Friends: 10 Funniest Episodes

Even though friends first aired in 1994, it is still greatly loved by audiences of many generations. The series intertwines the six main characters’ lives, as they confront the trials and tribulations of adulthood, all whilst supporting one another in every way they can.

Each episode had it’s own subplot, with continuing through lines that guide each season. Although there is a lot of sadness in Friends, which helps to make the show true to life, there is also a huge amount of laughter from the mistakes they make and the way they all try to muddle through life, providing a whole collection of funny episodes.

10 The One With The Prom Video (Season 2, Episode 14)

Home videos are sure to disclose some embarrassing and hilarious memories that each person featured thought had been buried and were never to be brought up again. For the Friends gang, that video was of Monica, Ross, and Rachel’s prom.

Ross was on tenterhooks because he knew they’d see the moment he thought he’d be able to take Rachel prom. Whilst the episode is definitely emotional, the moving moments were embedded in typical Friends humor, mainly thanks to the character’s outdated hairdos and outfits. It was great for viewers to see the characters as their younger, less-mature selves, making it one of the funniest episodes.

9 The One Where Everybody Finds Out (Season 5, Episode 14)

Monica and Chandler’s friendship developed into something a lot more, but they chose to keep it under wraps for as long as possible. Although Joey found out, he didn’t tell anyone else, which only added to his plethora of quotes that prove Joey’s loyalty in Friends. Shortly after, Rachel and Phoebe learned of the relationship and they attempted to get them to confess.

Hilarity ensues when both Chandler and Phoebe continually try to up the flirting ante. On her quest to get the truth, Phoebe has no qualms in getting closer with Chandler, while Chandler obviously has his limits because of his commitment to Monica. In fact, Phoebe’s “seductive” dance moves deserve a special mention, simply because of how funny they are in contributing to one of Friend‘s most humorous episodes.

8 The One With The Girl From Poughkeepsie (Season 4, Episode 10)

As vocal as Monica can be, working at Allesandro’s left her feeling miserable and unwanted, whilst the rest of the staff took to bullying her. Hiring Joey as a waiter allowed her to ‘fake fire’ him, so that others could see she wasn’t to be messed with.

However, when Monica tries to fire him, it doesn’t work and she’s no better off. The episode is so funny because of Monica’s expectant expression and Joey’s unwillingness to go along with it, even seeming to make friends with Monica’s enemies. To brilliantly round off the episode, Phoebe sings her Christmas song she wrote about her friends and as any fan will know, Phoebe’s ditties are always a comedic gem.

7 The One In Vegas: Part 1 & 2 (Season 5, Episode 23 & 24)

‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,’ unless you’re part of the Friends core six where anything that occurs gets shared between the group. The episode saw Joey trying to convince a croupier that they were hand twins, Phoebe gets escorted out of the casino, and Chandler and Monica nearly get married.

But it’s Rachel and Ross’ drunken marriage that really got viewers howling with laughter. The pair stumbled through Vegas with permanent marker on their faces and married each other. The next morning, neither of them are aware of what the previous night entailed, making their alarming discovery extremely funny to watch.

6 The One With Ross’ Tan (Season 10, Episode 3)

Sometimes, Ross finds himself in sticky situations in Friends that wouldn’t have happened to anyone else. After he becomes envious of Monica’s spray tan, he decides to go get one himself, but he ends up with a ludicrously dark tan on one side, which is uproariously funny in itself.

A further plot line to the episode finds Phoebe and Monica’s old room mate paying a visit, much to their dismay. The pair can’t stand her and it’s pretty clear to see why as she constantly tries to prove herself to be staggeringly brilliant. Whilst the writing of the episode is fantastic, Jennifer Coolidge’s portrayal of Amanda is a strong factor in what makes the episode one of the best.

5 The One With Ross’s Wedding: Part 1 & 2 (Season 4, Episode 23 & 24)

“The One With Ross’s Wedding” fell over two episodes, dedicated to the main event. The first part depicts the build-up to the wedding, with Chandler finding Joey way too hard to manage because of his excitement about being in London. Chandler and Joey work as the perfect comedic double act because of their differences, which are exacerbated in the London scenes.

When it comes to the big day in part two, it couldn’t have gone more wrong for the ‘happy’ couple as Ross says Rachel’s names during his vows to Emily. The episode was a shocking as it was funny, which was helped along by Emily’s father and eccentric step mum who doesn’t seem fazed by any of it. Naturally, fans felt sorry for Ross and Emily, but it was still one of the most comical two-parters in Friends history.

4 The One With The Cop (Season 5, Episode 16)

It’s no secret that Phoebe tends to think very differently to the rest of her friends, but that’s what makes her so intriguing and funny to watch. When she finds a policeman’s badge, she doesn’t hand it into a station, rather she uses it to her own advantage – until she tries to use it on an actual cop.

However, the reason for this episode being one of the funniest is Ross, Rachel and Chandler trying to get Ross’ couch up a staircase. Even though Chandler is a TV character fans want to be friends with, he lost his cool with Ross, who keeps exclaiming the word “pivot.” Ross’ instruction is utterly useless (and ridiculously funny because of the way he keeps saying it) and of no help to the other two carrying the furniture. Chandler’s response quickly shuts him down, but only livens audiences up in fits of laughter.

3 The One Where Ross Got High (Season 6, Episode 9)

The main plot line of this episode is Jack and Judy Geller coming over for dinner and mistakenly believing Chandler to have been smoking marijuana at their house when he was younger. Monica tries to rectify this situation, but the whole debacle escalated into Monica and Ross revealing secrets about each other. The more outrageous the revelations became, the funnier it got.

The scenes of Rachel messing up a dessert trifle was a perfect subplot to the episode. Watching the others try to stomach what she had made was a little heartwarming, but Ross’s response of “it tastes like feet,” is a classic humorous line that could be seen as one of the most iconic quotes in Friends.

2 The One Where No One’s Ready (Season 3, Episode 2)

Ross simply wanted his friends to be ready on time for a function they were going to in “The One Where No One’s Ready.” It’s a fairly simple concept, but the five he is waiting on seem hellbent on making him late.

Whilst they each have funny reasons for not getting ready quick enough, Joey’s makes the episode one of the funniest in the series. Chandler hid Joey’s underwear and Joey decided the correct response was to wear everything that Chandler owned. It’s a childish comeback, but to the delight of audiences, a hilarious one. Seeing Joey parade about in an untold amount of clothes not only frustrated Chandler but added to Ross’ annoyance, culminating in a relentlessly chucklesome episode.

1 The One With The Football (Season 3, Episode 9)

There’s always a little healthy rivalry between siblings, but Monica and Ross take it to another level. After seeing a game on TV, the group have a game of football. The girls vs. boys match sees each team using any tactics they can to stop the other from winning.

The girls try jumping on Joey’s back and even getting Phoebe to flash Chandler, which is a particularly funny distraction because it’s typical of Phoebe to not be afraid to do such a thing. The game results in Ross and Monica not wanting to let go of the ball, with the hilariousness coming from seeing that the pair have clearly not grown up and are still stuck in their competitive sibling relationship.