Friends episodes centered on Ross Geller are the most Googled, according to a brand new study. Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Friends premiered on NBC in 1994. Earning impressive ratings from the outset, the show still managed an upward trajectory to become one of the most successful and popular television shows of all time. It ultimately ran for 10 seasons, culminating in 2004 with a two-part series finale watched live, globally, by over 50 million people. The show, which will soon celebrate its 25th anniversary, has also seen a new lease of life in recent years, with a new generation coming to the show via Netflix. The show, however, will soon move to HBO Max.
Friends told the story of a titular friend group as they navigated life, love, and career ambitions in New York City. Played by David Schwimmer, Ross Geller was the brother to Courtney Cox's Monica and the former college roommate of Matthew Perry's Chandler Bing. He was also one half of the show's central "will they/won't they" couple with Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green. As such, Schwimmer featured in each of the 236 episodes. Although Ross initially served as the supposed grown-up of the group, the oft-divorced paleontologist would increasingly prove to be anything but, engaging in a number of meme-worthy exploits along the way.
In a new study, the group SEMrush thought it would be fun to celebrate the aforementioned 25th anniversary by delving into the Google patterns surrounding the show. The results proved quite surprising, with Ross, of all the characters, having emerged as the most searched. According to their data, the character's infamously ill-fated encounter with a pair of leather pants topped the list of moments queried by the search engine. The incident saw Ross attempt to try a range of new things, including donning a pair of tight leather trousers. Unfortunately, they shrank somewhat due to heat and he found himself unable to get them on again after visiting the bathroom. The brilliantly portrayed moment of slapstick went on to include equally ill-fated experiments with lotion and talcum powder. Equally, the episode titled, "The One Where Ross is Fine", which saw Ross's drunken attempt at coming to terms with Rachel and Joey's romantic relationship, emerged as the most Googled episode. Check out the full list of most searched moments below.
ross leather pants episode - 320
the one where rachel quits friends christmas episodes - 210
friends episode ross leather pants - 210
friends episode where they switch apartments - 170
friends episode with the trivia game -170
ross pivot episode - 170
ross spray tan episode - 140
ross tanning episode - 140
friends episode where they bet the apartment - 110
friends ross tan episode - 110
friends ross tanning episode - 110
friends episode the one where ross finds out - 90
friends the one with all the kissing full episode - 90
friends episode where phoebe cuts monica's hair - 70
where is my friend's home episode list - 70
friends episode with maple candy - 70
friends episode with reese witherspoon - 70
friends the one with brad pitt full episode - 70
friends the one with the red sweater full episode - 70
phoebe smelly cat episode - 70
Ross's individually disastrous attempts at getting a spray-tan and buying a new sofa also registered near the top of highly searched moments. Among them, people also searched for the moment where Chander and Joey compete against Rachel and Monica in a game of trivia to decide who will live in the nicer of their two apartments. Although the episode is largely centered on the competition between those two teams, Ross still featured prominently in that episode - serving as the appointed host and question-master of the game. Apart from "The One with the Embryos", which is focused on Phoebe's attempt to get pregnant as a surrogate for her brother and his wife, the remaining list of popular episodes are equally Ross-centric. "The One with Unagi", "The One Where No-One's Ready", and, more emotionally, "The One Where Ross Finds Out" all make the list. The latter being the episode where Ross dramatically first learned that Rachel returned his romantic feelings. Check out the full list of most searched episodes below:
The One where Ross is Fine - 2208
The One where No-One's ready - 2098
The One with Unagi - 1950
The One with the Embryos - 1765
The One where Ross Finds Out - 1429
The One with the Rumor - 1391
The One with Russ - 1268
The One after the Superbowl - 1259
The One where Everybody Finds Out - 1255
The One with the Prom Video - 1154
The One that Could Have Been - 1118
The One where Joey Speaks French - 1059
The One where Ross Got High - 1018
The One with all the Thanksgivings - 972
The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner - 932
The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin - 907
The One with the Blackout - 876
The One with the Flashback - 876
The One with Ross's Teeth - 839
The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break - 832
Google has played quite a role in Friends anniversary proceedings. The popular search engine recently unveiled a range of interactive easter eggs. That Ross is at the center of most searches, however, will prove surprising to many. Over the years, a lot of the character's traits and actions have been deemed problematic in retrospect. As such, debate over whether Ross is a nice guy or a "nice guy" has continued to rage. Whichever side of the fence fans fall on regarding the issue, however, the data clearly backs up Ross being one of the most comedically beloved of the group.
Friends' entire 10 season run is currently available globally on Netflix.
Source: SEMrush