Over twenty-five years after Friends’ debut, fans have seen this show countless times, and by now it’s about the variations in their binge-watching that’s new. Some like to watch based on themed episodes, while others prefer a sequence.
For this reason, we’ve ranked Friends’ season premieres according to their IMDb ratings, as checking out the first episodes in the seasons is an excellent way of keeping track of how the show changed over the years. However, you don’t need to watch them chronologically, and this list will do just fine if you want the entertainment value to rise by each episode.
Season 7 - “The One With Monica’s Thunder” - 8.4
After Monica finds Ross and Rachel kissing in the hallway on the night of her engagement to Chandler, she declares a verbal war on Rachel for seemingly trying to take over her big day. Although Friends had dabbled with bottle episodes before, this one wasn’t the best.
While we got some hilarious moments like Joey attempting to act like a 19-year-old and Chandler being insecure for not performing intimately, the episode felt more like filler than the opening of a season. That doesn’t mean it’s bad by any means, but you’d do better to watch this first and save the better ones for later.
Season 1 - “The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate” - 8.4
The first episodes are usually where shows start off on a high, but Friends’ pilot was relatively mellow, all things considered. Here, we saw Rachel show up after ditching her own wedding, before becoming part of the group.
Other than that, the main focus was on Monica’s failed date with Paul the Wine guy, which isn’t even slightly important in retrospect. However, viewers still love watching Chandler’s introductory sarcastic one-liners and Ross’s hilarious moping.
Season 3 - “The One With The Princess Leia Fantasy” - 8.4
As was the case with Season 7’s premiere, this one also suffered for being too casual instead of having some really big moments. In this episode, Monica mourned her breakup with Richard while Ross confessed he wanted Rachel to play out a Princess Leia fantasy for him.
One of the funniest scenes in the show’s history came with Ross being haunted by the sight of his mother instead of Rachel, after something Chandler got in his head, although we did have to sit through quite a lot of unfunny moments with Monica’s arc.
Season 10 - “The One After Rachel And Joey Kiss” - 8.5
Rachel and Joey have to skirt around their new romance, while Ross tries to tell Joey about his own romance with the latter’s ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, Phoebe orchestrates a disastrous breakup between Mike and his soon-to-be-ex.
This was a hilarious episode that made light of what people assumed would’ve been a heavy-handed story. Although the large majority hated Rachel and Joey together, the jokes in this episode did well in making it have replay potential.
Season 2 - “The One With Ross’s New Girlfriend” - 8.5
Rachel’s attempt at getting together with Ross is marred by a disaster in the form of his new girlfriend Julie. After realizing he might be over her, Rachel can’t shake her new feelings for Ross away no matter how much she tries.
It’s always fun watching earlier Friends episodes and seeing how Ross and Rachel’s road to their romance began, with the Season 2 premiere being the first of many funny and oddly romantic moments. The one drawback would be how Rachel came across slightly unlikable because of her jealousy.
Season 9 - “The One Where No One Proposes” - 8.6
Joey’s accidental proposal’s unforeseen acceptance by Rachel has the former racing around the hospital to tell Ross about the misunderstanding. Eventually, the truth comes about in the worst kind of way.
Friends found a great way in making an episode set in a hospital out to be engaging, being a comedy of errors as one misunderstanding made all the characters run in circles trying to get a hold of the situation.
Season 6 - “The One After Vegas” - 8.7
After Ross and Rachel sober up from their wild night, they recall their drunken decision to get married. On the other hand, Monica and Chandler try to ignore the many signs the universe gives them that they should take things to the next level.
The angle of Ross and Rachel’s short marriage was one of the highlights of the sixth season, and the premiere started things off on the right foot by having the friends poke fun at their big mistake. Phoebe and Joey’s adventures on their road trip also made for some great friendship moments that fans love.
Season 8 - “The One After I Do” - 8.7
Rachel’s attempts to keep her pregnancy a secret don’t work out when Phoebe and Monica deduce it by themselves. Back at the wedding party, the guys have their own problems as each of them attempts to impress someone.
Carrying a major revelation and continuing Monica and Chandler’s wedding story, this premiere was easily one of the best out of the bunch. It had a gimmick setting, but the episode carried this in stride and made it a story fans could never miss.
Season 5 - “The One After Ross Says Rachel” - 8.9
Ross’s big mistake in accidentally saying Rachel’s name at the altar during his wedding to Emily results in a runaway bride and Ross trying to win her back. Monica and Chandler have their own problems as they are unable to get together without being interrupted.
Unlike future weddings in the series, this one was just a total disaster, which made for great television as the characters’ bumbling attempts to make the best out of a terrible situation had laughs all around as the foreign setting fit perfectly.
Season 4 - “The One With The Jellyfish” - 9.1
Ross and Rachel’s reconciliation doesn’t last long due to his inability to accept Rachel’s terms over their last breakup. Monica, Chandler, and Joey harbor an embarrassing secret involving a jellyfish sting and the uncomfortable solution in relieving the pain.
Although the episode featured a classic trope of ridiculous sitcom breakups that has also been seen in other shows, it’s clear why it ranks first. This would be because of the jellyfish sting angle, which has been unanimously lauded as being one of the belly laugh-inducing gags on the show, making this a truly memorable premiere.
