Perhaps one of the greatest sitcoms of all time is that of Friends. This television show ran from 1994-2004 and remained in the top 10 primetime shows from the beginning of its run all the way until the end. Not only did the long, intertwining, and entertaining stories make it great, but the characters really took the show to the next level. Out of the main six, each one of them has many redeemable and memorable qualities that make them iconic. How exactly are each of them great? Here’s how.

Monica Geller-Bing (Courteney Cox)

The de facto mom of the group is first up. Monica may not be exactly the funniest, but she may be the most passionate and driven out of all of the characters. She is a neat freak, organized, and she is completely uptight about everything. That may be annoying to some, but it really works with the character. Working as a chef, Monica bounces around job to job until she finally achieves her goal of becoming a head chef. She also was in a romantic relationship with one of her father’s friends Richard (Tom Selleck), but she eventually moves on, getting into a relationship with fellow main character Chandler Bing. The combination of being with Chandler and also being the sister of other main character Ross gives her one of the most interesting characters in the series.

Rachel Greene (Jennifer Aniston)

Monica’s best friend from high school Rachel came to New York after running from the alter. In need of a job, money, a place to stay, and everything in between, Rachel grew from a spoiled person who relied on her father’s money to a strong, independent woman. Her character progression is most certainly the best out of any of the main characters. Throughout the series, she is in an on and off relationship with Ross. This may be the longest and most interesting story of the entire series, and perhaps the most iconic. She also finds her dream job, working at Ralph Lauren, working her way up the ladder in the company. Rachel is exactly what a developing character should be, finding her true happiness after giving birth to her daughter Emma and getting back together with Ross at the end of the series.

Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow)

Phoebe is probably the most complex character in the entire series. She is quite the odd bird who whose character traits would include quirky and musical, having an occupation as a massage therapist. She is also a vegetarian who has a love for animals and all things weird. Honestly, it’s really hard to describe Phoebe. As quirky as she may be, she is a great friend to all of the other five. Not that everyone else isn’t, but Phoebe is on the same loyalty level as Joey, and Joey is the paragon when it comes to loyalty (but we’ll get to that later). Phoebe was never involved romantically with any of the other main five, but she did eventually get married to Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd) near the end of the series. Phoebe and Mike were a great couple, having a great dynamic with each other that made Phoebe that much more interesting.

Ross Geller (David Schwimmer)

Ross is a very interesting character in the series. He is the nerd of the group and because of nerd-like interests, he is a doctor of paleontology. Not only is it his nerdy side that makes him interesting, but his humor is beyond just funny. Throughout the years, he gets divorced three times to three separate women and had two kids as well. One of those women was Rachel. A cornerstone of the entire Friends series is his relationship with Rachel, and it seemed to be the storyline with the most longevity. From Ross having a crush, to Rachel falling for him, then their split, and then their on and off status, it makes for quite the interesting relationship that the fans can really get into. Finally after having a child with Rachel, a few years later at the tail end of the series, Ross finally gets with her. Aside from his connection to Rachel, Ross has plenty of misadventures. From a being with a number of women, to getting a bad tan, to whitening his teeth too much and everything in between, Ross Geller is a funny, interesting, and complex character that will be remembered for years to come.

Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc)

Perhaps the most iconic of the Friends characters is that of Joey Tribbiani. He is the ideal perfect friend. He’s an absolute stand up guy that will do anything for any of the other five. As mentioned before, he is the paragon when it comes to loyalty, and he is even willing to keep any secret for any of them. Besides from just being a great friend, Joey is a funny guy in general. Many may think that he is the funniest of all of the Friends characters. His profession is an actor, and although he may be slightly struggling throughout the series, he always sticks to his guns and tries his hardest to land acting jobs. He is very perseverant, always making the best of situations even when they really are terrible. Even when Chandler moves out to live with Monica, he keeps a smile on his face because he is far from selfish. He wants what’s best for his friends. And of course, Joey does have a way with the ladies. His signature pick up line “How you doin’?” has become not only extremely popular with Friends fans, but also in pop culture. Joey is probably the most memorable character when it comes to this series, and even though he was in a failed spinoff, that didn’t hurt his reputation or popularity one bit.

Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry)

The average joe with dry humor, witty jokes, and a boring job. That’s what it is when Chandler Bing graces the television screen. He is just the run of the mill everyday guy, but somehow he is so funny and interesting so it just works. He likes to make extremely sarcastic and clever jokes in absolutely any situation. Humor is his go-to, and as a character on a sitcom, that should work very well. For all ten years of the show’s life, it absolutely hit the nail on the head. Chandler starts off as Joey’s roommate and best friend. He was also Ross’s roommate in college, so definitely has close connections with both of those guys. As the series progresses, he dates a few women. The most notable being Janice, a woman with an extremely obnoxious voice and personality that helps give Chandler one of his token catchphrases of “Oh. My. God.” About midway through, Chandler falls in love with Monica and all the way until the end the couple is great. They eventually have twins through a surrogate mother and they decide to move out of the city to start their family, thus bringing the series to an end. Chandler is a fan favorite and his relationship with Monica seems to be a huge cornerstone of the series.
Friends is iconic. The show has longevity and has seemed to stand the test of time so far, and it more than likely will for many years to come.