open/close all folders

Introduced in Season 1

Gunther

Played By: James Michael Tyler

The manager of Central Perk who has a secret crush on Rachel. The main recurring character who appears in every season.

24-Hour Party People: If the gang are throwing a party Gunther can usually be found among the guests, and is occasionally the only one recognizable to the audience.
All Love Is Unrequited: Poor Gunther never had a chance with Rachel.
Ascended Extra: Goes from a literal extra to one of the biggest supporting characters in the show.
The Bartender: The manager of Central Perk.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Has a tendency to be this towards Ross, most notably when he intentionally spills to Rachel that Ross slept with the copy girl. And also when smiles at Ross hurting his thumb or getting hit by Joey.
Extreme Doormat: When it comes to Rachel, he will do anything she asks of him.
Former Child Star: Claims to have played Bryce from All My Children (in case you were wondering, he wasn't: there was no such character on that show). Bryce was likely a part of a fictionalized All My Children as was Dr. Drake Romoray on Days of our Lives.
Green-Eyed Monster: He hates Ross because he’s jealous that Ross dates (or used to date) Rachel.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He has some of the character traits, such as being kind, and a Chaste Hero who never had a chance with Rachel. His blond hair is noted frequently, to the point that Rachel states she will remember him whenever she sees a man with hair "brighter than the Sun".
Hidden Depths:
- Has a smoking habit, speaks fluent Dutch, and may have been a child actor.
- Tyler had a real-life example in the form of working the coffee machine. It got him cast as Gunther because none of the other extras knew how to do it. Note that this one little trait ensured him 10 years of employment on one of the most successful television comedies of all time, and is one of the major candidates for Seventh Friend (the other being Mike).
Hopeless Suitor: Has an obvious longtime crush on Rachel, but she never even knew about his feelings until the last episode and the entire audience knew that she was going to be with Ross in the end.
Jerkass to One: He loves Rachel and usually acts nice (or at least civil) to everyone except Ross, who he hates out of jealousy.
Mirror Character: To Ross. He and Ross are both defined in part by their love and possessiveness towards Rachel, showing intense jealousy whenever Rachel is with someone else. However, for better or worse, Ross is willing to clash with Rachel if he feels she is in the wrong while Gunther would do anything she asks.
Mistaken for Gay: Rachel at one point tells Gunther that he will make some guy very happy someday.
No Full Name Given: He's only ever referred to by his first name and the audience never learns what his surname is.
Gunther: What's my last name?
Chandler: ...Centralperk?
One Degree of Separation: In "TOW the Morning After" it's revealed that he's roommates with Phoebe's friend/co-worker Jasmine.
Pet the Dog: Although he often acts nice to Rachel just because he has a crush on her, he sometimes acts nice to the other members of the group. Even Ross.
- In "The One Where Eddie Won’t Go'', he notices Joey is upset and asks him if he’s ok.
- In "The One With The Bullies'', when the two bullies are trying to make Ross and Chandler give up the couch, he tells the bullies that Ross and Chandler were there first.
Recurring Character: Appears in 131 episodes, and is one of just four characters besides the six Friends to appear in all ten seasons (Jack and Judy Geller and Janice are the others). Only the Friends themselves have more total appearances (all 236). Gunther is also usually the only familiar face at any party the Friends throw amidst the 24-Hour Party People. In one hilarious instance, he's literally the only guest at Emily's impromptu going-away party that Rachel throws as an excuse to see Joshua again besides Emily, Joshua, and the six Friends. (The obvious implication is that he's the only other person Rachel could get on such short notice - and he only showed up because it was Rachel who asked him.)
Sadist: He’s happy whenever he sees Ross in pain.
Single-Target Sexuality: He's very much Rachel-sexual. When Phoebe kisses him to get her cold back, he apologizes to Rachel for not stopping the kiss.
Sixth Ranger: Seventh.
Unknown Rival: To Ross. He hates him for being Rachel's boyfriend and the father of her daughter, though Ross is oblivious to his hatred.

Terry

Played By: Max Wright

The grouchy owner of Central Perk.

Boss's Unfavorite Employee:
- Rachel, for her first job working at Central Perk. He does have a point, though: she's positively incompetent at her job, either screwing every order or just sitting down and acting like a customer when her friends come along.
- Phoebe, because he doesn't like her singing. In one episode he actually replaces her with Stephanie (played by Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders).
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Only appears for the first two seasons, one episode each, and is mentioned a third more time in a season 3 episode. His role as the face of Central Perk is taken by Gunther (although as a "mere" manager, since Terry had owned the café and no one else came in to fill that role). Justified in that he's not a likeable character.
In-Series Nickname: Rachel and Phoebe give him the nickname "Jerk".
Mean Boss: He's grumpy and mistreats his employees - especially Rachel.

Janice Litman

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px_janice.jpg

Played By: Maggie Wheeler

Chandler's on-again, off-again girlfriend during the first four seasons. One of the show's primary recurring characters, appearing at least once in all but the sixth season (and even then she had a voiceover role).

Abhorrent Admirer: To Chandler. However, in the third season, Chandler actually falls for her and dates her for a while.
Ambiguously Jewish: Aside from her last name, she is a parody of Fran Drescher after all.
Annoying Laugh: A signifying character trait, to which Chandler cringes every time he hears Janice laugh.
Big "OMG!": Will always say her catchphrase as such and nothing lower.
The Cat Came Back: Chandler and Monica find themselves in this relationship to her in Season 7. Whether the two are at the restaurant, going to the hospital for Emma's birth, visiting a fertility clinic, or buying a house out in the suburbs, she always turns up. Even though they manage to get her to go away at the end of a given appearance, Chandler and Monica dread how they'll always be running into her somewhere.
Monica: If we don't get this house, she's still going to show up wherever we go! At least if she's here, it eliminates the element of surprise.
Catchphrase: OH. MY. GOD!
Cute, but Cacophonic: She is attractive, but has an annoyingly nasal voice and an even more annoying laugh.
The Dreaded: Played for laughs. Joey positively hates being around her; Chandler and Monica get to be the same way as the seasons progress.
Everyone Has Standards: Even she finds Ross too whiny and annoying after his divorce from Emily and subsequent run of bad luck, and ends up dumping him in the episode where they briefly hook up.
First Love: To Chandler. When he was actually serious about her she was the first girl he got through the 'relationship tunnel' with. (Kathy was his second and Monica was his third.)
Flanderization: She gets louder, more melodramatic and more irritating to the other characters as seasons go on. Inverted in Season 3 where these were toned down to justify Chandler falling in love with her.
The Friend Nobody Likes: While she's the most frequent occasional friend to the main group, nobody likes being around her. They learn to tolerate her in season 3, when she and Chandler have a stable relationship (though Joey was very reluctant at first), but in the following seasons she goes back to being this trope whenever she interacts with them.
Happily Married: At some point in-between Seasons 7 and 8, she married a guy named Sid. They get along great, likely owing to the fact that he's practically deaf and hears her loud voice as a normal speaking volume.
Hidden Depths: Has a couple of scenes in the later seasons that help air out some of the characters' situations, for instance, making Rachel re-consider her situation with Ross post-Emma, or consoling Chandler while he is nervous about his fertility tests.
Incoming Ham: Her catchphrase is, more than once, the first thing she says when she encounters the friends after a long absence in the series.
Just Eat Gilligan: No one in the series can seem to directly tell her "no". Chandler even pretends he's moving to Yemen, to get rid of her.
Large Ham: Loud, and enjoys every minute of it.
Nice Girl: She's a very friendly and well-intentioned person, who just happens to have an annoying voice and annoying laugh. Even at her worst, she's always nice to Chandler and his friends. Even when she learns that Joey can't stand her, instead of holding a grudge against him, she makes a better effort to get along with him.
Oblivious to Hatred: Blissfully unaware of how much the Friends find her annoying. Justified in that they never tell her to her face.
Once a Season: She is involved in at least one episode in each of the show's ten seasons (though in the sixth we only hear her voice on an old tape she gave Chandler).
Overly Long Name: Janice Litman Goralnik (née Hosenstein).
Quirky Curls: Her hair is always in curls.
Recurring Character: Was Chandler's on again off again girlfriend, thus she would always appear when the plot called for it.
Spanner in the Works: She's never actively malevolent and generally has a good heart. However, whenever she appears, she couldn't screw up Chandler's day any more if she tried.
Take That!: Supposed to be a parody of Fran Drescher. Some local stations, when doing promos for episodes that feature Janice, actually announce, "Fran Drescher guest stars on the next Friends!"
Troll: In Season 8, she's pregnant and about to give birth. She says Chandler is the father just to get him to freak out even though they last slept together in Season 3.

