Friends: The One With The Best Episode From Every Season (According To IMDb)

Since it began airing in 1994 there have been few television shows that have resonated with audiences as much as Friends. The Central-Perk 6 have been cultural phenomenons for nearly three decades and the children of the show’s original fans have begun to discover, and love, the series as well.

While the entire series is a masterpiece, ultimately there has to be a best and worst episode of every season. Friends nearly pulled off the feat of having a top-rated IMDb score higher than 9 for every season (missed on season 9 with an 8.8) clearly deserving the universal praise that the show receives.

10 The One with the Blackout, Season 1 (9.0)

Comedies very often take a few episodes (even a whole season or two) before it’s really clear who the characters are and what their relationship will be – Friends was not one of those comedies. From the very first season it was clear that the gang all fit together perfectly and it displayed prominently in this episode where the group has to hang out together during a city-wide blackout (save for Chandler who gets stuck in an ATM vestibule with a supermodel). Unfortunately, despite the good times the group has, this is the episode where Rachel meets Paolo and audiences couldn’t have been less thrilled about it.

9 The One with the Prom Video, Season 2 (9.4)

Fans were aching at this point in season 2 for Ross and Rachel to make it work between the two of them, but after the drama of Ross breaking up with Julie and Rachel finding the list he made about her flaws it seemed as the though the two weren’t destined to work. That is until Monica plays a VHS tape from her and Rachel’s prom where it’s revealed that Ross was going to offer to take Rachel when her date stands her up. Rachel is stunned and can’t believe that Ross would do that for her and the two finally get together for the first time.

8 The One with the Flashback, Season 3 (9.1)

Just like Janice said, it’s hard to believe that a group of people who spend so much time together haven’t ever slept with one another. Friends was known for its frequent use of flashbacks in later seasons, but during the season three episode which takes place entirely in a flashback three years prior to the present date it’s revealed that many of the gang members actually have almost slept with each other (shockingly all occurring within the same 30-minute span) with Joey/Monica, Phoebe/Ross, Chandler/Rachel all being the ‘almost’ pairs.

7 The One with the Embryos, Season 4 (9.5)

Phoebe sure is one generous sister (just not to Ursula). At this point in season 4 she had already agreed to be the surrogate for her brother Frank and his wife Alice and she spent the episode getting inseminated and hoping that she would get pregnant. Meanwhile, the gang takes part in an apartment-altering bet that ultimately ends with Rachel and Monica having to swap apartments with Chandler and Joey.

When the groups are in the middle of packing/moving they begin arguing about the bet… only to stop fighting and celebrate when Phoebe announces that she’s pregnant with Frank and Alice’s child.

6 The One where Everybody Finds Out, Season 5 (9.7)

Monica and Chandler did a really good job hiding their relationship in season 5 (lasting 14 episodes) but eventually, the chickens had to come home to roost. Mondler made a crucial error when they started having sex in Monica’s apartment at the exact time Phoebe was across the street looking at them. Joey (who already knew) tries to get Phoebe and Rachel (who also knows) to end the lying and secrets but naturally, Phoebe wants to have a little fun. She ends up “seducing” Chandler and almost driving him to kiss her – only for Chandler to pull away at the last second and declare that he won’t kiss Phoebe because he loves Monica. The episode ends with Ross finding out about Mondler the same way Phoebe did earlier.

5 The One with the Proposal, Season 6 (9.3)

Another Mondler episode took the top-rating for the second year in a row when Chandler decides that he wants to marry Monica but runs into a bump when Richard shows up and reveals to Monica that he still loves her. Monica is left with a choice to make and Chandler frantically runs around New York trying to tell Monica how much he loves her and propose, but has no luck. He returns to the apartment… and finds Monica waiting for him in a candle-lit room where she then proposes to him (kind of).

4 The One with Monica and Chandler’s Wedding, Season 7 (9.2)

Three years in a row Mondler takes the top-rating with the episode that was three seasons in the making. It was completely out of left field when Chandler and Monica got together in season 4 but fans were elated by the new couple and couldn’t have been happier in season 7 when they finally tied the knot. However, the episode was hindered by the fact that Chandler (of course) got cold feet and tried to run out on the wedding, only to change his mind when he finds out Monica is pregnant.

They have the ceremony, they kiss, they get married, and Chandler reveals that he knows about the baby, but Monica insists she’s not pregnant… and the episode ends with the cliffhanger reveal of Rachel actually being the one who is pregnant.

3 The One with the Rumor, Season 8 (9.3)

The season 8 Thanksgiving episode that featured Brad Pitt as an old friend of Ross and Monica’s from childhood was so hilarious that it earned Pitt an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy. It’s revealed that Pitt’s character, Will, used to be fat like Monica and apparently got picked on relentlessly by the one and only Rachel Green in high school. He also reveals that he was part of an “I-Hate-Rachel” club in high school… with Ross. Things only get worse when he tells Rachel that they started a rumor that she had both male and female genitalia, a rumor that apparently spread all the way to Chandler’s high school about the “hermaphroditic cheerleader from Long Island”. (Of course, while this may be the highest rated of the season, that doesn’t mean it’s aged well.)

2 The One with Rachel’s Other Sister, Season 9 (8.8)

Friends was known for its variety of famous guest appearances and one such star was Christina Applegate, who played Amy, Rachel’s sister. For the second year in a row the Thanksgiving special took home the top-rated episode as Rachel’s sister Amy showed up for the big holiday. It’s immediately clear that Amy is irresponsible and immature, yet she gets incredibly offended when it’s revealed that she wouldn’t get custody of Emma if Ross and Rachel both died. She and Rachel end up fighting (breaking some of Monica’s wedding china in the process) but eventually make up when Rachel lets Amy use her Ralph Lauren discount.

1 The Last One, Season 10 (9.7)

Could it have been any other episode? The series finale of Friends is still notorious for drawing in over 50 million viewers when it aired and cemented the show as one of the greatest comedies of all time. The episode follows Monica and Chandler receiving their adopted child, only to be flabbergasted when they’re told by the doctors that Erica is pregnant with two babies instead of just one. Meanwhile, Ross does everything he can to prevent Rachel from moving to Paris and declares his love for her. The rest is written in television history – Monica and Chandler become parents, Rachel gets off the plane, and the Central Perk 6 will forever live on.

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