No list is complete without Friends!

A list of my favorite shows would not be complete without Friends. Friends premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994 and the rest is history. When the show ended its run on May 6, 2004 it was still very popular. Even now 10 years after the show ended, its popularity has never waned. It would be hard to find someone who has never heard of the six friends. Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe are forever apart of our lives. My sister and I will quote a line to each other and before we know it we quoting entire episode line by line. I swear it happens. Don’t believe me, ask my family.

Each character is important to the show and take even one out, the show would be off. My favorite characters are Chandler, Joey and Phoebe. I love Chandler’s social anxiety when it comes to women. He’s sweet and sarcastic. Joey is a little boy in a man’s body. He’s funny and so innocent in so many ways but he also has some great wisdom that showed him in a new light. Of course, his most famous line “How you doin’?” Phoebe is very eccentric with odd views of the world and I like how it interacts and often conflicts with Ross’s strictly scientific view.

It’s hard to choose my favorite episodes, so I picked my three of my all-time favorites. First, The One With the Embryos (January 15, 1998) where Phoebe is impregnated as a surrogate for her brother and her sister-in-law. The best moments are from Joey, Chandler, Rachel and Monica as they play a harmless game of who knows who better until the stakes are raised. Second, The One with the Football (November 21, 1996). It’s Thanksgiving when everyone decides to play football which brings out the intense sibling competition between Ross and Monica. One of my favorite lines in the show is when Monica is celebrating that her team is winning, “42-21 like the turkey, Ross is done.” Whenever I watch football games and the score is 42-21, I will quote this line. Lastly, The One Where No One is Ready (September 26, 1996) where Ross is desperately tries to get the rest of the gang ready for an event at the museum. This episode has many hilarious lines that I quote all lines but one of my favorites is Joey’s. After Chandler hides his underwear and Ross suggests that Joey not wear underwear, he responds with “It’s a rented tux. Okay? I’m not gonna go commando in another man’s fatigues.” These episodes still cracked me up after so many years.

So what your favorite Friends characters, episodes or line? After 20 years, what about the show still has an impact on you?