"Ugly Naked Guy"

The man who lives across the street from Monica's apartment for the first four seasons. The gang can see directly into his apartment and frequently comment on what he's doing.

Character Death: Subverted. In one episode the gang think he is dead, but he's actually just sleeping.
Distaff Counterpart: Spends his Thanksgiving with the Ugly Naked Gal.
The Faceless: We see brief glimpses of him in "The One with the Poking Device" and "The One Where Everybody Finds Out," but never see his face directly.
Formerly Fit: A flashback reveals he used to be known as "Cute Naked Guy" until he put on weight.
The Ghost: He is seen twice, though not completely: his rear end and his hand in "The One With the Giant Poking Device", and also from behind in the episode where Ross is trying to get his apartment.
Home Nudist: Never wears clothes and doesn't seem to care that his neighbors can see through his windows (when he was moving out and was seen putting things in boxes, Chandler noted "Ironically, most of the boxes appear to be labelled 'clothes'.").
I Was Quite a Looker
Phoebe: [in flashback] Cute Naked Guy is really starting to put on weight.
Naked People Are Funny: He's a nudist. An interesting example as he is almost never actually seen but only described by whichever friend is spying on him at that moment.
No Name Given: Always referred to as "Ugly Naked Guy". Or, before he got ugly, "Cute Naked Guy".
Put on a Bus: In one episode it was announced that Ugly Naked Guy was moving out and subletting the apartment. Ross ends up acquiring the apartment.

Mr. Heckles

Played By: Larry Hankin

An elderly man who lived in the apartment below Monica and Rachel during the first season. He usually showed up to complain about the noise they were making.

Ceiling Banger: Mr. Heckles would routinely bang on the floor of Monica and Rachel's apartment and complain about the noise. When he passed away, Chandler noticed that due to the building's weird acoustics, the noise from other apartments actually was heavily amplified and started to bang on the ceiling himself until he realised in horror what he was doing. The running gag throughout that episode was that Chandler had found Mr. Heckles old school year-book and was freaking out at their similarities.
Cloudcuckoolander: Often bugged the gang about strange things.
Heckles: You're disturbing my birds.
Monica: You don't have birds.
Heckles I could have birds.
Character Death: He was an older guy, but not that old. Chandler is particularly shattered by his death because he thinks their lives share the same path.
Hidden Depths: He was part of a tight knit group before becoming a shut-in. He was the funny one.
Jerkass Has a Point: Constantly complained about noise, but everyone thought he was just trying to annoy them. After he died, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe found that the apartment's acoustics did amplify the noise from upstairs.
"Not So Different" Remark: After his death, Chandler realizes how similar he is to Heckles and worries that he might ended up like him in the years to come. As far as the series finale goes, he was proven wrong.
Limited Wardrobe: Always in a bathrobe.
Shadow Archetype: He is what Chandler would have become if he remained scared of relationships.
Small Role, Big Impact: According to one flashback, Joey wouldn't have been Chandler's roommate—and therefore, wouldn't have been part of the main cast—if it weren't for him.

Dr. Barry Farber

Played By: Mitchell Whitfield

The fiance Rachel left at the altar in the first episode.

Derailing Love Interests: Initially he was a nice, but boring guy who Rachel left at the altar because she didn't love him. Later its revealed he was a Smug Snake who cheated on with her best friend throughout their engagement.
Disposable Fiancé: He and Rachel consider getting back together in the first season but he eventually decides to stay with Mindy.
Jerkass: Barry is portrayed as a horrible, selfish little man who cheats, lies, and belittles other people.
Kavorka Man: He's average looking at best, rather dull, unromantic and apparently distinctly unskilled in the bedroom yet somehow manages to seduce multiple beautiful women, often simultaneously. About the only explanation is that he is a rich doctor and the women he succeeds with are generally very shallow.
New Old Flame: He's the guy Rachel left at the altar in the first episode.
Romantic False Lead: According to the nature of the Ross-Rachel relationship, pretty much every person either one of them dated for more than an episode after that point had elements of the false lead.
Sudden Name Change: In the first episode he's referred to as "Barry Finkle". His surname was changed to "Farber" for all subsequent appearances.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Is a reasonable enough person in his first appearance, but becomes more and more of a jerk with each successive appearance.

Paolo

Played By: Cosimo Fusco

An attractive Italian man who lived in the main apartment building for a while. He and Rachel hit it off during a blackout and dated for a while until Rachel dumped him for making a pass at Phoebe. He briefly returns in the second season premiere.

Affably Evil: He's a cheating sleazebag who made several passes at Phoebe, but he's still polite to the gang. This trait didn't change even when he briefly returned.
Beauty Is Bad: He's introduced as a handsome love interest, but he turns out to be bad for Rachel.
The Bus Came Back: Briefly in Season 2, when Rachel has a one night stand with him on an impulse after being depressed with Ross' new relationship with Julie.
Ross: Hey, Paulo...? What are you doing here?
Paolo: I do Raquel.
Derailing Love Interests: Introduced as a dumb, but harmless guy who enjoyed being with Rachel... Then he randomly became a Jerkass who tried to cheat on her. This was to make way for the Ross/Rachel relationship.
Foreign People Are Sexy: More Informed Attractiveness than anything though.
Gag Penis: Phoebe says that boy scouts could have camped under there.
Latin Lover: He's Italian. Also applies to the Italian dub, where due to Adaptational Nationality he becomes a Spanish guy named Pablo.
Romantic False Lead: Former Trope Namer. He was introduced just to add more drama to the Ross/Rachel relationship. Lampshaded by Chandler's mother, who describes Paolo as "a complication you eventually kill off."
Sex for Solace: Rachel briefly hooks up with him again in the second season premiere when she's trying to deal with Ross' new relationship with Julie.

David

Played By: Hank Azaria

A nerdy scientist that Phoebe meets in Central Perk who eventually becomes one of her most serious loves. Their relationship is cut short when he's offered a once-in-a-lifetime job in Minsk.

Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Mike's Betty for Phoebe's Archie.
The Bus Came Back: First in season 7 (for just one episode) and then in the second half of season 9.
Butt-Monkey: His scientific career, his romance with Phoebe, all goes south easily.
Did Not Get the Girl: Loses Phoebe to Mike at the end of Season 9.
Endearingly Dorky: Like Ross, he's a neurotic and socially awkward but lovable type of nerd, and Phoebe was absolutely crazy about him. She couldn't stand Ross' obsession with science, but she loved David's lab and thought he was extremely clever and extremely cute.
Extreme Doormat: More than Chandler and Ross combined. Specially in the Barbados episodes, where he just wants to please Phoebe.
Gibbering Genius: Smart scientist, constantly stammering and such.
Love Interest: He likes Phoebe a lot. He's her first serious boyfriend, though only for one episode. He comes back now and then.
Nice Guy: He's a cute nerdy guy who is crazy about Phoebe and would do anything for her. Even after he and Mike have an argument over Phoebe, he gives Mike his phone number and offers to party with him if Mike ever visits Minsk.
Put on a Bus: He went to Minsk to work on a science project.
Verbal Tic: His lines are often punctuated by stutters and 'um's.

