Old Friends
Unlocking the secrets of an enduring ’90s classic.
The megahit sitcom Friends celebrates its 25th anniversary this fall. It has become an unlikely classic. One wouldn’t expect a laugh-tracked multi-cam sitcom created to pander to Gen-X advertisers to age well, but then one would be wrong: As each successive generation of 15-year-olds finds something to love in the show, it has proved its timelessness, so much so that in July, AT&T paid $100 million to snatch the rights to the show from Netflix.
Amid the birthday bonanza celebrating the show’s 1994 debut—including a pop-up in SoHo—we’re commemorating the way we know best: by running every Friends script through algorithms and talking to the experts to insights: in this case, Saul Austerlitz, author of the forthcoming Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era. Here’s what we learned.
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Click any character to see how many scenes they were in
Select multiple characters to see how many scenes they were in together
Rachel and Ross may have dominated the dialogue, but Chandler and Monica, whose furtive roll in the sheets blossomed into the show’s first intra-friend marriage, occupied more scenes than any other two. “I think they get overlooked because the Rachel/Ross relationship is so tempestuous,” says Austerlitz. “Chandler and Monica have a more stable trajectory. It feels like an avenue to grow up some where Rachel and Ross often feel more sophomoric and more combative.”
The One with All the Combos
The One with All the Combos
The One with All the Talking
The One with All the Talking
The iconic Friends shot is the full cast of six gathered at Central Perk, but the show’s throughline was the will-they-won’t-they between Ross and Rachel. Even though the pair didn’t account for the most common two-person scene combos (see next for that), the writers honed in on them throughout the show’s nine seasons. “That was the emotional character audiences were most connected with and that’s what they returned to over and over,” says Austerlitz.
Chandler & Phoebe
Chandler & Phoebe
795
795
Monica & Ross
Monica & Ross
921
921
Phoebe & Ross
Phoebe & Ross
1068
1068
Chandler & Ross
Chandler & Ross
1295
1295
Monica & Joey
Monica & Joey
920
920
Joey & Phoebe
Joey & Phoebe
1204
1204
Joey & Ross
Joey & Ross
1589
1589
Rachel & Joey
Rachel & Joey
1662
1662
Monica & Phoebe
Monica & Phoebe
1684
1684
Rachel & Monica
Rachel & Monica
1756
1756
Rachel & Phoebe
Rachel & Phoebe
1776
1776
Chandler & Joey
Chandler & Joey
2563
2563
Monica & Chandler
Monica & Chandler
3201
3201
Rachel & Ross
Rachel & Ross
3796
3796
Rachel & Chandler
Rachel & Chandler
670
670
Chandler & Phoebe
Chandler & Phoebe
795
795
Chandler & Ross
Chandler & Ross
1295
1295
Chandler & Joey
Chandler & Joey
2563
2563
Monica & Chandler
Monica & Chandler
3201
3201
Rachel & Chandler
Rachel & Chandler
670
670
Rachel & Joey
Rachel & Joey
1662
1662
Rachel & Monica
Rachel & Monica
1756
1756
Rachel & Phoebe
Rachel & Phoebe
1776
1776
Rachel & Ross
Rachel & Ross
3796
3796
Rachel & Chandler
Rachel & Chandler
670
670
Monica & Ross
Monica & Ross
921
921
Phoebe & Ross
Phoebe & Ross
1068
1068
Chandler & Ross
Chandler & Ross
1295
1295
Joey & Ross
Joey & Ross
1589
1589
Rachel & Ross
Rachel & Ross
3796
3796
Monica & Ross
Monica & Ross
921
921
Monica & Joey
Monica & Joey
920
920
Rachel & Monica
Rachel & Monica
1756
1756
Monica & Chandler
Monica & Chandler
3201
3201
Rachel & Monica
Rachel & Monica
1756
1756
Chandler & Phoebe
Chandler & Phoebe
795
795
Phoebe & Ross
Phoebe & Ross
1068
1068
Joey & Phoebe
Joey & Phoebe
1204
1204
Monica & Phoebe
Monica & Phoebe
1684
1684
Rachel & Phoebe
Rachel & Phoebe
1776
1776
Monica & Joey
Monica & Joey
920
920
Joey & Phoebe
Joey & Phoebe
1204
1204
Joey & Ross
Joey & Ross
1589
1589
Rachel & Joey
Rachel & Joey
1662
1662
Chandler & Joey
Chandler & Joey
2563
2563
Number of lines spoken between characters:
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Old Friends
Unlocking the Secrets of a Mid-90s Classic.
