Every Major ‘Friends’ Character, Ranked from Least to Most Beloved

Three decades on, the core crew of ‘Friends’ still feels like, well, friends—plus a handful of recurring faces who helped shape the show’s world. To celebrate the characters who defined Central Perk, apartment 20, and countless New York misadventures, here’s a friendly countdown of 12 major players who kept the laughs, romances, and life changes moving.

This list includes the six leads and six essential supporting characters who appear across multiple arcs and milestones. From relationships and careers to family dynamics and running gags, each entry highlights concrete details that made these characters matter within ‘Friends’—no fluff, just the key facts that tell their story.

12. Susan Bunch

Susan Bunch is Carol Willick’s partner and later spouse, becoming a central figure in the co-parenting of Ben alongside Ross. She is present for major milestones in the family’s life, including Lamaze classes and Ben’s birth, and she participates in the wedding ceremony that formalizes her and Carol’s commitment. Her interactions with Ross chart the practical challenges of parenting arrangements, holidays, and scheduling—recurring issues the trio navigates throughout ‘Friends’.

Across the series, Susan’s presence helps define Ross’s early storyline while fleshing out Carol’s new chapter. She appears at school functions and family moments, supports Carol through pregnancy and early parenthood, and directly negotiates household decisions that affect Ben. Her consistent role in major life events gives the show a grounded look at shared custody and blended families in ‘Friends’.

11. Carol Willick

Carol Willick is Ross Geller’s first spouse and Ben’s mother. Early in the series, she and Ross finalize their separation after Carol begins a relationship with Susan, and the show follows their practical steps toward a stable co-parenting plan. Carol’s wedding to Susan becomes a landmark event in ‘Friends’, and she appears in episodes that cover Ben’s milestones—from naming decisions to daycare and holiday traditions.

Carol’s storylines anchor multiple family arcs: custody agreements, navigating new partners, and defining boundaries with extended relatives. She maintains an active co-parenting relationship with Ross, coordinates family logistics with Susan, and keeps Ben’s day-to-day life on track. Her role adds steady, real-world continuity to ‘Friends’ outside the main apartment group.

10. Richard Burke

Richard Burke is a respected ophthalmologist and a longtime friend of the Geller family who dates Monica Geller in a serious relationship. Their romance addresses age-gap considerations, family reactions, and long-term planning, including the question of whether either partner wants children. Richard’s recurring appearances span an initial courtship, a difficult breakup, and later cross-paths that revisit unresolved practical differences.

Richard’s social ties run deep: he knows Jack and Judy Geller well, attends family and group gatherings, and interacts comfortably with the entire circle. His return visits explore compatibility and timing rather than day-to-day drama, providing a realistic look at how previously aligned couples can diverge on life goals. Within ‘Friends’, he’s a benchmark for Monica’s expectations in relationships and adulthood.

9. Janice Litman-Goralnik

Janice Litman-Goralnik (née Hosenstein) is a recurring presence best known for her distinctive voice and “Oh. My. God.” exclamation. She dates Chandler Bing on and off across multiple seasons, and later appears with significant life updates—marriage, motherhood, and new homes that occasionally intersect with the main group’s plans. Janice’s entries and exits often coincide with turning points for Chandler, marking transitions from casual dating to long-term commitment.

Beyond romance, Janice’s episodes track practical realities: moving decisions, family responsibilities, and changing social circles. She interacts with Monica and Chandler as their relationship advances, and her later appearances connect to the couple’s next chapters, including neighborhood choices. Janice’s timeline provides reliable checkpoints that show how the friends’ adult lives evolve in ‘Friends’.

8. Gunther

Gunther manages the Central Perk counter and appears throughout the run of ‘Friends’, serving as a constant in the group’s daily routine. His unrequited crush on Rachel Green becomes an ongoing thread that surfaces in conversations, minor conflicts, and heartfelt admissions. He is multilingual—at one point demonstrating Dutch—and he frequently bridges scene changes with quiet reactions and well-timed interjections behind the bar.

Functionally, Gunther anchors the show’s most familiar setting and supports dozens of plot beats that start or end in the coffeehouse. He handles staffing issues, maintains the space where the group meets, and occasionally enforces café rules that impact the friends’ conversations and seating arrangements. His steady role builds continuity for ‘Friends’, connecting everyday hangouts to major announcements.

7. Mike Hannigan

Mike Hannigan meets Phoebe Buffay through a blind date arranged by Joey Tribbiani, and the relationship develops into an engagement and marriage. A classically trained pianist, he performs publicly and brings a different professional background into the group’s mix. Mike’s family history and upbringing are explored in visits that include formal dinners and conversations about expectations.