Fun Bobby

Played By: Vincent Ventresca

A guy Monica occasionally dated in the first season.

The Alcoholic: He has a drinking problem, and in season 2 Monica successfully helps him give up drinking.
The Bore: He becomes this after getting sober, droning on about things like visiting hardware stores. Chandler starts calling him "Ridiculously Dull Bobby".
Ironic Name: He's not only boring (it's the alcohol that puts the "fun" into Fun Bobby), but downright depressing when sober.
The Eeyore: Due to his grandfather's death, he suffers from depression without alcohol.
Only Known by Their Nickname: His full name is never revealed.
What Did I Do Last Night?: According to Phoebe most of his stories involve this due to his heavy drinking.

Introduced in Season 2

Julie

Played By: Lauren Tom

A fellow paleontologist that Ross knew in grad school. They reconnect while on a dig in China and start dating.

Asian and Nerdy: She's a Paleontologist.
Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Rachel's Veronica for Ross' Archie.
Beware the Nice Ones: According to Ross, she was so angry that he broke up with her, she threw things at him.
Birds of a Feather: With Ross, both being nerdy paleontologists, he has more in common with her than with his First Love Rachel.
Derailing Love Interests: A notable aversion since she stood in the way of the show's main pairing. Julie is consistently nice and makes efforts to befriend Rachel and the rest of the group. Rachel is portrayed as being in the wrong for disliking her and told by the others that she has to get over it. The inevitable break-up is solely because of Ross' feelings for Rachel and not because of anything Julie did.
Earn Your Happy Ending: Despite Ross dumping her right as things were getting serious, she still manages to find her Second Love in Russ.
Nice Girl: Julie is a very sweet and lovely person.
Pair the Spares: After Ross breaks up with her because "She's not Rachel," Rachel still doesn't date him. She instead hooks up with Russ (played by "Snaro" ^noteDavid Schwimmer) who is virtually identical to Ross. In The Stinger of that episode, he sees Julie, and she him, and it appears to be Love at First Sight.
Romantic False Lead: In the second season, Ross dated academic Julie while Rachel looked on jealously.

Dr. Richard Burke

Played By: Tom Selleck

An old family friend of the Gellers who becomes Monica's first serious relationship on the show.

The Ace: He's intelligent, sophisticated, compassionate, funny, charitable, loving, rich, and tolerant of Monica's idiosyncrasies. If it wasn't for the fact he was past the stage in life Monica wanted to be, they would've probably gotten married.
Age-Gap Romance: He's 21 years older than Monica. Her parents strongly disapprove of the relationship because of it. This ultimately leads to them breaking up as they're in such different places in their lives.
Always Someone Better: How Chandler feels about him as a sophisticated older guy who was Monica's First Love. In reality though Chandler is actually Richard's Always Someone Better, as Monica chose him over Richard several times.
Being Good Sucks: In Season 6 he agrees with Chandler that he is a good guy and actually hates that he is since it's what makes him accept that he missed his chance with Monica and that she should be with Chandler.
Betty and Veronica: In Season 6, the Veronica to Chandler's Betty for Monica's Archie.
The Bus Came Back: In season 3 and in season 6. However he's still frequently mentioned even later.
Did Not Get the Girl: Steps down when he realizes Monica is meant to be with Chandler.
Differing Priorities Break Up: Monica desperately wants children of her own, but Richard already has kids of his own and doesn't want to go through it again.
The Dreaded: He never actually demonstrates this, but Joey (generally considered the group's most scrappy member) is absolutely certain Richard could kick his and Chandler's butts at the same time.
First Love: To Monica. (Pete was her second and Chandler was her third.)
Foil: To Dr. Barry Farber. They both are doctors who had a committed relationship with a main character. While Barry Farber was selfish, cowardly, unfaithful, and in general unpleasant, Dr. Richard Burke was suave, generous, faithful, committed, and nothing but charming.
Friends with Benefits: He and Monica attempt to have this arrangement during the third season. They break if off as while they still care about each other, their different goals remain insurmountable.
Love Interest: To Monica in season 2.
Nice Guy: Lampshaded by Chandler.
Chandler: You know, Richard... you are a good guy.
Richard: I know. I hate that.
Porn Stache: Usually sports Tom Selleck's trademark mustache. The only time he doesn't is during his appearance in the third season. When he next appears with it grown back he jokes that "my nose got cold". Monica later accuses Chandler of being jealous that he can't grow a mustache like Richard's.
Romantic False Lead: In his final appearance which he actually realizes by encouraging Chandler to go after Monica.
Silver Fox: Despite his age, Monica describes him as "one of the brightest, most sophisticated, sexiest men I've ever been with" and Rachel and Phoebe agree with her.
Team Dad: To his dismay, Chandler and Joey only think of him as this rather than as an equal.

Eddie Menuek

Played By: Adam Goldberg

Chandler's temporary roommate after Joey moves out in season two.

Cloudcuckoolander: His extremely odd behavior freaks Chandler out.
Crazy Jealous Guy: After his ex-girlfriend visits to return a fish tank, he immediately accuses Chandler of sleeping with her.
Derailing Love Interests: In a non-romantic sense. In his debut episode, Eddie is a perfectly decent roommate whom Chandler gets along with fairly well and his worst fault is not being interested in foosball and Baywatch. In the next episode, he gets turned into a raving psycho whom Chandler has to throw out so as to facilitate the Chandler/Joey reunion.
Funny Schizophrenia: His bizarre behavior is Played for Laughs.
Love Makes You Crazy: Implied, since he was normal in his first episode The One Where Eddie Moves In. Only in his second episode, after he mentions his break-up with his ex-girlfriend Tilly, he starts to show signs of insanity.
Eddie: And it was literally like she had reached into my chest, ripped out my heart, and smeared it all over my life, ya know. And now there's like this incredible abyss, ya know, and I'm falling and I keep falling and I don't think I'm ever gonna stop. [finishes laughing] That uh, wasn't such a funny story, was it?
The Mentally Disturbed: He watches Chandler sleep, loves shrinking fruit, and keeps a goldfish cracker as a pet. The only way Chandler is able to get him to leave is by pretend Eddie never lived there and Joey was there all along.
Replacement Goldfish: To Joey, as Chandler's roommate. A literal example when Eddie buys a goldfish after irrationally believing that Chandler killed his previous fish. After temporarily replacing it with a goldfish cracker from Pepperidge Farm, anyway.
Stalker without a Crush: He apparently sneaks in Chandler's bedroom to watch him sleep every night.
The Thing That Would Not Leave: After his true colours are shown. Every single time Chandler tells him that he has has enough and tells him to move out, Eddie completely forgets (at one point, he's even convinced that instead of telling him to move out, he and Chandler went on a road trip to Las Vegas). It takes Joey moving back in, Chandler and him pretending that they have no idea who Eddie is and that he never lived there, for him to finally leave.

Estelle Leonard

Played By: June Gable

Joey's eccentric talent agent. They start working together during the first season but she doesn't appear in person until the second season.

Catchphrase: "Joey, it's Estelle!"
Character Death: She dies in the last season.
The Ditz: Which barely helps Joey's fledging career.
Smoking Is Cool: When she appears, she is always on the phone or talking with Joey while smoking cigarettes.
Two First Names: "Estelle" and "Leonard".

Mr. Treeger

Mr. Treger

Played By: Michael G Hagerty

The superintendent for the apartment where Monica, Rachel, Joey and Chandler live.

