Sitcom director James Burrows, in his memoir Directed by James Burrows, chronicles how he was instrumental in fostering the camaraderie of the Friends cast, per The Wall Street Journal. Burrows reminisces about the cast's pre-premiere trip to Las Vegas, which was key in breaking the ice and encouraging a sense of togetherness that successive generations of viewers and the Reddit fan base are enamored by.
Whilst Friends' ten seasons are proof that the six friends were with each other every step of the way, it is the party-themed episodes that give them a chance to shine as a strong group.
When Phoebe demands her big send-off in the married life include some cheeky fun and a stripper, Rachel grabs the phonebook and calls Danny DeVito's Officer Goodbody to entertain.
Reddit user No_Arugula_6548 says Phoebe's bachelorette party is "...one of my favorite episodes. I LOVE Danny DeVito!!!!" The Redditor's choice is an easy favorite as DeVito's cameo brings out the best in everyone, especially Phoebe. She lets him finish the last dance of his career, thereby earning his love and admiration. Officer Goodbody and the women end up having a great time and so do the viewers.
Chaos ensues when Monica invites an old schoolmate, Will Colbert, from Lincoln High to her Thanksgiving party. Will loves Monica and Ross, but he doesn't care much for Rachel because she was mean to him in high school. Seeing her triggers his unresolved trauma, and he cannot hide it throughout the party.
Reddit user alickstee calls the episode their favorite, and states, "There are so many good jokes crammed into those 22 mins." The Thanksgiving special is indeed packed with some hilarious jokes that touch on Monica, Rachel, and Ross' lives as high schoolers. If it wasn't for Will, viewers would have never known Ross and he co-founded the "I Hate Rachel Green Club" in school. It's no wonder why Will Colbert is counted among the best one-off Friends characters.
The Gellers' 35th wedding anniversary party is packed with fun moments, and it features some of the wittiest Jack and Judy quotes. It's also won praise from Redditors with user emergencycat17 commenting, "I love it at their anniversary party..."
The episode is indeed one of the best because it includes rare moments of cross-generational bonding. As it's seen, the Gellers ask Rachel and Ross to pretend to be married, and they actually end up having fun describing their fantasy wedding ceremony. The highlight of their fake wedding includes Stevie Wonder singing "Isn't She Lovely" as Rachel walks down the aisle.
Phoebe and Mike's winter wonderland wedding ceremony is a simple and sweet gathering, and Reddit user Sealgaire45 has chosen it as their "favourite among them all."
The ceremony takes place right outside Central Perk in presence of Phoebe's friends who work in harsh weather conditions to put together the most memorable day of her life. Watching the gang work together and give Phoebe away to the love of her life is surreal and heartwarming.
In one of the best side character storylines on Friends, Christina Applegate's Amy Green proves she's the perfect person to stir the pot. She quickly goes from asking her sister for a hair straighter to demanding that she be given custody of baby Emma in the event of Ross and Rachel's death.
According to Redditor michaelthedemon, this episode "...when everyone fights about who gets custody of Emma on Thanksgiving" is the funniest. Their choice is certainly a universal favorite. Amy's actions raise the question of how the friends see each other. Monica could do without the disciplinarian tag, and Chandler wants to be seen as a responsible person for once. Meanwhile, Amy just wants to use her niece to propel growth and self-improvement. The episode is also the mark of the gang's maturity as they are able to resolve their temporary friendship friction and come out stronger at the end.
In season 6's Thanksgiving special, Monica invites her parents, Jack and Judy, and her friends over. Ross' old secret, Rachel's meat trifle, and Joey's impatience come in the way of her elegant celebration and turn it into a chaotic comedy. Redditor you-a-buggaboo describes the episode by saying, "TOW Ross Gets High is my favorite too! I spent so many hours as a teenager trying to memorize the lead-up to, as well as, Judy's whole speech at the end!"
This Ross-centric episode is counted among IMDb's 15 best episodes of Friends ever. It brilliantly plays Ross' character weaknesses for comedy, in that, he still maintains an age-old lie about the pot smell coming off of Chandler and angers everyone in the process. Judy reprimands everyone in the end and steals the show with her closing remarks.
This episode separates the gang into two groups as the men catch a Rangers game and the women decide to have a slumber party. When they come together as a group, Rachel realizes she's finally found her people. Redditor MargaritaSkeeter calls this season 1 episode one of their favorites, adding, "The whole vibe is cozy. It’s the episode I’d most want to jump into if I could."
It's definitely a beloved episode because it features Rachel having an epiphany at the end. She realizes her new friends are her safe space and that everything will be fine with time.
This Thanksgiving special that Redditor Bartimus_Prine thinks is "so funny" sees the gang divided between Ross and Monica's teams. As the Gellers siblings' competitive side and old-sibling rivalry resurface, they postpone the celebration to play a game of touch football.
Whilst the episode is clearly Geller-centric, it also sees Joey and Chandler compete for a Dutch woman named Margha. The screenplay artfully balances the themes of sibling rivalry, celebration, friendship, and team effort. All in all, "The One With The Football" is a feel-good episode that lets each character's traits shine.
Nothing measures up to the fun and drama of season 8's Halloween party held at the most important and main Friends set i.e. Monica's apartment. To show appreciation for the episode, this deleted Reddit user writes, "Cant go wrong with TOW the Halloween party. It's my favorite episode of all time!!!"
As it's seen, Ross has Mona over, Chandler is unhappy with his bunny costume and Phoebe is getting a crush on her sister's fiancé. The gang's problems snowball into an uncontrollable chaotic setting which ends in Phoebe exposing Ursula's lies and Chandler and Ross arm wrestling to show strength. The cast's good comedic timing elevates the comedy and makes the episode truly memorable.
When Monica said she'd poach a salmon for Rachel's surprise birthday party, her friends immediately turned down the idea for a casual pizza and beer night. This was right after Rachel's parents, Dr. Green and Sandra divorced, so when both of them dropped by to see her, the gang ended up holding two parties.
This deleted Reddit user states that "The One with the Two Parties" is one of the funniest Friends episodes. They write, "Just like them [the gang] trying to make sure that Rachel’s parents don’t see each other, and then the scenes with Ross and Mr. Green make me laugh no matter how many times I’ve seen it." They are a cent percent correct as the episode brings out the best in everyone, and moreover, the gang's chaotic pratfalls are some of the best in the series.
Friends is filled with memorable episodes, but fans on Reddit have identified the funniest and most heartwarming episodes featuring parties.B.F Mir