His arc addresses long-term decisions such as marriage plans, name changes, and whether to have children, resolving them through direct conversations with Phoebe. Mike steadily integrates into the group’s dynamic, attends key events, and participates in apartment gatherings and holiday plans. His storyline helps round out ‘Friends’ by showing how new partners become permanent family.

6. Ross Geller

Ross Geller is a paleontologist with a PhD who works at a museum and later teaches at a university. His early storylines cover a separation from Carol Willick, the birth of his son Ben, and a gradual reconnection with Rachel Green that spans multiple seasons. Ross’s academic career drives several plots, including conference trips, tenure considerations, and a controversial class-related dating policy issue.

He experiences three marriages—Carol, Emily, and a quickly annulled Las Vegas ceremony with Rachel—each producing significant consequences for living arrangements and friendships. Ross’s apartment moves, sibling moments with Monica, and evolving role as a father provide ongoing structure. His history with Rachel frames many of ‘Friends’ most consequential decisions, including life changes in the final season.

5. Monica Geller

Monica Geller is a professional chef whose apartments become the show’s primary gathering places, hosting Thanksgiving meals, birthday parties, and impromptu late-night talks. Her career tracks include restaurant jobs, kitchen leadership, and the pressures of hiring, firing, and maintaining high standards. Monica’s storylines also span roommate arrangements, rent negotiations, and maintenance quirks in her building.

Her relationship with Chandler Bing progresses through secrecy, disclosure to friends, engagement, and marriage. Monica’s family ties with Jack and Judy Geller and her sibling history with Ross add tradition and friendly rivalry to group events. In later seasons, Monica and Chandler pursue adoption and prepare for parenthood, culminating in twins and a move that closes a major chapter of ‘Friends’.

4. Phoebe Buffay

Phoebe Buffay works as a massage therapist and performs original songs at Central Perk, turning fringe gigs into recurring musical moments. Her family history—losing her mother, reconnecting with her father Frank Sr., and bonding with her half-brother Frank Jr.—gives the series room for reunions and reconciliations. Phoebe also serves as a surrogate for Frank Jr. and Alice, carrying triplets and expanding the show’s family tree.

Her romantic arc eventually leads to Mike Hannigan, with significant beats around engagement logistics and wedding plans. Phoebe’s twin sister Ursula appears in crossover moments that complicate schedules and social circles. Throughout ‘Friends’, Phoebe’s combination of work, music, and extended family commitments creates practical scheduling hurdles the group adjusts to together.

3. Rachel Green

Rachel Green begins the series by leaving a wedding and rebuilding her life as a Central Perk barista before moving into fashion. She works at Bloomingdale’s and later at Ralph Lauren, taking on roles that involve travel, office politics, and career competition. Rachel’s living situations include time with Monica, then Joey, and brief solo stretches that intersect with the group’s evolving relationships.

Her long-term connection with Ross Geller includes a shared daughter, Emma, and multiple breakups and reconciliations. Rachel’s career choices, from job interviews to promotions, influence major decisions about moving and childcare. In the final stretch of ‘Friends’, life-changing offers lead to airport goodbyes and renewed commitments that bring her and Ross to a turning point.

2. Joey Tribbiani

Joey Tribbiani is an actor best known for playing Dr. Drake Ramoray on ‘Days of Our Lives’. His career covers auditions, soap-opera contracts, agent changes, and the ups and downs of pilot season. Joey’s living arrangements—first with Chandler and later with Rachel—shape daily routines like rent splits, furniture swaps, and pet care, including chicks and a duck that briefly redefine apartment rules.

He pursues sitcoms, stage roles, and advertising gigs while navigating representation with his longtime agent Estelle Leonard. Joey’s family background includes a large group of sisters and periodic visits that create scheduling crunches and social obligations. His trajectory in ‘Friends’ shows the practical realities of a working actor balancing friendships, income, and unpredictable job security.

1. Chandler Bing

Chandler Bing starts in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration before transitioning into advertising, charting a late-career pivot that involves portfolio building and agency job searches. His living situation with Joey Tribbiani sets early patterns for the group’s hangouts, while a later move to Monica Geller’s apartment and then to a new home marks milestones tied to engagement, marriage, and parenthood.

Chandler’s family includes Nora Tyler Bing and a parent who later performs under the stage persona Helena Handbasket, with holiday visits and ceremonies that bring the extended family into focus. His relationship with Monica develops from secrecy to shared domestic routines and adoption plans, culminating in newborn twins and a move that closes the door on apartment 20. Across ‘Friends’, Chandler’s career change, marriage, and adoption track some of the series’ biggest life transitions.

Share your own order of these ‘Friends’ characters in the comments—who lands at the top of your list and why?