Hidden Depths: He took ballroom dancing lessons to impress a female superintendent he had a crush on.
Key Confusion: Opts to break down Monica and Chandler's door after a suspected gas leak because his ring of keys is so cluttered he'd never be able to find the right one.
Mr. Fixit: It's his job to maintain the building and he does a reasonable job of it, but it still took Joey to work out how to turn off Monica and Rachel's broken radiator (in Treeger's defence, he at least had a plan for how to fix it and just couldn't get the parts at that time).
Noodle Incident: After Joey and Phoebe claim they smell gas from Monica and Chandler's apartment Treeger indicates that he'd previously worked in a building that exploded due to a gas leak.
Odd Friendship: He and Ross go to yoga lessons together.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He knows Monica is illegally subletting her grandmother's apartment but looks the other way because she and Rachel are good tenants who don't cause him problems. He also doesn't seem to care about the apartment swap in season four as he's seen cleaning the bathroom drain in the big apartment while the guys are living there.

Introduced in Season 3

Mark Robinson

Played By: Steven Eckholdt

A regular at the diner where Monica works in season three. He also happens to work in fashion and offers Rachel a job, triggering the storyline that ends her relationship with Ross.

Book Ends: His friendship with Rachel and setting her up the job at Bloomingdale's was the reason due to which Ross and Rachel had their infamous breakup. Come the final season, his reappearance and his subsequent offering Rachel a job in Louis Vuitton is also the reason Ross and Rachel eventually get back together for good.
The Bus Came Back: In the Season 10 episode "The One With Princess Consuela".
Happily Married: It's revealed in Season 10 that Mark is happily married with his wife having just had twins.
Jerkass: Ross considers him one, believing that Mark is only helping Rachel because he's attracted to her even though it turns out Mark is actually seeing someone when Rachel starts working with him. After remembering who Mark is in season 10 Ross immediately snaps to "I hate that guy!".
Nice Guy: From Rachel's perspective as he helps her get a job in the fashion industry and shares her interest in the business.
Office Romance: He's actually secretly dating a different woman in the office when Rachel starts working with him. Ross overhears the three of them discussing it from the hallway and gets the wrong impression, fuelling his jealousy issues. They break up at some point off-screen.
Put on a Bus: In "The One With The Tiny-T-Shirt".
Romantic False Lead: Definitely. While Mark never asked Rachel out until she ended her relationship with Ross, he was always considered an obstacle to Ross and Rachel's relationship and was one of the reasons for their break-up (although it's mostly because Ross was a massive Crazy Jealous Guy). In "The One With Princess Consuela", it's possible that Ross still blames Mark for the breakup given his declaration "I hate that guy!" and will always despise Mark for the breakup.
Small Role, Big Impact: He doesn't appear in many episodes, but has a huge impact on Ross and Rachel's relationship. Both times.

Chloe

Played By: Angela Featherstone

A young woman who works in a local xerox store. Chandler, Joey and Ross all find her incredibly attractive.

The Bore: Shown to talk a lot about her work to a clearly disinterested Joey and Chandler.
Boyish Short Hair: A short-haired, unconventional "hot girl" in contrast to Ross's girlfriend Rachel who is a long-haired and feminine beauty.
The Ditz: She's portrayed as being shallow and not particularly bright, which turns Joey and Chandler off to her.
Dude Magnet: Attracts all the main guys of the core cast.
Genki Girl: She's bubbly and energetic, which is a big part of her initial appeal to Joey and Chandler.
Good Bad Girl: She seems a friendly person, but slept with Ross even though she knew he was in a relationship.
Savage Piercings: Has a bellybutton ring, and it's shown in her later scenes.
Small Role, Big Impact: Only appears in two episodes, but has a huge impact on Ross and Rachel's relationship.
Sticky Fingers: Has a bad habit of stealing watches.

Isaac

Played By: Maury Ginsberg

Works with Chloe at the xerox store. He also happens to be the brother of Phoebe's friend and coworker Jasmine.

Chekhov's Gunman: Seems to be little more than an incidental character at first, only for Chandler to reveal to Ross that he's the brother of Phoebe's coworker Jasmine and, thus, may very well have told his sister about his affair with Chloe. Chandler turns out to be right.
I'm a Man; I Can't Help It: Tries to make Ross feel better about his affair by telling him that "it doesn't matter how much we love'em, monogamy is too cruel a rule."
One Degree of Separation: In addition to working with Chloe he's also the brother of Phoebe's coworker Jasmine.
The Stoner: Though not outright stated, it's clear from his looks and demeanor that he's this.
Surfer Dude: He certainly talks like one.

Pete Becker

Played By: Jon Favreau

A wealthy tech executive who starts dating Monica in the third season.

Birds of a Feather: With Monica. Both of them are super-competitive, hard-working determinators who are too stubborn for their own good.
Competition Freak: His highly competetive nature means he doesn't back down from failure, a trait that led to him forming a major software company and becoming a millionaire in his twenties. The downside is that he refuses to quit the UFC even though he gets his ass kicked in every fight. Monica breaks up with him because she can't stand seeing him get hurt anymore.
Derailing Love Interests: He started as a sweet, smart Dogged Nice Guy who went to great lengths to win over Monica. Then he turns into a pig-headed Competition Freak who picks wrestling over her. Could be explained, by his Dogged Nice Guy, Determinator personality extending to all areas of his life, and once he'd 'won' Monica, he got bored and moved onto a new challenge.
Detrimental Determination: His extreme competitiveness works against him when he decides to try his hand at MMA, refusing to quit the UFC in spite of taking serious beatings every time he fights... which, in turn, also ruins his relationship with Monica, as she can't bear seeing him getting hurt like that and he won't listen to reason.
Dogged Nice Guy: Towards Monica.
Groin Attack: Is on the receiving end of one of these during his third MMA fight.
Ross: Well, this is ironic. Of your last two boyfriends, Richard didn't want to have kids, and from the looks of it, now Pete can't.
Nice Guy: Until he becomes obsessed with wrestling, causing his break-up with Monica.
Not with Them for the Money: Despite Rachel's encouragement Monica refuses to date him unless she develops genuine feelings. (She does.) She also refuses to let him give her her own restaurant.
Second Love: To Monica. (Richard being the first and Chandler being the third).
Self-Made Man: A millionaire manager of a huge computer corporation.
Too Much Alike: Despite sharing his stubborn, competitive nature, Monica can't deal with it and they break up, hinting she needs someone more relaxed than her. Her next boyfriend, and eventual husband, is the easy-going Chandler.

Joanna

Played By: Alison La Placa

An executive at Bloomingdale's who Rachel, Mark and Sophie all worked for. She's horrible to all three of them to varying degrees. Chandler briefly dates her a few times.

Asshole Victim: Sophie is genuinely happy when she dies.
Benevolent Boss: She's slightly nicer to Rachel, as despite all the crap she puts her through, eventually admits that she's a good assistant.
Casual Kink: She leaves Chandler locked in her office and handcuffed to her desk chair wearing nothing but his underwear while she goes to a meeting.
Character Death: She is one of the few recurring characters to have been killed on the show.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Rather runned over by a New York City cab offscreen.
For the Evulz: She makes Sophie miserable out of pure fun.
Irrational Hatred: From the way she treats her, it's clear that she hates Sophie, but it's never explained why.
Jerkass: Not only does she treat Sophie like crap, but also tries to sabotage Rachel's interview for a higher position because she loves Rachel as her assistant. And when Chandler doesn't call her back after their date, she blames Rachel (who introduced them) for it and rather ominously hints to her that she'll fire her because of this — this is flat-out illegal workplace behavior.
Mean Boss: She constantly mistreats and belittles Sophie, for some unexplained reason. She clearly likes Rachel much more than her.
The Sociopath: Is completely remorseless in treating her employees like crap and enjoys it.

