabeth go away for a secret weekend at her grandmother’s cabin, but Paul and Rachel show up there as well. Ross gets away with it, thanks to some emotional blackmail. Chandler decides to propose to Monica, who considers reconciling with Richard. Although Richard confesses that he still loves her, Monica accepts Chandler’s proposal.
Season 7
The seventh season of Friends, premiered on NBC on October 12, 2000. This season contained 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 17, 2001.
Monica and Chandler are busy preparing for their wedding, which gets a bit too much for Chandler. Chandler gets glasses but everyone thinks he had them all along. Phoebe decides to give Monica her grandmother’s chocolate-chip cookie recipe as an engagement present, but discovers it was destroyed in the fire. She and Monica try to figure out the secret recipe, only to discover that they are Nestle Tollhouse cookies. Rachel tries to teach Joey to sail his boat; she turns into her Dad in the process.
Joey’s TV series Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E. is canceled, but he’s offered his job back on Days of Our Lives. Phoebe’s apartment is fixed, but is rebuilt with only one large bedroom instead of two, so Rachel decides to stay with Joey. Phoebe also discovers she’s also a year older, when Ursula shows her their birth certificate.
In the big season finale, Monica and Chandler get married and Rachel and Phoebe stumble across a positive pregnancy test in Monica’s bathroom, leading to some confusion over who’s actually pregnant.
In preparation for the wedding, Ross has the “big brother” talk with Chandler, telling him that if he ever hurts Monica, he’ll kick Chandler’s ass. This amuses everybody. Monica stresses that Rachel will forget one of her responsibilities. Joey gets a part in a World War I movie (Over There), with an actor who teaches him that great acting means enunciation, and enunciation means you spit. The wedding rehearsal dinner is held; Chandler’s parents feign civility. Chandler freaks out about becoming “the Bings” and disappears; Ross goes to look for him. The Geller parents stop by the coffee shop; Mrs. Geller takes a liking to Gunther. While Rachel and Phoebe wonder how to keep Monica from finding out Chandler is missing, Phoebe finds a positive pregnancy test in Monica’s bathroom. Joey finds out he’s scheduled to work the day of the wedding.
Rachel and Phoebe decide to keep their knowledge of Monica’s pregnancy a secret. Joey tries to get out of filming, but can’t. He only has one scene to do, but it drags on all day because the star is drunk. Ross and Phoebe find Chandler at his office and convince him to come back, one step at a time. Rachel stalls Monica, but is just about to reveal that Chandler is missing when Ross and Phoebe return with him. Joey still can’t leave the set, so Rachel finds another minister, a Greek Orthodox Priest. Chandler is still a bit flighty, but then he overhears Phoebe mention Monica’s pregnancy, and that brings him back to reality. Joey kidnaps the star so he can leave the set, and barely makes it to the ceremony in time. Chandler tells Monica he knows about the baby; but she tells him there is none. Unbeknown to everybody, Rachel is apparently the pregnant one.
Season 8
The eighth season of Friends, premiered on NBC on September 27, 2001. This season contained 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 16, 2002. This season has an average of 24.5 million viewers tune in, placing the show in the rank as #1 in 2002. Season 8 is the most watched season of the series.
This season was nominated for multiple Primetime Emmy Awards, including Lead Actor in Comedy Series for both Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry, and Guest Actor for Brad Pitt for the episode The One with the Rumor. Jennifer Aniston and the series itself won Emmy Awards for Lead Actress and Outstanding Comedy Series, respectively.
The overriding theme of season 8 is Rachel having a baby. The eighth season’s first three episodes revolve around the identity of Rachel’s baby’s father, who is revealed to be Ross. Rachel and Ross decide to have the baby, but do not resume their romantic relationship. Joey develops romantic feelings for Rachel, but she does not feel the same. Rachel gives birth to baby Emma in the season finale, and Ross’s mother wants him to propose. Joey finds Ross’s ring on the floor, and Rachel accepts what she thinks is his proposal.
Season 9
The ninth season of Friends, premiered on NBC on September 26, 2002. This season contained 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 15, 2003.
Monica and Chandler decide to have a child themselves but discover that they’re unlikely to conceive.
Phoebe begins dating Mike Hannigan, and chooses to be with him over her ex David after some agonising ponderings. Rachel and Emma move in with Joey and Rachel finds herself kind of falling in love with him.
In the Friends season 9 finale, the gang travels to Barbados to hear Ross give a keynote speech at a palaeontology conference. Joey’s palaeontologist girlfriend, Charlie, ends up kissing Ross. Meanwhile, Joey enjoys an end-of-season kiss with Rachel.
Season 10
Friends Season 10 is the last season of the US TV Sitcom Friends. Season 10 contained 18 episodes, with the season first airing from September 25, 2003 to May 6, 2004.
The season opens in Barbados following on from the end of season 9. Ross and Charlie, a fellow paleontologist (and at the time Joey’s girlfriend) kiss. Joey sees this and goes to Rachel’s room, where the two of them also kiss. However, they both decide to talk to Ross about the situation to make sure he is okay with it. When Ross finds out after seeing them kiss, he tries to hide the fact that he is hurt, but they realize he is. Joey talks to Ross about the situation and Ross says that he will be okay with the relationship. After several obstacles that prevent Joey and Rachel from consummating the relationship, they decide to remain friends. By the end of the sixth episode of this season, Ross becomes single again after Charlie decides to get back together with her ex-boyfriend. Mike tells Phoebe that he wants to marry her which culminates in their wedding mid-season.
Monica and Chandler, after finding out that they are infertile, decide to try to adopt a child. They select a woman named Erica. Following this, they decide that they will need to move to a house in Westchester. Rachel is head-hunted for a job with Gucci, but in the restaurant where she is being interviewed, her boss (Mr. Zelner) is seated at the next table. She gets fired from Ralph Lauren and also doesn’t get the job with Gucci, which leaves her unemployed. She accidentally meets Mark, her boss from Bloomingdale’s in Season 3, who offers her a job with Louis Vuitton in Paris. Ross, still being secretly in love with her, doesn’t want her to leave.
In the season’s (and series’) final episode, Erica delivers Monica’s and Chandler’s baby, although–to their surprise–she actually had twins, a boy and a girl. Monica and Chandler named the children Erica and Jack (after Monica’s father) and move to their new house. Phoebe and Ross go to the airport to try to convince Rachel to stay, but they end up going to the wrong airport. After Phoebe successfully causes a delay in the departure, they eventually meet Rachel at the gate before she boards, but even though Ross tells her how he feels, Rachel still boards. Ross goes back home only to find a message from Rachel saying she made a mistake. As she is hindered by a stewardess from getting off the plane, the connection breaks. Rachel then stands in Ross’ doorway and they kiss and declare their love for each other.
The series ends with Chandler’s and Monica’s last goodbyes as they prepare to leave their apartment for their new home.