My Top 10 this week is Top 10 Friends Characters! A tough list to make as Friends is one of my favorite shows!
Close Calls: Gunther, Judy Geller, Sandra Green
Jack Geller was such a ridiculous and bombastic character and he fends off some strong close calls (including his wife!) to come in at #10 on the list. Elliott Gould played the awkward father character to perfection who always shared just a little bit too much and went a little bit too far. But he also ultimately meant well and had some very sweet moments on the show with his on-screen children. Jack and Judy provided a different type of dynamic whenever they were on the show with the age difference.
9. MIKE HANNIGAN
Phoebe was always a little bit of an outsider among the six main cast members - she wasn't siblings with any of them, she didn't date any of them, she didn't know any of them when they were in high school. So her story occasionally was parallel. That continued towards the end of the series but they found her a perfect match in Paul Rudd's Mike Hannigan. Mike was more normal than Phoebe but goofy and lovable and the perfect match for her with an easy chemistry between Rudd and Lisa Kudrow.
Janice is one of the best examples in TV history of a character who is intentionally super annoying but works as a character every time. I think a major reason is she was never overused. The show was really judicious about using her as a character and it paid dividends for the entire ten year run. Maggie Wheeler created such a personality and such a distinct voice that her character has lived on and is so very easily quotable.
7. AMY GREEN
Christina Applegate appeared in a grand total of two episodes of Friends and yet she was strong enough to be my highest ranked character besides the main six. She was just perfectly cast as Jennifer Aniston's younger sister, a glimpse into what Rachel might have been like if she hadn't found her friends in the pilot. She was hilariously spoiled and outrageous and had many laugh out loud moments. I wish we could have seen more of Amy during the run. I would have loved to see her as a recurring character.
6. MONICA GELLER
Now we get into the main six. Anyone who likes Friends and doesn't put these six ahead of everyone else, in some order, is wrong. They are the show, it's simple as that. So even though Monica is last on my list, she is still lightyears ahead of any other, non-main character. That's how crucial the six of them are. Monica comes in last simply because I find her a little more irritating than the others. I know it's the point but sometimes her anal behavior gets the best of her and it can be a little too much. But I'm not her to diss Monica, she's a great and valued character.
Phoebe is so delightfully weird and, as I mentioned in my post about Mike, a very different character in the series. Sometimes I felt like the writers did a disservice to Phoebe by pushing her eccentricities a little too far whereas they should have just trusted that the brilliant Lisa Kudrow could take things to just the right place. I also would put Phoebe is in a close competition with Joey for the most pure of heart among the six friends. And in the recent reunion on HBO Max, Kudrow slipped back into the character with such ease, it was amazing.
4. CHANDLER BING
At his best, Chandler can be funnier than any of the other friends with his quick witted replies and Matthew Perry's uncanny delivery of lines. At one point, I might have put him at the top of my list. But when I watch the series in totality, Perry is somewhat inconsistent. I know that is due in large part to his offscreen troubles but the reality is that sometimes makes Chandler hard to watch (Season 2 and Season 7 are the most notable examples of that). But he can be just so brilliant too, that's why he comes in the middle of the pack as far as the main six. It's higher highs and lower lows.
Joey evolved quite a bit over the course of the series and it's the Joey of most of the middle years that I like best. At the very beginning, they don't quite know what to do with the character. At the very end, they infantilize him too much. But in the middle, he finds that sweet spot with the lovable but dim personality. Matt LeBlanc took a character who could have devolved into a stereotype much sooner and made him a character everyone just felt a lot of love for. He always meant well and always had the best interests of all his friends at heart.
2. RACHEL GREEN
I have always thought Jennifer Aniston does not get enough credit for how truly funny she was on Friends. I know she has had a tremendous career and won an Emmy for the role and I think people have appreciated her acting, but I don't know that people have appreciated her comic abilities because she was always the "beautiful" one. Rachel was a really funny character but also a character who went on quite a journey over the course of the series - from a spoiled and somewhat unlikable rich girl to a self assured woman who knows what she wants in life.
I know, I know. This is probably a very controversial choice for #1 especially since there seems to be a loud contingent of the internet who have proclaimed Ross to be the absolute worst. But I couldn't disagree more. I think David Schwimmer is a comedic genius and I think Ross is responsible many of the truly laugh out loud moments of the series. Of course there is "Pivot!" and the leather pants but there's also some less heralded ones like the entire episode of "The One Where Ross is Fine." I'm not sure I would put Ross #1 on the list of who I'd like to be friends with but he's my favorite character because he just has so many of my favorite moments, including some serious ones.
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at A League of Their Own!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 Roseanne Characters!
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