Sophie

Played By: Laura Dean

Mark's replacement as Joanna's assistant. She ends up taking the brunt of Joanna's cruelty.

And There Was Much Rejoicing: She takes Joanna's death very well.
Boss's Unfavorite Employee: Joanna loves Rachel and hates Sophie.
Rachel: The hiring committee is meeting people all day and...
Joanna: Oh. Well, I wish I could say no, but you can't stay my assistant forever. Neither can you Sophie, but for different reasons.
Butt-Monkey: She's constantly picked on by her boss Joanna.
Nice Girl: She was shown to be a very nice person and even to Joanna who always responded negatively. Sophie was also kindly to Chandler and Ross. And she wasn't furious at Ross when he brought the picnic to her and Rachel's office or when he accidentally set the desk on fire.
Put on a Bus: She disappears from the show after Rachel's department was eliminated.

Kate Miller

Played By: Dina Meyer

An actress cast alongside Joey in a new play. She's initially aloof towards him, looking down on his work in soap operas and informercials. She's also dating the play's director.

Break the Haughty: Her inflated ego takes a bit when her a critic gives her acting a worse review than Joey’s.
Defrosting Ice Queen: She's initially dismissive of Joey and his acting career, but softens up to him after he comforts her.
Jerkass: She was a pompous jerk to Joey at first.
Love Interest: One of the few women Joey was genuinely interested in.
Morality Pet: She was the first woman to turn Joey into a Ladykiller in Love, many years before Rachel.
The Prima Donna: A stuck-up actress who looks down on other people, including Joey.
Put on a Bus: After a few episodes, she obtains a part in LA and leaves Joey.
Small Name, Big Ego: She believes herself to be superior to "soap actor" Joey, but she used to play in a soap opera too. In the review of their play, Kate's acting is criticized even more than Joey's acting.
Unperson: Joey genuinely falls in love with her during Kate's story arc in season 3, but she's never mentioned again after she leaves for Los Angeles. In season 8, he even claims that Rachel is the first woman he has ever loved.

Marshall Townend

Played By: Reg Rogers

The director of Boxing Day, a play starring Joey Tribbiani and Kate Miller. He's far more dramatic than his actors.

Jerkass: Kate insists that he's brilliant, but nearly every time he appears he's extremely rude and belittling to everyone around him. He ends up dumping Kate after the play's opening night is poorly reviewed.
Prima Donna Director: Spends most of the rehearsals yelling at Joey and Kate for not performing the way he wants. Joey calls him "a cartoon" after one particularly hammy session.
Small Name, Big Ego: His outlandish directing style becomes even more ridiculous after The Reveal that the seemingly gritty drama is actually a goofy, cliched sci-fi tale that gets absolutely trashed by reviewers.

Bonnie

Played By: Christine Taylor

One of Phoebe's friends who she sets up with Ross towards the end of the third season. She's outgoing and adventurous and used to shave her head.

Betty and Veronica: The Veronica (Good Bad Girl newcomer) to Rachel's Betty (his First Love) for Ross' Archie.
Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: In "The One with the Jellyfish", Ross casually admits to Rachel that Bonnie often raped him, mentioning that him being asleep or not willing to have sex aroused her, as well as trying to excuse her saying "it wasn't every morning", while the show treated it as something to laugh at. It's Rachel who apparently sees it as something bad.
Ross: I can't stay here all night. If I go in there, she'll want to... do stuff.
Rachel: Can't you say you aren't in the mood?
Ross: No, she likes that. Faking sleep doesn't work either. I can't tell you how many mornings I woke up with her... Whoa, OK, why am I telling you this?
Rachel: I don't know.
[Rachel and Ross start to kiss passionately]
Ross: Hmm, uh. [opens the door] It wasn't every morning...
Rachel: You're making it worse!
Ross: OK. [leaves through the door]
Good Bad Girl: A hypersexual Shameless Fanservice Girl, but still friendly and likable.
Nice Girl: Despite her former sluttiness, she's generally very nice and friendly with everybody.
Really Gets Around: This is revealed at the beginning of "The One at the Beach," which makes it all the more strange that Ross of all people would be dating her.
Romantic False Lead: Just introduced to stand in the way of the Ross/Rachel pairing for a while.

Doug

Played By: Sam McMurray

Chandler's new, deeply obnoxious boss introdued in "The One With The Ultimate Fighting Champion".

The Alcoholic: During one office party he excuses himself and his wife from a conversation by saying they're going to go drink their body weight. He didn't get invited to Chandler and Monica's wedding because when he attended their engagement party he got drunk and urinated on the decorations.
Chandler: Boy, urine just cuts right through an ice sculpture, doesn't it?
Drowning My Sorrows: Chandler suggests that Doug's heavy drinking and partying during "TOW Ross' Step Forward" is his way of avoiding how miserable he truly is about his divorce.
Flirtatious Smack on the Ass: He uses a platonic version to show his approval for employees' good work. Chandler is initially uncomfortable with it, but eventually relents once Doug starts doling them out to the other employees as well. In "TOW The Work Laugh", Doug's wife greets Chandler with one at a work party.
Jerkass: Doug is extremely boistrous and self-absorbed. He expects Chandler to laugh at all his jokes and do everything he's told. His presence makes Chandler hate his job even more than he already did. He also alludes to being hit with multiple sexual harrassment charges.
Wedding Ring Removal: He tries to get Chandler to do this when he thinks Chandler and Monica have split up (they hadn't, Chandler just lied to get Monica out of a dinner with him).

Introduced in Season 4

Chip Matthews

Played By: Dan Gauthier

Rachel's high school boyfriend and Prom Date. Monica eventually goes on a date with him in season four and quickly learns that he hasn't changed at all since high scool.

Big Man on Campus: In high school, where he was dating the equally popular Rachel.
The Faceless: In "The One with the Prom Video", he's played by an unknown, uncredited actor and his face is not seen on screen.
Future Loser: He was the most popular guy in high school, now he's an immature Manchild with no job who still lives with his parents.
Manchild: Monica dates him in "The One With The Cat" and learns that he hasn't matured at all since high school.

Kathy

Played By: Paget Brewster

A woman that Joey meets in acting class who quickly become the center of a Love Triangle between him and Chandler.

Birds of a Feather: Chandler falls in love with her after they bond over their favorite television show.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Sadly comes off as this, when she sleeps with Nick. Cheating once was sympathetic because she claimed to have fallen in love with Chandler, but cheating again tips her into this territory.
Commitment Issues: While she's nowhere near as bad about this as Chandler, it's clear she has her own struggles with it. Her relationship with Joey ends because she develops feelings for Chandler, and their relationship ends when she sleeps with Nick.
Derailing Love Interests: While she did kiss Chandler, while she was with Joey, it was portrayed sympathetically as they'd genuinley fallen in love, while she and Joey were very casual. She eventually breaks up with Joey on good terms and enters into a proper relationship with Chandler, until eventually Chandler himself is the one who gets derailed. He sees her acting out a simulated sex scene with another guy in a play, and immediately assumes she must be having an affair with him. She denies this, but Chandler accuses her in such an immature and harsh way that she DOES end up having an affair with the guy.
Hypocrite: When Chandler says it should be understandable that he believes she could be cheating on him with co-star Nick, considering how they got together, she gets upset and leaves... and promptly cheats on Chandler with Nick.
Love Interest: To Chandler and Joey in season 4.
Second Love: To Chandler, with Janice being first. (Monica was his third).
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: While initially, Kathy was not cheating on Chandler with Nick. His immaturity in the situation and overall pettiness ends up driving Kathy away from him to Nick.
Too Much Alike: She and Chandler bond over their similar interests and sense of humor. Their relationship ends up failing because they both struggle with commitment.

