Friends is perhaps one of the greatest pieces of comedy in any genre or medium. The show has transcended just a simple sit-com and become a part of television history. It's no surprise therefore that fans are so excited for its return on HBO Max.
The series may be heading for a reunion with many of its famous characters, but there's plenty of ing roles that are often forgotten about throughout the show. While characters like Mike, Gunther and Janice are pretty well known, there's a number of forgotten players that are completely underrated in of their role in the narrative.
Charlie Wheeler
Charlie was a pretty perfect girlfriend for Ross. She was intelligent, funny, kind and actually got on well with many of his friends (asides from Rachel of course).
She was a big part of the plot for some time, even getting involved in a love square with Joey and Rachel. The character eventually made the decision to finish her relationship with Ross to date a far more successful and intelligent former love interest... and who can blame her!
Estelle Leonard
Estelle was the best agent in the business. Sure she didn't have many clients and those she did have had peculiar talents to say the least. But she did have a huge impact on the success of Joey's career.
Estelle had some of the best one liners on the show and her distinctive voice announced the character before audiences even saw her. Her death was a major plot point on the show, as it rightly honoured her legacy.
Tag Jones
Tag is probably a forgettable character in the large scheme of things, but Rachel's former boyfriend was one of the most fun people that has ever been on the show.
He may have been a little younger and immature, but he did once buy Rachel a scooter and was a lot of fun for Joey and Chandler to hang around with. It's a shame he didn't return at some stage towards the finale.
David
David appeared sporadically throughout the show as a reoccurring love interest for Phoebe. He always seemed to be the one that got away, until her finally returned and was overtaken by Mike.
Gracious in defeat, David was a gentlemen throughout and one of the most intelligent characters on the show. It was fun to see him jump into Phoebe's life now and then but she did deserve better than that.
Amy Green
Rachel's annoying sister showcased just how far the original Green has come in of her character progression. Amy was the complete antithesis of everyone Rachel was in the final seasons.
She was hardly the most likeable character round, but her brutal honesty and penchant for forgetting things that she didn't care about was both hilarious and completely different compared to many other ing players on the show.
Erica
Friends contains a lot of selfish characters, who are often trying to get the best for themselves in the situations they are put in. Erica is one of the few selfless people in the show.
She agrees to give Chandler and Monica her children, even after some trickery involving the true identity. She is kind and caring and actually makes a really great addition to the group.
Alice Knight Buffay
Alice is another very maternal figure in the show. She also is a great friend to Phoebe, who is a surrogate to Alice's and and her brother Frank Jr.
Alice takes Frank out of a potential life of mediocrity and gives him love and helps him become a father. The two grow together and there's very few people who are just as nice as Alice on the show.
Mr Zelner
Mr Zelner is a pretty good dad all things considered. He was a stable boss and allowed Rachel to continue working despite her many dramas, because she was good at her job.
He also did a number of things to make his son happy, allowing Ross to bring him various dinosaur related gifts in exchange for Rachel's job. Zelner was also pretty hilarious and the fact he got Ross' name wrong is a bonus.
Pete Becker
Pete Becker was featured early into the show as a boyfriend to Monica. He had a lot of money to throw around but did some extraordinary things to impress the girl of his dreams.
He has to be respected for continuing to go after his goal to become a UFC champion, despite the fact that he was absolutely terrible and regularly got beaten up.
Carol Willick
Carol Willick has been a constantly entertaining character ever since season 1. She's cared for Ross even after their divorce and has raised Ben extremely well, especially since Geller doesn't seem to take him very often.
Her relationship with Susan is one of the purest on the show and Carol has a number of great one liners that has put Ross in his place over the years.