Ever since Friends ended, over 15 years ago, fans have been looking back at the characters and how they are written and their opinions on them have changed. The show is so beloved, arguably even more than when it first aired, and fans still have strong opinions about their favorite characters, just as much as they did the first time around.
While some characters have become more beloved over the years, others have become more intolerable. Some viewers are now unable to deal with how insufferable some of these characters are, and these opinions grow with every rewatch.
Updated on January 11th, 2021 by Matthew Wilkinson: Because the sitcom has been such a popular show, being passed on to different generations, the characters who audiences like only become more popular, while those people dislike end up being hated even more. The series attempts to make the characters as realistic and relatable as possible, and as with real-life itself, not everyone is a likable person. Something that Friends do a great job with is blending both likable and unlikable people, giving the audience people to root for, as well as hate.
Most Likable - Phoebe Buffay
Phoebe is a bizarre character in a few different ways. Apart from being just a weird, quirky character, she is only likable for half of the series.
When she matures and as the show goes on, she gets nastier, becomes a worse friend, and is just not likable. However, for the first few seasons, her free spirit and innocent nature is a breath of fresh air, making her a character many fans adore.
Fans Can't Stand - Ursula Buffay
Phoebe's sister? Not so much. Ursula gets consistently shown to be a pretty awful person and far worse than Phoebe ever is during her time on the show (excluding her shady past, of course).
She is hated by just about everyone, and rightfully so. She is used mainly as a foil for examining Phoebe's troubling upbringing and life outside the gang, and while she does have a brief moment of positivity when dating Joey, Ursula is ultimately someone fans didn't like.
Most Likable - Monica Geller
Monica Geller is one of the lead characters and is someone who has a brilliant story arc throughout the show. Sure, there are moments where Monica is a little bit bossy and over the top, but she also has a huge heart, is incredibly hardworking, and puts her friends above herself consistently.
Monica's storyline to try and have a child is the most emotional within the entire series. Seeing her desperation to try and start a family makes her incredibly likable, and her relationship with Chandler is one of pure fun and love, which is why she's such a great character.
Most Likable - Rachel Green
Rachel is not the most popular person on the show and she does have her critics due to her spoilt nature.
However, she has become such a pop culture icon and is far more beloved than she is disliked. How she grows and becomes strong and independent is what makes her so likable, and this is also pretty inspiring for people everywhere.
Fans Can't Stand - Mr. Heckles
Mr. Heckles was pretty much the worst upstairs neighbor in the world and a bit of a creepy man, at that. Not only did he keep notes on the gang and their movements, but he tried to claim animals as his own when they were not.
When he died, it only really upset Chandler. Ultimately, fans found him occasionally funny, but not likable.
Fans Can't Stand - Judy Geller
Put simply, Judy Geller just isn't a very nice person. She's the mother of Ross and Monica and while it's obvious that she does care about them, it's also very clear that she favors Ross in a big way. She's incredibly rude to Monica consistently, criticizing her about everything within her life.
Judy never sees the positives in Monica, despite the fact she causes them no troubles and actually has her life in much better shape than her brother. She's also very blunt and rude to other people throughout the series, and while she can come out with some funny moments, overall, she's very unlikable.
Most Likable - Mike Hannigan
Mike Hannigan is by far the best outside of the group romance to pop up in Friends, and the only one to actually stick around until the end of the show. Played perfectly by Paul Rudd, Mike was likable in just about every way.
Leaving his law career to pursue his passion, standing up to his snobby parents, overcoming his fear of re-marriage, and dealing with Phoebe's weirdness, Mike was just a great guy. He brought so many funny moments, and he ended up being someone that fans wished had been around a lot longer.
Fans Can't Stand - Emily Waltham
On the other end of the spectrum when it comes to significant others, Emily Waltham was the opposite of Mike.
While Ross did make some mistakes, Emily was horrible. From not telling Ross she was already seeing somebody, to making Ross not see Rachel anymore, she was a stuck-up, selfish woman. She even got married mere months after she and Ross divorced.
Most Likable - Gunther
Gunther is incredibly awkward and very shy, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most likable characters in the entire series. Outside of the lead characters, nobody makes more appearances than Gunther, with the Central Perk barrister often popping up to make hilarious one-liners towards the group.
Whether it's his thoughts about how much he loves Rachel (and in turn hates Ross) or the moments when he gets to just be part of the group at parties, Gunther is always very funny.
Most Likable - Joey Tribbiani
Joey Tribbiani is pretty much completely loveable. While there are some problems with his character development, he remains probably the friend who cares the most, loves the most, and who fans find the most consistently lovable.
He may get dumber for no reason, and some may have issues with his womanizing ways, but overall, very few fans dislike the lovable and huggable Joey Tribbiani.
Fans Can't Stand - Kathy
One of Joey's love interests on the show started as someone who was actually a really good character, and someone who fits well with Chandler.
As time went on, though, Kathy became despised. It was already a problem that she and Chandler kissed, but it ended up being OK. Then, she cheated on Chandler and, in an instant, became just loathed by all.
Most Likable - Chandler Bing
Speaking of Chandler Bing, he seems to be the most universally beloved character on Friends and is many people's favorite character, or at least near the top of most fans' list.
His flaws make him realistic and relatable, and along with being incredibly funny, loving, caring, and supportive, he makes both a fantastic friend and a brilliant significant other to Monica. He is consistently the best character and arguably the one that grows the most.
Fans Can't Stand - Janine Lecroix
Janine is one of the women that Joey dates throughout the show, and is one of his more long-term relationships by his standard. However, she was also one of the least likable characters that ever appeared, and was someone that fans absolutely couldn't stand.
There were a lot of boyfriends and girlfriends throughout the series, and for the most part, they all got along with the rest of the group. However, Janine actively disliked Monica and Chandler, which instantly turned fans against her, and from that point, there was no turning back for this character.
Most Likable - Jack Geller
Jack Geller is easily the best supporting character in the entire series and someone who just brings an immense amount of fun and joy to the show. Every time he appears, fans know that something funny is going to happen and that reputation allowed him to become a real hit.
Unlike his wife, Jack was kind and caring to both of his children and actually provided some sound advice to them at points throughout the show. With his hilarious one-liners, strange observations, and very random, yet hilarious comments, Jack was an amazing character.
Fans Can't Stand - Ross Geller
Few television characters have become so vilified and hated in the same way as everybody's least favorite paleontologist, Ross Geller, who over the years has just become less and less liked by fans.
David Schwimmer is brilliant in the role, but how Ross treats women and all of his other, many flaws do not make him as relatable as Chandler, as lovable as Joey, as strong as Rachel, as parental as Monica, or as free as Phoebe. He's just plain unlikable.