|Why Friends?
Why is FRIENDS so popular?
This is a show about love and sex and careers and a time in life when everything is possible ... about the search for commitment and security ... and the fear of commitment and security. Most of all, it's about friendship--for when you're young and single in the city, your friends are your family.
The show's enduring popularity isn't just down to a devoted fan base of nostalgic 30 and 40-somethings. It's also due to a new crop of binge-watching Gen Z-ers around the world who see themselves in its characters and situations, even though Friends premiered before some of them were even born.
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FRIENDS all-time favorites
The One With The Embryos
A truly classic episode of “Friends,” this story sees Phoebe becoming a surrogate for her brother and his wife. That piece of the story is sped up a bit unrealistically (but hey, Phoebe's body has always been a little faster than Western medicine), but it is touching and also a really clever way to write in Kudrow's real-life pregnancy. That sweet and slightly more serious story is balanced by Monica and Rachel getting embroiled in a gambling battle with Chandler and Joey, culminating in them losing their apartment in a game of trivia.
Release:
Season 4, Episode 12
The One After Vegas
Ross and Rachel wake up in bed together, remembering almost nothing about the night before. At breakfast, their friends ask them about it. Neither Chandler nor Monica wants to go through with their own marriage plans, but each one is scared to back out. They decide to look for another sign... but even though the signs keep coming, they keep denying it. Finally, Chandler suggests they live together. Joey (who still has Phoebe's cab) convinces her to keep him company on the drive home. He promises to make it a fun road trip, but he ends up sleeping most the time.
Release:
Season 6, Episode 1
The One Where Everyone Finds Out
Joey and Rachel already knew Monica and Chandler are together, and Phoebe finds out, which leads to an intricate web of mind games as she prefers to mess with the couple, rather than come clean. Monica figures out Phoebe's so-called crush on Chandler is fake, and she pushes Chandler to play an uncomfortable game of sexual chicken with Phoebe. He cracks first, admitting he's in love with Monica not just to Monica, but to all of the friends (minus Ross, who's dealing with getting a new apartment).
Release:
Season 5, Episode 14