10 Worst ‘Friends’ Episodes, Ranked
Even a show as beloved as Friends isn’t perfect at all times. In fact, with 236 episodes across its 10 seasons, it’s a given that at least a handful of them are total stinkers. For a sitcom that became a pop culture phenomenon and continues to rack up streams decades later, the bar is sky-high—and that makes the low points stand out even more.
Whether it be because the plot just wasn’t good, the jokes didn’t land, or it simply didn’t age well, we’ve singled out the 10 worst episodes of the hit series and ranked them accordingly. So, if you’re curious to revisit the not-so-great side of Central Perk or just want to feel validated in skipping that episode during your binge, you’re in the right place.
10
“The One with the Thumb”
Season 1, Episode 3 (1994)
“The One with the Thumb” isn’t a terrible episode. It’s not offensive or ill-intentioned by any means; it’s simply bland and boring. Though you can’t entirely fault the episode since it was only the show’s third one in Friends‘ very first season, and it was still finding its footing.
The episode sees Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) find a thumb in the bottom of a soda can (Ew!), and she is given money from the soda company as an apology, which she promptly tries to get rid of. The other plots are Chandler (Matthew Perry) picking up smoking again after showing Joey (Matt LeBlanc) how to smoke a cigarette for a part, and Monica (Courteney Cox) thinking her boyfriend is too perfect. There’s nothing all that exciting going on, so it’s a pretty easy skip.
9
“The One with Christmas in Tulsa”
Season 9, Episode 10 (2002)
Much of this list could be made up of “clip episodes,” of which Friends had multiple throughout its run. These episodes are made up primarily of clips from previous episodes, with only a loose plot line to weave them all together. Really, any of those episodes could have made this list, but Season 9’s “The One with Christmas in Tulsa” is the worst.
In it, Chandler is stuck spending Christmas in Tulsa. The only one who stays behind with him is a woman named Wendy (Selma Blair), which leads to a major misunderstanding when Monica hears her voice over the phone and immediately assumes Chandler is having an affair. The reason this episode wins out over the other clip episodes is that it was such a needless excuse for drama. Chandler would never have cheated on Monica, and to use that plotline as the basis for the season’s Christmas episode was not the best decision.
8
“The One with the Creepy Holiday Card”
Season 8, Episode 11 (2001)
Yet another Friends Christmas episode lands on the worst episodes list, proving yet again that the show’s best holiday depiction was Thanksgiving. But that’s a whole other topic. “The One with the Creepy Holiday Card” mainly follows Ross (David Schwimmer) as he panics when Mona (Bonnie Somerville) suggests sending out a holiday card together. He gets freaked out because he feels like it’s too soon in their relationship to do so, which really makes no sense given Ross’s penchant for getting married all the time.
The subplot of Chandler going to the strip club with his sleazy boss is also uninteresting and not fun to watch. But the saving grace of the episode is the humorous Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) subplot, in which her pregnancy hormones are causing her to be highly aroused, and she starts looking at Joey in a different light, thus kicking off the controversial Rachel and Joey will-they-won’t-they.
7
“The One with the Fake Party”
Season 4, Episode 16 (1998)
“The One with the Fake Party” suffers primarily from the love interests that were introduced in Season 4, as this episode puts both Emily (Helen Baxendale) and Joshua (Tate Donovan) as the focal point. Rachel decides to throw Emily a going-away party as an excuse for her to invite Joshua and see him.
Ross, having only two days left with Emily before she goes back to London, is upset because he had a romantic night planned out, so he’s sulking for a lot of the episode. And Rachel is so cringey here, it’s actually a little painful to watch. She tries so hard to seduce Joshua, even encouraging her fellow friends to play a game of Spin The Bottle, and dressing up in her old cheerleader uniform. She eventually gets the guy by the end of the episode, but it’s still difficult to watch as she repeatedly embarrasses herself.
6
“The One with the Sharks”
Season 9, Episode 4 (2002)
“The One With The Sharks” is just a weird episode in all regards, and even though it has its funny moments, it’s too difficult to look past the ultimate premise of the episode. Monica surprises Chandler in Tulsa, unknowingly interrupting his “alone time.” In his haste to change the channel from the erotic film he was actually watching, he accidentally flips to the nature channel, and Monica mistakenly believes Chandler “Gets his jollies to Jaws.”
The subplot of this Friends episode is actually really good, as it develops the relationship between Phoebe and Mike (Paul Rudd) when she reveals to him her lack of serious relationships, and realizes that Mike may be the one to change that. But unfortunately, it’s hard to focus on any of the other storylines when Chandler is being accused of being aroused by sharks. Seriously, who approved that?
