The hugely popular '90s sitcom Friends continues to make audiences around the world laugh even today, fifteen years after the show's final season aired. In fact, with the rise of OTT platforms, the series has found new heights of popularity among newer generations of audience.
Fans know that actors Matt Le Blanc and Matthew Perry (as Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing, respectively) had some of the most endearing chemistry on screen. They started out as roommates and stayed best friends until the very end, despite Chandler getting married and moving out. The camaraderie between the two was adorable, yet there were reasons why one friend outshone the other, and vice versa.
Joey: Loyal
Joey was loyal to a fault. Despite his many flaws, his biggest quality was his amazing loyalty to his friends, especially Chandler and Ross.
When Chandler fell in love with the actress Kathy who was dating Joey at the time, others like Ross and Monica agreed that Joey would have happily stepped aside for the two of them, had he been approached first before Chandler kissed Kathy.
Chandler: The Fun One
Chandler Bing was the fun one in this crazy group of friends. He did use humor to deflect, and when he found himself in situations he couldn't handle.
But irrespective of whether the humor was a defense mechanism or not, Chandler's one-liners were a major part of why the series was such a hoot and many of the hilarious moments on the show were generated around his very Chandler brand of dry sarcasm.
Joey: An Expert With Women
Joey was undoubtedly a casanova and it's probably debatable whether that was a good thing. However, the socially awkward Chandler definitely aspired to be more like Joey who was practically catnip for women.
Joey Tribbiani was handsome and knew his way around women, in a way neither Ross nor Chandler did. Although he failed to call them back, and often unconsciously treated them as sex objects, Joey knew how to make women happy and basked in their company. In fact, his trademark pick up line, "How you doin'?" became as iconic as the character itself.
Chandler: One Woman Man
Chandler wasn't exactly an expert at picking up women. He didn't have Joey's more obvious, in-your-face sort of charm but he was softer and more gentle when it came to women.
Women didn't naturally gravitate towards Chandler the way they did Joey. In fact, half the time he didn't know how to approach them, or if he did he usually messed it up beyond repair. Yet where he stood out was the fact that he was genuine when he actually dated someone and a one-woman man, a quality that made him instantly adorable.
Joey: Put Friendship First
Both Chandler and Joey took their friendship seriously. Chandler even accompanied Joey to some of his auditions, paid for his classes, and helped him financially while he struggled in his acting career.
However, Joey in his own way was an even better friend if possible. After all, Chandler did slip up once when he fell for Kathy, but Joey managed to hide his true feelings for Rachel for a long time, knowing it would make matters awkward with Ross. Even when Rachel reciprocated his feelings, Joey took things slow until they had spoken with Ross, as one would expect from a true friend.
Chandler: Smarter
Chandler was possibly the smartest of the friends when it came to his profession. Although to this day, no one really knows what he did, it's generally understood that he was an analyst of sorts and basically a number cruncher.
Chandler was far smarter than Joey who, unfortunately, was a bit dimwitted and spectacularly ignorant in most matters. Unlike Ross who was more intellectual, Chandler had a well-paid job where he had established a position for himself for years. He did quit later on, but then again it took strength to give up a good, secure job.
Joey: Good-natured
Joey was good-natured and easily forgiving. There were very few times when he actually flew off the handle, something many of the others like Ross, Monica or Phoebe did quite often.
Chandler too had the habit of obsessing over something that bugged him continuously, but not Joey. Joey did not often get into scrapes and his mild, accepting nature often helped the others maintain sanity.
Chandler: Struggled Through Childhood Trauma
Chandler was more privileged than Joey but he also faced challenges growing up. His parents divorced when he was still very young and his father came out, and it's clear that it wasn't handled well at the time by his parents.
Chandler had thus had a difficult childhood which shaped much of his adult social awkwardness. However, he managed to grow into a sensitive, kind young man which required strength of character.
Joey: Childish
A lot of the humor surrounding Joey Tribbiani came from his dimwittedness in obvious matters. However, despite the ridiculousness of it, Joey had an innocence and naivete that was hard not to adore.
It would have been easy to fall into a trope and show Joey as shrewd or conniving who got away with hurting and disrespecting women all the time. However, actor Matt Le Blanc imbued Joey with a childishness that was oddly appealing.
Chandler: Evolved Better
Both Chandler and Joey evolved a lot by the end of the series. In fact, their characters were the ones that grew the most, going from gawky and immature to more thoughtful and mature.
However, between Chandler and Joey, the former probably wins by a slight margin as someone who became a true family man, complete with a beautiful wife, two adopted kids, and a country home. To imagine the clumsy Chandler with his endless jokes as someone who cared enough to take on such huge responsibilities would have been a far cry in season 1, but by season 10, he had grown into all that and much more.