Friends: Popular Couples Ranked

For ten seasons, Friends dominated television as one of the most defining shows of the ’90s. Through the humor and their interactions with each other, there were a ton of love interests introduced for each character with some lasting only one episode and others getting longer arcs. Of all those relationships, a few really stood out to fans for both good and bad reasons, leaving a few as the most popular couples on the show. Check out the 15 most popular Friends couples ranked worst to best!

15. Joey and Rachel

When Joey started developing feelings for Rachel, it showed a side to the character fans didn’t see for much of the ten season run, and had quite a few actually rooting for them. Unfortunately, when it actually came down to the two of them acting upon their feelings, the chemistry just wasn’t there, it was awkward for viewers and it was awkward for the characters, so luckily it didn’t take too long before they realized they were better as friends.

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14. Phoebe and Gary

Phoebe’s relationships are always interesting, and it seemed like she found quite the guy in the cop, Gary. Despite starting the relationship because she found his badge and was using it, things seemed to be going pretty well for the pair. As a cop, however, it was clear Gary was a little too stern for the care-free and frivolous nature of Phoebe, plus he must not have known her well enough, or simply did not care, when he shot a pigeon right in front of the animal-loving Phoebs.

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13. Ross and Emily

Ross and Emily were actually pretty good together, and Emily was very sweet, but of course there was the unending problem of Ross and Rachel’s history. Although they were a likeable and believable couple together, there isn’t anything much worse than saying the wrong name at the altar and for that wrong name to be your ex-girlfriend’s who is in attendance. It goes to show the relationship wasn’t as great as it seemed!

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12. Ross and Elizabeth

There was a lot of wrong about this relationship, and it really didn’t go over well with a lot of fans for obvious reasons. There was the obvious problem of the age difference, which if she had been some girl he met in Central Perk, it could have been overlooked, but the teacher-student dynamic made it that much worse. Not only was that part weird in itself, but it was actually against University rules, making Ross so much more creepy than anyone thought. The romance did provide some good laughs at Ross’s expense, however.

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11. Chandler and Janice

Fans of Friends are quite divided on how they feel about Chandler and Janice. For some, they actually liked the pair together because, despite being odd, Janice was hilarious. For others, however, she was simply just too annoying. While they might have been entertaining, they were definitely not one of the best couples on the show if only because, for a lot of the time, Chandler seemed like he couldn’t stand her.

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10. Ross and Julie

Ross and Julie actually worked very well together, even though their relationship seemingly came out of nowhere. Unfortunately for Julie, her relationship with Ross began just as things were beginning to get interesting between Ross and Rachel. While she was likeable, fans were without a doubt going to root for Rachel, and that breakup between Ross and Julie was definitely a bad one.

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9. Joey and Charlie

For far too long fans saw Joey get involved with girls for only one episode, or end up with girls who were too much like him, which made his relationship with Charlie Wheeler a nice change of pace. While their differences in intelligence was too big of an obstacle for the pair, it led to quite a few laughs for the episodes they were dating, but no one was surprised when Charlie and Ross figured out they had way more chemistry than she did with Joey.

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8. Rachel and Paul

Bruce Willis’ stint as Paul, Rachel’s love interest, was unexpectedly hilarious, and it was definitely fun for fans to watch him torment Ross over his relationship with his daughter, Elizabeth, but his romance with Rachel just never seemed right. It wasn’t the worst because it offered some different and hilarious storylines, but it was clear that this wasn’t going to be a relationship that was going to last.

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7. Monica and Pete

At first, Pete was definitely creepy, and it made it difficult to understand a relationship developing, but Pete actually ended up being a pretty sweet and interesting guy. Although he was able to win Monica over and they had some cute moments together, it became obviously that his lifestyle was not going to mesh with Monica being so uptight.

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6. Ross and Charlie

Charlie Wheeler had a nine episode arc in Friends, and she actually seemed like a good match for Ross. She was beautiful, intelligent and, most importantly, was also a palaeontologist. Although she and Ross clicked right away, and seemed good for each other, they weren’t meant to be, which might have been disappointing, but fans knew it was always going to be Ross and Rachel.

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5. Phoebe and David

All Phoebe ever wanted was someone who loved her for who she is and how she is, and David was most definitely that guy. Unlike a lot of people, David understood Phoebe and all of her quirks, and it was easy to see the two actually being together, but in the end he did choose Minsk over her. Phoebe was always reliable for a good laugh, and when she and David were together it was always entertaining, but they just weren’t meant to be.

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4. Ross and Rachel

Ross and Rachel may have been the central couple through all 10 seasons of Friends, but they definitely were not the best. They were off just as much as they were on, and at times fans got rather tired of them realizing their love for each other or declaring it at all the wrong times, namely when the other one had seemingly moved on and found happiness with someone else. There is no denying their story had some of the best romantic moments and most quotable lines, but their relationship was far from stable and definitely not the best.

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3. Monica and Richard

The age-gap between Monica and Richard was a bit weird as well, but Monica’s personality and maturity quickly made fans forget about that. Their relationship was actually one of the best on the show because they were just so believable. Richard went above and beyond for Monica, including making up his own obsessive disorder just to show Monica her obsessive ways would not ruin their relationship. Of course, in the end the difference in wanting children broke the relationship, but without a doubt they were one couple fans rooted for.

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2. Mike and Phoebe

Of all of the guest stars and recurring characters to make their way onto Friends, Mike Hannigan was undoubtedly the best. Paul Rudd fit in perfectly with the cast when he made his first appearance as Mike in “The One with the Pediatrician” in season nine. It didn’t take long for their relationship to in some ways eclipse the others, and fans fell in love with the two together. Really, there was nothing wrong with Phoebe and Mike, but they just couldn’t take the top spot.

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1. Monica and Chandler

At first, Monica and Chandler may have seemed like the least likely couple out of all of the different ones Friends fans had seen over the years, but now they wouldn’t have it any other way. Their relationship was heartwarming and hilarious, and it didn’t take long for everyone to realize they really were perfect together, creating more “Awww” moments than fans thought possible. They were not nearly as dramatic as Ross and Rachel, and they portrayed a very realistic relationship with all the highs and lows, but sticking together every step of the way.