5
“The One with the Male Nanny”
Season 9, Episode 6 (2002)
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Unfortunately, this is a case where a bad episode has a really great guest star. That guest star is Freddie Prinze Jr. The episode follows Ross and Rachel as they seek to hire a nanny for their daughter Emma, only to dislike every candidate that comes in. That is, until Sandy (Prinze Jr.) waltzes in, seemingly sent from the Heavens above.
He’s perfect for the job, so great with Emma, and Rachel loves him. But Ross is uncomfortable having a male nanny, and so he treats Sandy with disrespect, demeans his masculinity due to his career choice, and ultimately puts the kabosh on him getting the job, despite being the best fit. It’s an episode that has never sat right with fans, as Ross’s insecurity over hiring a male nanny is rather unforgivable.
4
“The One with the Ick Factor”
Season 1, Episode 22 (1995)
“The One with the Ick Factor” is an early example of a Friends episode that just didn’t age well. Though it’s baffling that it was approved to air at all. In it, Monica starts seeing a younger man named Ethan (Stan Kirsch), who claims he is a senior in college, to which Monica replies and says she is 22 (despite being 26 at the time). They end up having sex, during which Ethan reveals he’s a virgin and Monica will be his first, and afterwards Monica, touched that Ethan trusted her with such a special moment, tells him the truth about her age.
He takes the news well, which makes her feel better, but that relief doesn’t last long because Ethan has a secret of his own: He’s actually a senior in high school and is only 17. She immediately ends the relationship, but the damage is done, and it does not sit well today, or really at the time of airing either.
3
“The One Where Ross Dates a Student”
Season 6, Episode 18 (2000)
Speaking of inappropriate relationships with younger people, it clearly runs in the Geller blood, because in Season 6, Ross starts seeing a younger woman himself. This time, at least, she is truthful about her age. She is actually in college, something that Ross knows for certain because she is his student.
Both Ross and Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden) admit that it’s against the rules for them to date, but they go on with it anyway, giving us one of the ickiest storylines in the show’s run. He only started dating her when he found out she was his secret admirer, so it feels extremely predatory and like he’s taking advantage of her allure for him, making their relationship, the episode, and all episodes featuring Elizabeth going forward, feel gross.
2
“The One with Ross and Monica’s Cousin”
Season 7, Episode 19 (2001)
“The One With Ross And Monica’s Cousin” is widely regarded as being one of the strangest and grossest episodes Friends ever put out. Monica and Ross’s cousin Cassie (Denise Richards) comes to town ahead of Monica and Chandler’s wedding and plans to stay with them. However, her beauty distracts Chandler, and he’s unable to stop staring at her, which makes her uncomfortable and Monica rightfully angry. Instead, she stays with Ross, so you’d think her problem of being leered at and objectified would be over, right? Wrong. Because Ross too notices how beautiful she has become since he last saw her, and somehow convinces himself that she is also attracted to him. He even tries to make a move on her, somehow believing it will go over well and Cassie won’t be repulsed by the idea.
It’s unfortunately not the first time the show has made incestuous jokes (who can forget that the show canonically said Ross was Monica’s first kiss in “The One Where the Stripper Cries”). This episode is better if you just skip it altogether, save your stomach.
1
“The One with Chandler’s Dad”
Season 7, Episode 22 (2001)
It is widely agreed upon that “The One with Chandler’s Dad” is the worst Friends episode due to how poorly it has aged. One of the running “jokes,” if you can call it that, is that Chandler’s father is a Drag Queen. In this episode, Chandler and Monica go to Vegas to see her show and invite her to their wedding, since Chandler had yet to do so. Chandler’s relationship with his father was always a complicated one, and he often joked about it as a way of coping. They have a sweet moment where Chandler invites her, and she says she wouldn’t miss it for the world, but the show still makes a mockery of the character and refuses to acknowledge her transgender identity.
Also controversial is that the character is played by Kathleen Turner, who, while a great actress, is not transgender or a Drag Queen, and thus never should have been in the role. Both Marta Kauffman and Turner herself have spoken out about the character and how it should have been handled better, with Turner saying she would never take the role today. Unfortunately, “The One With Chandler’s Dad” will forever be a stain on the series due to it’s blatant disregard of the LGBTQ+ community and turning what should’ve been an important character of diversity to the show, nothing but the butt of a joke.