Joshua Burgin

Played By: Tate Donovan

A customer at Bloomingdale's that Rachel develops a crush on. He's recently divorced and wary about starting a new relationship.

Breakup Bonfire: His ex-wife burned all of his clothes except for one suit and a skirt that he grabbed by accident. He meets Rachel when he hires her to buy replacement clothes. He eventually admits that he doesn't actually wear suits to work, he kept coming back because he liked Rachel but wasn't ready to ask her out.
The Generic Guy: It's not clear why Rachel was so attracted to him. Given the events before and after his arc, she was most likely using him as a proxy for the lingering feelings she had towards Ross.
Love Interest: To Rachel in season 4, although he's obviously just a Romantic False Lead.
Oblivious to Love: He was clueless about Rachel's crush on him in the beginning.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Turns out he's terrified of farm birds and even when Rachel shoos the Chick and the Duck out into the hallway (during the period when she and Monica swapped with Chandler and Joey the birds still "migrated" back to their original home) he's still nervous because he knows they're outside.

Emily Waltham

Played By: Helen Baxendale

The niece of Rachel's boss at Bloomingdale's. After a whirlwind romance she and Ross get married in the fourth season finale, making her his second wife.

Ambiguously Absent Parent: At the rehearsal dinner she introduces Ross to her father and stepmother. The closest anyone comes to mentioning her mother is when Ross tells the gang that they're planning to get married in the same venue where Emily's parents were married.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She's mostly portrayed as a nice love interest in season 4 (before she Took a Level in Jerkass), but she had jerkass foreshadowing from the start.
- Her first appearance had her being completely judgemental about strangers who didn't have a chance to explain themselves. Ross later handwaved it as her being soaking wet at the time.
- It was revealed that, despite being with Ross for a couple of weeks, she also had a long-term beau back home which she ended up dumping abruptly in favour of Ross, but only after Ross learned about it and decided to "fight" for her.
- In the rugby episode she gave out weak points of the other players for Ross to exploit to inflict as much pain as possible, even his own teammates. To be fair, in this case, she only did so because she had asked them to take it easy on Ross, and they clearly didn't.
- Her final "appearance" has her calling Ross the night before her wedding. No matter how you twist it, even at best, it's disrespectful to her fiancé.
Break the Cutie: In the season 4 finale she is humiliated by Ross at their wedding, the main reason why Emily turns into an obsessive Control Freak and Clingy Jealous Girl afterwards.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Emily's darker and jealous side to her personality is revealed in season 5. Due to her paranoia she forces Ross to cut all ties with Rachel whatsoever, in order to make their marriage work.
Control Freak: Again, only after the season 4 finale.
Death Glare: She angrily gives one to Ross after mistakenly saying Rachel's name at their wedding.
English Rose: A beautiful young woman with fair skin and dark hair and dark eyes. Initially she was sweet, caring and she and Ross seemed like a perfect match. She and Ross wanted to get married, but both wanted to stay in their homeland because they had strong ties with their family and friends.
Irony: When she gets cold feet about her impending wedding and calls Ross about possibly getting back together, Monica thinks it's some kind of mean-spirited head game. Rachel (the person Emily demanded that Ross never see) actually thinks Emily's being sincere and feels a little sympathetic towards her (though not to the point of wanting Ross to actually call her back, of course).
Jerkass Has a Point: Having your future husband saying the name of his ex-girlfriend's at the altar would enrage anyone. And then she sees said husband about to board a plane for the honeymoon with said ex-girlfriend.
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: She had shades of this trope and similar effect on Ross. They spontaneously went to Vermont and enthusiastically watched animals and enjoyed the autumn there, he played rugby because of her, she made him pierce his ear and enroll in helicopter lessons. Though he says she won't be around for long enough for him to actually frequent the lessons.
Never My Fault: She repeatedly holds Ross nearly going on his honeymoon with Rachel over his head. While it admittedly looked bad, it was only done because Emily was not talking to him and didn't even show up at the airport until right as the flight was boarding. Ross might've started the whole thing by accidentally saying Rachel's name at the altar, but he had every reason to believe Emily had no intention of coming, inviting Rachel along simply because she was already there and he didn't want the extra ticket to go to waste.
One of the Boys: As seen in "The One With All The Rugby", she has male friends who are rugby enthusiasts, and she knows enough about rugby to know all the weaknesses of the rugby players of their teams.
Put on a Bus: Her arc was supposed to be longer, but because of Baxendale's pregnancy and desire to work back in England, she was written out early in season five.
Romantic False Lead: Emily is introduced as a sympathetic character, and you can't blame her for getting mad at Ross after the wedding disaster, but when Ross tries to reconcile with her, she is turned into a selfish, petty shrew by forcing Ross to never see Rachel again and, when she can't have her way, turning her back on him.
Took a Level in Jerkass: After Ross said his Rachel's name at the altar and then tried to get on the honeymoon flight with said ex, Emily went into a paranoia overdrive.
Woman Scorned: Although this is partially Ross's fault.

Introduced in Season 5

Danny

Played By: George Newbern

A new neighbor in the main apartment building who becomes Rachel's Temporary Love Interest for the fifth season.

Beautiful All Along: He's introduced with a massive beard and bushy hair that Rachel says makes him look like a yeti. He shaves after the girls spray him with bug bomb and Rachel barely recognises him without the hair.
Brother–Sister Incest: He has a "special relationship" with his sister. They even take baths together.
Manchild: When he's around his sister. They play together like little kids.
The Matchmaker: In "The One Where Ross Moves In" he tries to set up Rachel with his friend Tom, much to her dismay.
No Sense of Personal Space: He and his sister towards each other. Rachel eventually breaks up with him because of this.
Oblivious to Love: Like Joshua before him, he was initially oblivious to Rachel's interest in him.

Gary

Played By: Michael Rapaport

A police officer Phoebe meets after she finds his police badge in the chair cushions at Central Perk. He becomes one of her most serious relationships, with them almost moving in together before they break up.

Actually Pretty Funny: Subverted at the end of his first episode. He cracks a joke, and only Chandler laughs—not because it was funny, but because Gary carries a gun.
Derailing Love Interests: He was a Nice Guy who genuinely loved Phoebe and she even agreed to move in with him in spite of her fear that it was too soon... and then he shot a bird just because it was chirping too loudly. Phoebe broke up with him and he was never seen again.
Love Interest: To Phoebe in season 5.
Out-of-Character Moment: When he kills a bird for...whatever reason. Probably the dumbest way of getting rid of a Love Interest ever used on the show (even worse than Danny and his disturbing "special relationship" with his sister). Remember that this is the same character who previously showed that he respected proper gun safety and usage, such as refusing to let Chandler hold his gun on the risk he could drop it.
Unperson: Despite the fact that he was a legitimately serious love interest for Phoebe in the fifth season, and they were even ready to move in together, he's oddly never mentioned again, conflicting with Phoebe's realization that she's never had a serious love interest all her life in Season 9. Maybe she was mentally blocking him out because of the whole bird killing thing?

Introduced in Season 6

Janine Lecroix

Played By: Elle MacPherson

An Australian dancer who moves in with Joey after Chandler moves out. Joey is immediately attracted to her but Janine initially just sees him as a friend.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: After she and Joey become a couple, she starts badmouthing his friends (Chandler and Monica) because she hates hanging out with them, putting Joey into a Friend Versus Lover situation.
Derailing Love Interests: She was Joey's new roommate to whom he was attracted and eventually got together with. Then, she inexplicably turned out to be unable to stand Chandler and Monica, causing Joey to break up with her and her moving out.
Everyone Loves Blondes: Besides Joey, even Ross and Chandler showed attraction to her good looks.
Girly Girl: She likes pictures of babies, vases with flowers, bowls with petals, pretty little boxes or colorful pillows.
Love Interest: To Joey in season 6.
Statuesque Stunner: 6 feet of glamazon perfection.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Briefly with Monica, with Janine complaining she's 'too loud' and running away when Monica challenges her to fight it out.

