Throughout its 10-season run, the NBC sitcom Friends won over a lot of fans and amassed a following from all over the world. Even today, it continues to be a hit among viewers, spawning brilliant fan art inspired by the series and its beloved main cast of characters.
Having scored 62 Emmy nominations and six wins, the show has left a lasting legacy. Whether you are just getting into the series or your planning on binge-watching it for the millionth time, these episodes will make you miss the gang the most.
The One With The Football (Season 3, Episode 9)
This holiday episode opens with the gang making preparations for Thanksgiving dinner. While the men were enjoying a football game on television, Joey suggests that they “throw the ball around a little.” That’s pretty much how Monica and Ross got to talking about the ‘Geller Bowl’ and, after some discussion, the gang ends up having a football game.
As most fans know, the game also leads to one of the gang’s 10 most memorable Thanksgiving fights. Many may also recall that every Thanksgiving Friends episode also played in movie theaters to commemorate the show’s 25th anniversary.
The One With All The Thanksgivings (Season 5, Episode 8)
In this Thanksgiving episode, the gang recalls their worst Thanksgiving memories after they’ve enjoyed another hearty turkey feast prepared by Monica. In the process, fans learn some interesting tidbits about this group of friends. Clearly, the highlight of the episode was when viewers learned that Chandler once got his head stuck inside a turkey.
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the show’s co-creator, David Crane, clarified that the turkey wasn’t real. Meanwhile, the episode’s writer, Greg Malins, explained, “The biggest turkey ever for sale is not big enough to fit a human head,” so hey made one out of foam instead.
The One With Unagi (Season 6, Episode 17)
This episode aired right after one of the show’s two-part episodes titled The One Could Have Been. And after seeing what would happen if Rachel married Barry and Monica was still full-figured, fans thought Friends would give them a little breathing room. It really didn’t.
In this episode, Ross claims to Phoebe and Rachel that he’s a martial arts expert who has the “unagi.” He even tried to scare the women to make his point. However, they managed to get back at him in the end. Meanwhile, Chandler recycles a mixtape as a late Valentine’s gift for Monica.
The One Where Ross Got High (Season 6, Episode 9)
In this Friends Thanksgiving episode, we discover one of the reasons why Chandler is better than Ross. As it turns out, Ross and Monica’s parents thought that it was Chandler who smoked pot in Ross’ room while they were in college. In reality, however, it was Ross who had been getting stoned.
Because of this, Jack and Judy had a low opinion of Chandler, which made it hard for Monica to tell them that she and Chandler were living together. Fortunately, Chandler was later vindicated. Meanwhile, the gang also had to deal with Rachel’s awkward “banana-meat thing” for dessert.
The One Where Everybody Finds Out (Season 5, Episode 14)
As fans may have heard, Monica and Chandler’s relationship almost happened much earlier on the show. Nonetheless, most people are glad that things turned out the way they did. The two first got together while most of the gang was in London to attend Ross’ wedding, and when they returned, they decided to keep seeing each other while maintaining the relationship on the DL.
As everyone can tell by the title of this episode, however, the rest of the gang eventually finds out after Rachel and Phoebe gets them to confess.
The One With The Embryos (Season 4, Episode 12)
The episode is so-called because Phoebe gets Frank and Alice's embryos implanted in her and later learns that she’s pregnant, making her a successful surrogate for her brother and his wife. Interestingly, David Crane also later told TV Guide that the “germ of the episode started when Lisa (Kudrow, who portrayed Phoebe) told us she was pregnant.”
Meanwhile, an argument among the friends results in a trivia game that pits Chandler and Joey against Monica and Rachel. As it turns out, the idea came from a group of screenwriters that the show’s co-producer, Seth Kurland, knew.
The One With Monica’s Thunder (Season 7, Episode 1)
The episode follows the season six finale in which Chandler proposes to Monica. In this episode, Monica wanted to celebrate their engagement by having champagne at The Plaza. So, the gang gets all dressed up for the evening and they were all ready to go when Monica discovers Rachel making out with Ross.
This leads to an argument between the two women and Monica accuses her oldest friends of stealing her thunder. Elsewhere, Chandler also had to deal with some intimacy issues, leading him to remark, “Tonight, biology failed me.”
The One With Five Steaks And An Eggplant (Season 2, Episode 5)
The episode stands out to many because it deals with an awkward situation that a lot of people can relate to. Here, Monica gets promoted at work and it prompts a celebration dinner for Monica. They decide to go “someplace nice.” This, inevitably, results in an expensive dinner in which Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey tried to keep their orders as cheap as possible.
Following the dinner, the three object to splitting the tab equally among themselves. Later in the episode, Monica learns that she’s been fired.
The One With The Red Sweater (Season 8, Episode 2)
At some point, it was decided that Rachel’s story arc would include a pregnancy. And when she finally confessed that she was expecting, the gang tried to guess who the baby’s father was.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have a lot of clues, at first. In fact, all they had to go on was a red sweater. Initially, they thought it was Tag’s. But then, they later realize that Tag was wearing his sweater. In the end, they realize that the father of Rachel’s baby can only be Ross.
The One Where They Say Goodbye (Season 10, Episode 17 and 18)
This two-part episode is also known as The Last One and it would be the show’s series finale. In a way, the show’s creator, Marta Kauffman, knew it was time. “Everybody was growing up,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “This is part of why the show had to end.”
The episodes ended the friends’ story arcs nicely. Monica and Chandler were blessed with twins. Meanwhile, Rachel didn’t get on the plane and got back together with Ross. However, Monica and Chandler decided to move out of the apartment. In the final scene, everyone walked out together to grab coffee.