This is not a drill, people: Friends is leaving Netflix starting January 1, 2020. Yup. Sadly, you'll no longer be able to spend eight hours on a Saturday watching the nineties shenanigans of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer. Well, not until May 2020, at least—that's when Warner Bros.'s streaming service, HBO Max, launches. It will serve as the new home for all 10 seasons of Friends.
But what are you supposed to do until then? May is five months away—that's a long time. So you better make the most of Friends on Netflix while you still can and watch the five best episodes. And if you're in the mood for an ironic watch, check out the worst ones too. Below, my picks for the peak and pit of arguably the greatest sitcom ever made.
1. "The One With the Embryos" (season 4, episode 12)
Synopsis: Phoebe has an embryo implant procedure to become her brother's surrogate; Monica and Rachel bet their apartment in a trivia game against Chandler and Joey.
Why it's great: The final scene in the trivia sequence, when neither Monica nor Rachel can say what Chandler does for work.
2. "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" (season 5, episode 14)
Synopsis: Phoebe and Rachel find out about Monica and Chandler's relationship, but instead of telling them, Phoebe attempts to seduce Chandler as a joke; he plays along, to hysterical results.
Why it's great: Chandler and Phoebe's fake "date," which ends in the most hilariously awkward kiss and Chandler declaring he's in love with Monica.
3. "The One With the Prom Video" (season 2, episode 14)
Synopsis: The gang uncovers a prom home video in which Rachel's date ditches her the night of, so Ross tries to escort her instead. But he's left crushed after Rachel's date eventually shows up. Visibly moved by this in the present day, Rachel and Ross share a passionate kiss.
Why it's great: The aforementioned kiss, which leads Phoebe to enthusiastically declare that Ross is Rachel's "lobster."
4. "The One Where Ross Got High" (season 6, episode 9)
Synopsis: A Thanksgiving episode, in which we learn Monica and Ross's parents hate Chandler because they think he got high in their house (it was actually Ross). That secret comes out, along with a slew of others.
Why it's great: Ross and Monica's tattle-tale scene, during which they expose their biggest secrets to their parents—including that Monica and Chandler are living together.
5. "The One Where No One's Ready" (season 3, episode 2)
Synopsis: The six friends are getting ready to attend a fancy function for Ross's work, but the preparation proves more tiresome—and funny—than anyone ever expected.
Why it's great: When Joey seeks revenge on Chandler for stealing his seat by wearing every article of clothing in Chandler's closet.
1. "The One With Ross and Monica's Cousin" (season 7, episode 19)
Synopsis: Ross develops a sexual attraction to his and Monica's cousin, played by Denise Richards.
Why it's garbage: I think that synopsis does the job for me. Incest is not funny!
2. "The One With the Sharks" (season 9, episode 4)
Synopsis: Monica gets the wrong impression that Chandler is sexually attracted to sharks, so she picks up a documentary tape in order to seduce him.
Why it's garbage: It's a silly, nonsensical—not to mention creepy—storyline between two intelligent adults.
3. "The One With the Race Car Bed" (season 3, episode 7)
Synopsis: Monica accidentally has a child's race car bed delivered to her apartment instead of a proper mattress; Ross bonds with Rachel's dad at brunch by...making fun of Rachel.
Why it's garbage: Name something less exciting than a furniture delivery. You can't. Also, leave Rachel alone!
4. "The One With the Evil Orthodontist" (season 1, episode 20)
Synopsis: Rachel becomes embroiled in a love triangle between her ex-fiancé, Barry, and the friend he left her for, Mindy.
Why it's garbage: Did we really have to give Barry the monster orthodontist more screen time? He doesn't even get John Tuckered—Mindy takes him back, despite the fact he cheated on her with Rachel. Ridiculous!
5. "The One With the Breast Milk" (season 2, episode 2)
Synopsis: Ross gets immaturely grossed out after Phoebe tastes Carol's breast milk.
Why it's garbage: The first of many times Ross proved himself to be a reductive man-child.