Get stunning visual
stories every week.
story By andrew thompson
Design by tri vo
Old Friends
Tap on the quotes to see how many times these catchphrases were used in the series:
How you
doin?
Smelly cat
We were on a break!!!
Ugly naked guy!
We were on a break!!!
23
23
Ugly naked guy!
17
17
How you
doin?
23
23
Smelly cat
38
38
The One with the Catchphrase
The One with the Catchphrase
Phoebe may have been given the least amount of dialogue on the series, but the most screened minor character was her husband Mike, played by Paul Rudd. “My guess is she’s used less because Friends always seeks that balance between emotion and comedy, and funny storylines and serious storylines,” says Austerlitz. “Phoebe mostly exists on the far end of the spectrum as a most explicitly comedic character.” Bringing in Mike as her husband offset her strictly comedic quality, and as they show neared the finish line, rounded out a character defined primarily by her idiosyncracies.
Pete Becker
Pete Becker
103
103
Susan Bunch
Susan Bunch
105
105
Mona
Mona
111
111
Amy Green
Amy Green
116
116
Gunther
Gunther
128
128
Janine Lecroix
Janine Lecroix
92
92
Paul Stevens
Paul Stevens
133
133
David the Scientist Guy
David the Scientist Guy
137
137
Frank Buffay Jr.
Frank Buffay Jr.
145
145
Tag Jones
Tag Jones
146
146
Emily Waltham
Emily Waltham
167
167
Elizabeth Stevens
Elizabeth Stevens
94
94
gary
gary
96
96
Charlie Wheeler
Charlie Wheeler
189
189
Carol Willick
Carol Willick
191
191
Janice Litman-Goralnik
Janice Litman-Goralnik
217
217
Richard Burke
Richard Burke
247
247
Mike Hannigan
Mike Hannigan
359
359
Joshua Burgin
Joshua Burgin
98
98
Number of lines spoken by minor characters:
The One with the Guest Stars
The One with the Guest Stars
There’s the whip-smart writing that distinguished it from most of its sitcom peers, for one. And since its New York was the Studio City version, set in amber on a Warner Bros. lot, there was no real risk of incongruity between it and the perpetually churning real New York. But perhaps most importantly, it was the agelessness of the premises of most Friends episodes. “Friends feels like a roadmap to the future,” says Saul Asterlitz, whose book Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era, will be published in September. “If you’re a teenager, you’re given a glimpse of what life as an adult will feel like. Your first job, relationship, children. There’s a comforting fantasy in that no matter what changes come along in life, I’ll always be with my friends.”
And since the show didn’t lean on current events and passing fads for dialogue and plot-points, episodes had a longer shelf life—if South Park occupies the responsiveness of humorizing the events of last week’s news cycle, Friends sat as diametrically distant from that topical comedy as possible. “The writers were explicitly instructed not to do things like that,” Asterlitz says.
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So how did Friends find eternal life anyway?
So how did Friends find eternal life anyway?
Get more stunning visual stories every week.
story By ceros originals
Design by tri vo, illustrations by olivia brown
“Early in the show, before it actually premiered, Matthew Perry did a physical bit that got a laugh and wanted to come back to it,” says Austerlitz. “[Director] James Burrows stopped him and said, ‘Be careful about what you do. You may find this funny physical gag you do is the only thing you’re known for.’” Friends found the sweet spot that developed familiarity before growing tired. Phoebe’s iconic “smelly cat”, for example, is only used in six episodes throughout the series. The exception was Joey’s Don Juan salutation, memorable enough to give Matt LeBlanc his own spin-off, Joey, and a central role in Episodes, following a crepuscular TV star chained to his own catchphrase.