Elizabeth Stevens

Played By: Alexandra Holden

A student in Ross' paleontology class at NYU. Once the semester ends she reveals she has a crush on him and they start dating.

Dating What Daddy Hates: She dates Ross, her professor from college. Her dad is not pleased.
Derailing Love Interests: To the point of self-parody. After Ross breaks up with her for the perfectly valid reason that they are at very different stages of their lives and he doesn't see a future, she yells at and hits him with a water balloon just as he's having second thoughts.
Hollywood Law: It's stated to be against the rules for Ross to date a student. Most colleges and universities do have a rule, but it's about dating your student. If instructors couldn't date any students, then that would ruin the incredibly common trend of professors leaving their wives for students and all the jokes about professors leaving their wives for students.
Nice Girl: Has a nice and pleasant demeanor, which Monica acknowledges after first meeting her.
One of the Boys: Implied at the end of The One With Joey's Fridge, when the friends who she's meeting for Spring Break turn out to be a huge group of guys.
Teacher/Student Romance: She dates Ross who was her paleontology teacher. Their relationship ends when her relative immaturity becomes a problem for Ross.

Paul Stevens

Played By: Bruce Willis

Elizabeth's single father who, understandably, objects to her relationship with Ross. He ends up dating Rachel for a while.

Chick Magnet: He immediately attracts Phoebe and Monica who try to flirt with him, and then he starts making out with Rachel in Joey's apartment.
Cloudcuckoolander: Especially in the episode "The One Where Paul's the Man" when he starts talking and singing exaggeratedly to himself in the mirror.
Paul: Just relax. Just relax, Paul, you're doing great. She likes you. She... maybe, she likes you. She likes you. You know why? Because you're a... neat guy. You are the man. You are... The Man! I still got it! Nice and sexy. You're just a love machine.
Dark and Troubled Past: He has seen a number of loved ones suffer, which helps explain why he is so emotionally closed off. He has outlived both his wife and his sister, and he alludes to something horrible having happened to his college roommate.
Freudian Excuse: He had a horrible childhood that made him a very insecure person.
Hilariously Abusive Childhood: After revealing to Rachel his ridiculously bad childhood, he begins crying for hours and Rachel dumps him for this reason.
Hypocrite: Rather than simply object to the inappropriateness of a teacher dating a student, he doesn't like Ross' relationship with his daughter because Ross is much older than she is. Then Paul starts dating Rachel, who is considerably younger than him.
Hypocrite Has a Point: Ross was Elizabeth's professor when they met (and continued to be a professor at the same university even if not teaching her directly while they were dating) which some people would find inappropriate—and at most schools, is forbidden, regardless of the age difference, Further, while Paul may seem like a hypocrite for dating the much younger Rachel, Rachel is at least a decade older than Elizabeth and Paul has never been her teacher.
Jerkass: He acts like a dick to Ross, mostly because Ross is dating his daughter who is much younger than Ross and actually his student at university.

Introduced in Season 7

Tag Jones

Played By: Eddie Cahill

Rachel's assistant at Ralph Lauren who she's immediately attracted to.

Derailing Love Interests: Averted unlike most love interests in the show. He remains the same basically decent and affectionate person throughout, he's just not in the same place in his life as Rachel and their break up is almost completely lacking in drama.
Even the Guys Want Him: Even Chandler gushes about how good-looking he is.
Hired for Their Looks: Rachel finds him so cute and pretty that she hires him as her assistant.
Love Interest: Rachel fancies him.
Nice Guy: He appeared to be a decent guy, but wasn't mature enough for Rachel.
Pretty Boy: He's quite young and has pretty, almost feminine features.
Romantic False Lead: He dates Rachel but they are not meant to be.
Sleeping with the Boss: He becomes Rachel's lover even though she's his boss.

Introduced in Season 8

Mona

Played By: Bonnie Somerville

One of Monica's co-workers who is invited to her wedding to Chandler where she meets Ross during the reception. They start dating but shortly afterwards Ross learns Rachel is pregnant with child. While Mona tries to be supportive it leads to a lot of issues that ultimately prove too much.

Birds of a Feather: With Ross. She is the only person to understand the reference to his "Spudnik" Halloween costume.
Derailing Love Interests: Averted. She breaks up after learning Ross invited Rachel (his pregnant ex) to live with him. That was apparently the last straw in a series of mishaps, including Rachel being pregnant with his baby being blurted out and some missed dates. Ross himself admits that she probably should have dumped him sooner.
The Generic Girl: There is nothing notable about her, except that she was dating Ross in season 8. Lampshaded when Phoebe denounces the group's collective dating history. She specifically mentions Mona among others as examples of the group's bad dating history, leading a confused Ross to wonder "What was wrong with Mona?"
Informed Flaw: Played for Laughs, Phoebe listed her alongside Tag and Janice when discussing embarrassing former relationships, Ross couldn't understand what it was about her she didn't like, and the others seem unable to provide an answer.
Ross: [Beat] What was wrong with Mona?!
Love Interest: To Ross.
Nice Girl: She is generally a friendly person, even to the other people in the group. Most notably, despite her breakup with Ross being very messy (among other things, she apparently told him to "crawl up his own ass and die"), the final time she encounters him in the show she's not hostile to him and treats him amicably, admitting that the stress of everything going on with Rachel's pregnancy just got too complicated for her.
Romantic False Lead: She begins a relationship with Ross just as Ross learns that Rachel is pregnant with his child.

Will Colbert

Played By: Brad Pitt

A high school friend of Ross' who loathes Rachel. He attends the gang's Thanksgiving dinner after Monica runs into him and learns he doesn't have anyone else to spend the day with. Phoebe is immediately attracted to him.

Berserk Button: Rachel. Just Rachel. His grudge on her is so intense, he wrecks a wall decoration by gripping on it too forcefully when he sees her again.
Boring, but Practical: How he describes his job as a commodities broker.
Ross: So, commodities broker. That sounds interesting.
Will: It's not. But I'm rich and thin.
Fat Best Friend: Was this to Ross in high school.
Formerly Fat: He was incredibly overweight in highschool, to the point Monica was referred to as "his thin friend". Seeing how Monica was Formerly Fat during that time as well, that's saying something. After graduation, the overweight and taunted Will managed to get in shape and grew up to become a successful commodities broker. While he describes it as boring, he at least remarks that he's "rich and thin".
Innocently Insensitive: He laughs at how he and Ross used to be so into dinosaurs not realizing Ross is a paleontology professor now.
Jerkass to One: While Will is good friends with Ross and Monica, he acts extremely hostile to Rachel due to her mocking his obesity back in highschool.
Manchild: Seems like an ordinary guy to begin with but seeing Rachel again causes him to go through serious emotional regression.
No Sympathy for Grudgeholders: While being bullied in highschool makes his resentment understandable, forming an "I Hate Rachel Club", spreading rumors of Rachel being a hermaphrodite that even Chandler (who didn't grow up on Long Island with them) heard about back then, and clinging onto that grudge for years makes it hard to sympathize with him.
One-Shot Character: Only appears in "The One With The Rumor" and is never mentioned in any other episode.
Rejected Apology: He refuses to accept any kind of apology from Rachel, who has no recollection of their past at all.
Remember the New Guy?: Supposedly an old close friend of Ross and Monica, but he was never mentioned before or since, wasn't in attendance at their weddings, etc.

Parker

Played By: Alec Baldwin

A guy Phoebe meets at the dry cleaner shortly after a fortune telling that she's about to meet someone important to her. She eventually dumps him because she can't stand his constant cheeriness.

