The Best Episode of 'Friends' Ever

“Friends,” the TV comedy, has a rare distinction. It is one of the few prime time shows that ran continuously for a decade or longer, a distinction it shares with “Roseanne” and “CSI: Miami.” It also starred one of the few actors in television history who made the crossover to a major movie career. Jennifer Aniston finds herself in the company of Robin Williams, Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood. Films she starred in, including “Marley & Me” and “He’s Just Not That Into You,” have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. Now she is also an independent producer, and Forbes has put Aniston’s net worth at as high as $200 million.

When “Friends” premiered back in 1994, no one had any idea whether it would even be picked up for additional episodes. The show about six twenty-somethings in New York City may have been just another pilot that went nowhere. Ten years and 235 episodes later, “The Last One” was the fourth most-watched TV show finale ever, with 52.5 million people tuning in.

To determine the best episode of “Friends,” 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience ratings from the IMDb. All the episodes of “Friends” were ranked based on average IMDb user rating as of November 2021. In cases of a tie, episodes with more IMDb user votes were given a higher ranking. Supplemental data on the number of IMDb user votes and original airdate also came from IMDb.

Much can change in the span of a decade, and that’s what happened with “Friends.” The characters fell in and out of love, changed jobs and apartments — and hairstyles. Though they stayed relevant, fans liked some storylines better than others.

The best episode of “Friends” is “The Last One” (Season 10, Episode 17). Here are the details:

• IMDb user rating: 9.7/10
• IMDb user votes: 13,965
• Original airdate: May 6, 2004