Phoebe was the friend on Friends you could always count on to look for the best in other people. This wonderful trait also led her into a few not so stellar relationships because, well, she always let the good outweigh the bad.
It was great to watch her marry Mike, in the snow, outside of Central Perk, but that doesn't mean that other previous love interests would not have made Phoebe, or the Friends television show, even happier (or at least more entertaining). Here are ten other love interests that Phoebe could have ended up with when the program concluded in 2004.
Parker
Alec Baldwin is always fun to have as a cast member on television and it would have been worth Phoebe ending up with Parker just to keep the actor around. Parker was ever so friendly, and happy, and cheery, all the time.
Even for someone like Phoebe, who always saw the good in others (despite a terrible sister, an absent mother, and a life on the streets) Parker apparently was too much of "The glass half full". Still, it would have been nice to watch Phoebe end up with someone who could be just as over the top as she was on many occasions.
Joey
Okay, between Monica and Chandler and, of course, Ross and Rachel, the last thing the Friends show needed was another in group couple. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't have worked out better.
Joey and Phoebe always seemed to be the best friends of the "friends". They actually did activities together, understood each other's humor, and enjoyed each other's company. Maybe Ross and Rachel were always endgame, but their relationship was far from healthy. Perhaps Joey ending up with Phoebe would have been the Friends couple fans really deserved.
Eric
Guest star, Sean Penn, began as the love interested of Phoebe's identical twin sister Ursula. That is, until Phoebe let Eric know that everything he knew and thought about Ursual was a lie. In an about-face, Eric then began to obsess over Phoebe instead.
We can give Phoebe and Eric a lot of credit because, at the very least, their relationship was always, from the very beginning, built on honesty, but it's never a good idea to get involved with anyone who has already been involved with another member of your family.
Roger
Speaking of honesty, there was Phoebe's boyfriend Roger, the psychiatrist in Friends season one. It was great to watch Roger cut through all the drama surrounding the friends' group the television viewing audience had grown to love. But sometimes it takes a little white lie to make a relationship last, and Roger couldn't do that.
Perhaps Roger was exactly what Phoebe and the gang needed, to keep them a little more grounded, a little more self-aware, but just because they needed it doesn't mean that it was going to make for great television.
Ryan
Who doesn't love a man in uniform? Charlie Sheen's naval officer, Ryan, made his appearance on Friends season two. He was never going to last because, well, he had to get back to the navy, but it was very romantic when Phoebe got the chickenpox and Ryan showed up to be with her anyway.
He was a military man and the illness wasn't going to frighten him or keep him away from his one night with Phoebe. One can only imagine what might have been had Ryan been leaving the armed forces instead of returning to them, even if that meant he had to lose the uniform.
Sergei
In season three Phoebe got to try a little international love with the diplomat, Sergei. Sergei had to bring his translator Mischa around with him, which put a damper on the mood, though when Mischa took off with Monica it was adorable to watch Phoebe appreciate Sergei's one English word: plate.
We even get a glimpse of Phoebe trying to teach Sergei the lyrics to American Pie. The language barrier was a problem, but more time together might have solved that, and the adorable international couple might have made a successful and adorable life together.
Gary
This was a relationship everyone was really hoping would last. Gary, of the NYPD, was kind, good looking, and generally fond of Phoebe. He was so fond of her he didn't get her in trouble for finding and using his badge, he dated her instead. But Phoebe has always worn her personality on her sleeve, as well as her beliefs.
She has always been and will always be a vegetarian. When Gary shoots a bird it's too much for Phoebe, but we have to wonder what might have been if she'd taken the time to educate Gary, rather than to break up with him.
Rob Donnen
The loveable Rob scheduled entertainment for the children's library and what could be more adorable than that? When he asks Phoebe to perform he isn't quite prepared for her particular style of lyrics. In the end, it isn't Rob who kicks Phoebe off the entertainers' list, but complaints from library parents.
One likes to believe this one could have worked out anyway, Phoebe wasn't angry and certainly didn't hold it against Rob. Rob was someone who finally had real faith in Phoebe's musical abilities and it would have been nice to see where else his encouragement could have led.
Vince
Vince was a fireman that Phoebe made the mistake of dating at the same time as a kindergarten teacher (she also left an open flame unattended) but fans will always wonder what might have been if Phoebe hadn't doubled up while seeing Vince. Perhaps her firefighter with a tender heart might have been the best possible option for her longterm relationship.
David
David will always be the one that got away. If only he hadn't gone to Minsk and let Mike slip into Phoebe's heart in his absence. David was sweet, sincere, and his science obsession was a nice contrast to Phoebe's more freewheeling styles.
Opposites do attract. If only Phoebe had waited then, just perhaps, things would have worked out, and David and Phoebe would have been married outside Central Perk.