Image credit: Getty Images
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Pheobe
22
Joey
Chandler
Monica
Rachel
Ross
Rachel's solo scenes:
Rachel's solo scenes:
22
170
170
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
12
12
Monica's solo scenes:
Monica's solo scenes:
21
21
Chandler's solo scenes:
Chandler's solo scenes:
47
47
Joey's solo scenes:
Joey's solo scenes:
24
24
Phoebe's solo scenes:
Phoebe's solo scenes:
30
30
Ross' solo scenes:
Ross' solo scenes:
35
35
Total scenes between
Rachel and Monica:
Total scenes between
Rachel and Monica:
16
16
Total scenes between
Rachel and Chandler:
Total scenes between
Rachel and Chandler:
48
48
Total scenes between
Rachel and Joey:
Total scenes between
Rachel and Joey:
43
43
Total scenes between
Rachel and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Rachel and Phoebe:
110
110
Total scenes between
Rachel and Ross:
Total scenes between
Rachel and Ross:
120
120
Total scenes between
Monica and Chandler:
Total scenes between
Monica and Chandler:
24
24
Total scenes between
Monica and Joey:
Total scenes between
Monica and Joey:
47
47
Total scenes between
Rachel and Chandler:
Total scenes between
Rachel and Chandler:
14
14
Total scenes between
Monica and Ross:
Total scenes between
Monica and Ross:
94
94
Total scenes between
Chandler and Joey:
Total scenes between
Chandler and Joey:
11
11
Total scenes between
Chandler and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Chandler and Phoebe:
26
26
Total scenes between
Chandler and Ross:
Total scenes between
Chandler and Ross:
32
32
Total scenes between
Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between
Joey and Ross:
39
39
Total scenes between
Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Joey and Phoebe:
21
21
Total scenes between
Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between
Phoebe and Ross:
16
16
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Chandler:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Chandler:
10
10
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Joey:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Joey:
55
55
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Phoebe:
16
16
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Ross:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Ross:
15
15
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Joey:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Joey:
8
8
Total scenes between
Rachel, Chandler and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Chandler and Phoebe:
13
13
Total scenes between
Rachel, Chandler and Ross:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Chandler and Ross:
19
19
Total scenes between
Rachel, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Phoebe and Ross:
50
50
Total scenes between
Rachel, Chandler and Joey:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Chandler and Joey:
26
26
Total scenes between
Monica, Chandler and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Monica, Chandler and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Monica, Chandler and Ross:
Total scenes between
Monica, Chandler and Ross:
Total scenes between
Monica, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Monica, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Monica, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between
Monica, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between
Monica, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between
Monica, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between
Chandler, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Chandler, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Chandler, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between
Chandler, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between
Chandler, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between
Chandler, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Phoebe:
Total scenes between
Rachel, Monica and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler and Joey:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler and Joey:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Monica, Chandler and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Monica, Chandler and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Monica, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Monica, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Monica, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Monica, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Chandler, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Chandler, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Chandler, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Chandler, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel,
Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Monica, Chandler, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between Monica, Chandler, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Monica, Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross:
Total scenes between Monica, Chandler, Joey, Pheobe and Ross:
Total scenes between Monica, Chandler, Joey, Pheobe and Ross:
22
22
14
14
23
23
8
8
2
2
13
13
1
1
53
53
5
5
12
12
28
28
13
13
17
17
25
25
28
28
45
45
33
33
1
1
Total scenes between Monica,
Joey, Pheobe and Ross:
Total scenes between Monica,
Joey, Pheobe and Ross:
14
14
19
19
8
8
15
15
9
9
18
18
15
15
17
23
23
14
14
7
7
14
14
7
7
Rachel and Ross may have dominated in dialogue, but Chandler and Monica, whose furtive roll in the sheets blossomed into the show’s first intra-friend marriage occupied more scenes than any other two. “I think they get overlooked because the Rachel and Ross relationship is so tempestuous,” says Austerlitz. “Chandler and Monica have a more stable trajectory. It feels like an avenue to grow up some where Rachel and Ross often feel more sophomoric and more combative.”
17
Click any character to see how many scenes they were in
The One with All the Combos
The One with All the Combos
Select multiple characters to see how many scenes they were in together
Coming up next:
The One with All the Talking
Coming up next:
The One with All the Talking
Coming up next:
The One with All the Talking
Coming up next:
The One with All the Talking
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Image credit: GIPHY
