Fans of “Friends” have seen the six main characters engage in a plethora of relationships over the course of ten rewarding seasons.
The show is mostly about their love lives, and each character has had a significant relationship or two over the years, some of which are heartbreaking to see come to an end.
Despite the fact that all of the friends — with the exception of Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) — have good romantic endings, there are plenty of other possibilities for each of them that fans might have been pleased with. Indeed, it’s hard not to wonder what could have happened if things had gone differently — and boy, are there a lot of possibilities.
After a while, every “Friends” fan begins to wonder how these numerous romantic partners compare to one another.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of every important “Friends” ex, from the worst to the most swoon-worthy. They’re all in here: the ones we love to hate, the ones we want to last, and the ones that never had a chance.
Please note that we will not be discussing one-episode romances here. We didn’t have these flings on our list because they’re never supposed to be taken seriously.
Pete
It’s impossible not to like Jon Favreau, so it’s impossible not to like Pete. Favreau is now one of the most well-known film directors in the world, but he was still a relatively unknown figure in the industry during his time on Season 3.
Monica has a crush on Pete when she’s working at the Moondance Diner, but she’s wary of him at first. She also has doubts about going out with Pete, despite the fact that she isn’t drawn to him at all.
She, on the other hand, falls head over heels after they share a kiss and even considers marrying him when she thinks he’s going to propose.
Pete, on the other hand, has other plans: he wants to be the Ultimate Fighting Champion. Pete, not being the greatest boxer in the world, is regularly handed his buttocks in the octagon.
Monica can’t take it any longer, so the two call it quits. It’s a shame, since Pete and Monica are such a fine couple. He’s charming, funny, wealthy, and charismatic, and the show’s viewers adore him.
Janice
Janice (Maggie Wheeler) is one of the all-time great sitcom supporting characters. She’s Chandler’s long-term on-again, off-again girlfriend, who has appeared in 19 episodes over the course of the show’s ten seasons.
Janice is over-the-top, obnoxious, and irritating, but the good in her far outweighs the evil. Chandler is also turned off by her no-nonsense manner, and she is never anything other than herself.
Even when Janice and Chandler aren’t together and she appears out of nowhere, she gives advice and calms her ex when he’s anxious.
In Season 9, she meets Chandler and Monica at a fertility clinic and assures them that they’re supposed to have children and that all will be perfect.
In Season 10, Chandler and Janice finally have a happy ending to their never-ending storey when they run into each other while house-hunting on Long Island.
Chandler reveals to Janice that he still wants her in an attempt to persuade her to look in a different neighbourhood or city, which leads her to decide not to make an offer on the house next door to the one Monica and Chandler want. “Goodbye, Chandler Bing,” she says as she kisses her ex on the lips one last time before exiting his life.
Richard
No one else could possibly be at the top of a list of “Friends” ex-girlfriends. For four seasons, Tom Selleck played Richard, one of Monica’s great loves, starring in a total of nine episodes.
Monica caters an event Richard hosts in his flat, and the two fall in love. Despite their vast age gap — and the fact that Richard is a friend of her father, Jack — their love affair is unstoppable (Elliott Gould).
Outside of the three couples who end up together at the end of the episode, this couple’s love is genuine and intense. Richard is a committed, intelligent, funny, and handsome guy. He knows he can’t live without Monica, even though he and Monica split in Season 3 because he doesn’t want to have children.
In Season 6, he eventually changes his mind and attempts to win her back. Monica mulls about the possibility for a moment before accepting Chandler’s proposal in the season finale, “The One with the Proposal.”
Richard is discussed on several occasions as the show progresses, despite the fact that he does not appear in Seasons 7 and beyond. Chandler does this a lot when he tries to poke Monica about something, even implying that she has him hidden in one of her locked closets. It doesn’t get any better than Richard when it comes to ex-boyfriends.
