Ross Geller often gets the reputation of being the least favorite friend on the hit sitcom, Friends. While other characters like Phoebe or Chandler got the witty one-liners and less serious storylines, Ross was often the straight man or the voice of reason.
Despite Ross's serious nature, he actually did have a lot of standout episodes of Friends where he was the funniest character. While he may not have been as hilarious as Chandler or as quirky as Phoebe or even as charming as Joey, Ross had a good sense of humor and a knack for trying new things that often led to unpredictable, haphazard results.
"The One With Phoebe's Birthday Dinner" (Season 9, Episode 5)
Phoebe was hoping for a fun night out with her friends in season 9, only to be completely let down by their various mishaps. Ross and Rachel's plotline involved Rachel's inability to leave baby Emma with a sitter for a few hours, causing Ross to get increasingly frustrated with her.
Ross's quippy one-liners directed at Rachel this episode were so on the nose and hilarious, (like when she worried they may have left the oven on and he reminded her that she hadn't used an oven since 1996). Although Rachel's first time mom concerns were valid, Ross's response to her anxiety was funny and correct, as she was not one to typically cook or leave kitchen equipment.
"The One With Ross' Teeth" (Season 6, Episode 8)
Ross's dating life was far from perfect, but a lot of his own actions made it much harder than it needed to be. In season 6, Monica set her brother up with one of her friends, only for Ross to accidentally sabotage the date with teeth whitening strips of all things.
In preparation for his date, Ross whitened his teeth for a little too long, causing them to glow in the dark. This move frightened his date to the point of her leaving, despite viewers and his friends finding it to be hilarious. When Ross was the funniest friend, it wasn't necessarily because he was trying to be, he was instead, unintentionally, comedic.
"The One With Joey's New Girlfriend" (Season 4, Episode 5)
Friends had a lot of running gags over the years, but one of the funniest came from Ross Geller himself. In a season 4 episode, it was revealed that when Ross and Monica were children, he created a unique way to give his sister the finger.
Ross's "friendly finger" came in the form of banging his two fists together at the person he was upset with. This led to everyone in the group catching on, with Rachel and Ross specifically targeting each other. It was called back to many times throughout the show, all thanks to Ross's creativity.
"The One With Ross's Sandwich" (Season 5, Episode 9)
Season 5 Ross had a lot to deal with; he was getting divorced for the second time, his best friend was sleeping with his sister, and he didn't have a place to live. All of these events led to him having a breakdown over a seemingly simple misunderstanding: a co-worker ate his Thanksgiving leftover sandwich.
The "moist maker" as Ross called it was very important to him, so important that it caused him to lash out at his boss. In turn, Ross was put on sabbatical and forced to deal with his actions, which for him meant eating cotton candy at Central Perk. It was a funny take on a seriously trying time for Ross, and a break from work was probably in his best interest.
"The One With The Cop" (Season 5, Episode 16)
There are a lot of inside jokes that Friends fans share, but perhaps the most famous one is the use of the word "pivot" when moving furniture. That is thanks to Ross Geller and his expert directing of how to get a couch up the stairs of his new apartment.
In "The One With The Cop," Ross refused to pay the delivery fee for a new couch, and insists that he can bring it up several flights of stairs. He enlists Rachel and Chandler to help him, only for them to get incredibly annoyed with his pivoting. The three of them getting stuck in the stairway is comedy gold, despite the situation being a horrendous one.
"The One With The Tiny-T-Shirt" (Season 3, Episode 19)
Ross was undoubtedly the most stubborn friend, something that developed even further as the series went on. He was particularly stubborn when it came to the aftermath of his breakup with Rachel, from declaring they were on a break to not letting her keep any of his things.
In "The One With The Tiny T-Shirt," Rachel asked Ross not to take back a shirt of his that she loved and wore frequently (and one that didn't even fit him anymore). In response, Ross was desperate to prove his ex wrong, and put on the tight shirt in a power move. The way it fit him was hilarious, and made Ross the star of the episode even when he was clearly in the wrong.
"The One With Ross's Tan" (Season 10, Episode 3)
As a form of self-care, Ross decided that it was as good of a time as any to go to the tanning salon for the first time in season 10.
Ross's tanning experience went all wrong, with him first requesting to be far tanner than he needed to be, and then not understanding the way the machine operated, causing him to only get sprayed on one side of his body. Ross's tan served as comedic lesson to Friends fans everywhere; be careful when getting a spray tan.
"The One With Unagi" (Season 6, Episode 17)
Despite being a professor, Ross was never afraid to get creative and play by his own rules. In season 6, he felt the need to teach his friends the art of unagi, which he claimed to mean being hyper-aware of one's surroundings.
Rachel wasn't having it, and kept insisting that unagi was a type of sushi, prompting Ross to try to sneak attack her on multiple occasions. Rachel and Phoebe eventually poked fun back at him, and scared him with their own unagi. It was a hilarious storyline that highlighted Ross's character quirks, specifically his inability to let things go.
"The One With All The Resolutions" (Season 5, Episode 11)
Ross was always down for holding himself accountable when it came to trying new things, and, in the year 1999, he decided he was going to do something new every day. His resolution was cut short when he got stuck in leather pants on a date, a fashion choice he would live to regret for a long time.
There was nothing quite as funny as Ross declaring at the beginning of the episode that he was going to be a new man post-divorce from Emily, only to be awkwardly trapped in his date's bathroom scenes later, with baby powder all over his legs.
"The One Where Ross Is Fine" (Season 10, Episode 2)
One of the funniest Friends episodes of all time came in the final season, when Ross had to process the news that his best friend, Joey and his ex-girlfriend, Rachel were seeing each other. Ross claimed that he was fine with the information, but his actions and vocal inflection said otherwise.
He then spent the entirety of the episode trying to prove how okay he was with their relationship, insisting that the new couple come over to his apartment for a double date with his girlfriend, Charlie. Ross got drunk off margaritas rather quickly, and made fajitas, though he burned his hands on them. Ross was the star of the episode, and his comedic timing was unmatched.