Nice Guy: He is friendly, despite his annoying nature.
No Sense of Personal Space: He playfully punches Chandler in the arm way too hard. He also greets Rachel by patting her pregnant belly without asking, which she's clearly weirded out by.
The Pollyanna: So overly cheerful and enthusiastic that he annoys the rest of the gang and eventually Phoebe herself.
Phoebe: I am a positive person. You are like Santa Claus on Prozac, at Disneyland, getting laid!

Introduced in Season 9

Mike Hannigan

Played By: Paul Rudd

A random guy in Central Perk who Joey sets up with Phoebe. Despite the inauspicious start they soon fall in love and, after a brief break-up, Mike becomes Phoebe's second husband^note.

Awful Wedded Life: His first marriage ended in disaster, to the point that it put him off from ever wanting to marry someone again, which temporarily ended his relationship with Phoebe.
Betty and Veronica: The Betty to David's Veronica for Phoebe's Archie.
The Bus Came Back: He breaks up with Phoebe midway through Season 9 but then returns during the season finale.
Competition Freak: After Phoebe and Chandler refuse to play ping pong with Monica knowing how competitive she is, he agrees to play with her. After a quick practice round, it becomes clear that Mike is just as competitive as Monica.
Chandler: Oh dear God, there's two of them!
Contrived Coincidence: His entire relationship with Phoebe is based on one. Joey agreed to set up Phoebe on a blind date, forgot to do so and lied that he had, blurting out the name "Mike" in a panic. He then headed to the coffee house, yelled out "Mike" and Mike happened to be there, be single and be willing to go along with the scheme so met the love of his life.
Deadpan Snarker: It's Paul Rudd, after all.
Foil: He's this to Richard. Both characters are a prominent recurring Sixth Ranger outside the main six characters who serve as a love interest to one of the female members of the gang. Both end up breaking up with their love interest due to serious conflicting issues in their relationship (Richard not wanting kids; Mike not wanting to get married) despite still being very much in love with them. But while Richard is not able to work out his issues until it's too late for him and he does not get back together with Monica, Mike ultimately does work through his and he ends up getting back together with Phoebe for the rest of the series.
The Friends Who Never Hang: While mostly seen around Phoebe, he's the Sixth Ranger who interacts with all the other Friends in at least one episode, except with Rachel who is the only one who never shares a scene with him.
The Generic Guy: More interesting than usual, but for the most part he's just a generic boyfriend (later husband) to give Phoebe a stable love interest at the end of the series.
Happily Married: Eventually to Phoebe.
Love Interest: To Phoebe in the last two seasons and the most important one.
Nice Guy: He loves Phoebe and patiently puts up with her odd behavior.
Not So Above It All: He felt chafed by his law career, so even though he's a pretty laid-back guy, he's not above indulging Phoebe's quirkier moments. He also takes great pleasure in calling the guests of a bad dinner party boring before storming off.
Only Sane Man: He's much saner than Phoebe, although sometimes he humors her when she's being a Cloudcuckoolander.
Phoebe: [doing a crossword puzzle] Hey, Mike, what's the capital of Peru?
Mike: Lima.
Phoebe: No, it starts with a V and ends in an X. And hopefully with a T-O in the middle.
Mike: You know, you're right. The capital of Peru is Vtox.
Opposites Attract: With Phoebe. Their normal guy/quirky girl pairing works because of this trope.
Pursue the Dream Job: He becomes a pro pianist quite late in his life.
Rules Lawyer: While playing ping-pong with Monica he cites the specific rule against placing one's non-racquet hand on the table which renders Monica's first point invalid. Phoebe gleefully points out to Chandler that Mike used to be a lawyer.
Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Savvy Guy to Phoebe's Energetic Girl.
Second Love: To Phoebe (David was her first serious love interest). Phoebe also serves as this to him, after his rocky marriage to his unnamed first wife.
Sixth Ranger: He has a prominent role being married to Phoebe, but never gets promoted to main cast member, so he takes on this role.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: At the end of the eighth season Phoebe meets a man named Cliff, who similarly to Mike was also formerly married and is a Nice Guy who can put up with her odd behaviorisms. Come season nine and he is never mentioned despite it picking up directly where the previous season left off while Mike is almost immediately introduced, suggesting that he was going to have the role Mike ultimately wound up with in the series.
Uptown Girl: Gender inverted. He's a former lawyer and comes from a very wealthy family who are not thrilled at him falling for former Street Urchin Phoebe.

Wendy

Played By: Selma Blair

One of the staffmembers of the Oklahoma office Chandler is reassigned to in season nine. She makes a pass at him when they're forced to work on Christmas Day, an act that finally pushes Chandler into quitting his job for good.

Armor-Piercing Question: Delivers this to Chandler: "If what you and your wife have is so great, then why are you spending Christmas with me?" It's this very question that gets Chandler to realize he'd much rather be happy with his wife and friends on Christmas than spend the holiday being miserable in his job stuck in another state, and subsequently causes him to quit.
Awful Wedded Life: Implied. After revealing she's married, Chandler responds that he's happily married to his own wife. She seems genuinely curious about what that's like.
Small Role, Big Impact: She only appears in one episode, but it's an important one, as she's the one who gets Chandler to quit his office job after he's been working there since the start of the series.
World's Most Beautiful Woman: She was runner up Miss Oklahoma.

Gavin Mitchell

Played By: Dermot Mulroney

Brought in to cover for Rachel while she was on maternity leave, Gavin proves to be such a hit with the other executives at Ralph Lauren that Rachel becomes concerned he might replace her permanently.

Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Rachel.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears after a few episodes without explanation. Probably justified as he didn't want Rachel to complicate her situation with Ross any further.
Deadpan Snarker: His first interactions with Rachel are Snark-to-Snark Combat.
Did Not Get the Girl: Has a crush on Rachel, but willingly takes a step back once he realizes that her history with Ross is too complicated for anything to happen.
Hidden Depths: He was apparently a rodeo clown, which intrigues Rachel.
Gavin: One of the best, ma'am, one of the best.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Starts out as a jerk to Rachel, but is eventually revealed to be a nice person.
Pet the Dog: In his first appearance, he lets Rachel do a big presentation in his place and agrees to watch Emma in the meantime.

Charlie Wheeler

Played By: Aisha Tyler

A paleontologist with a history of dating geniuses. While she and Ross get along instantly, she ends up dating Joey as she wants a break from intellectual men.

Birds of a Feather: With Ross. They're both paleontologists who work at the same university. They begin dating after Charlie breaks up with Joey.
Derailing Love Interests: She seemed pleasant, intellectual and well-matched with Ross. Out of the blue she broke up with Ross to get back with her ex-boyfriend within a couple of days of encountering him. And yep, this was to accomodate another Ross/Rachel hook up for the end of the series.
Has a Type: She likes intellectual and successful guys. The only exception was Joey who has nothing to assert in the way of intelligence or academic achievements. They break up very soon because they were too different.
Love Interest: To Joey and Ross.
Opposites Attract: With Joey. She's a very intellectual woman who usually dates only smart guys, while Joey is extremely Book Dumb and ignorant. Deconstructed as the relationship doesn't go very far due to their lack of common ground and when they break up they both accept they weren't right for each other and take it very well.
Statuesque Stunner: She's a tall and imposing beauty. She's taller than most female characters and looms over some men as well.
Tomboyish Name: Charlie is usually a male name.

Introduced in Season 10

Erica

Played By: Anna Faris

A young woman who selects Chandler and Monica to adopt her unborn baby.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: When talking about the potential fathers of her baby, she mentioned one of the possibilities was a guy in prison who murdered his father with a shovel.
Brainless Beauty: She's pretty but not very bright.
Monica: There's something that we wanna tell you. We decided to name the girl-baby Erica.
Erica: Oh my God, that's just like my name!
Dumb Blonde: She didn't even realize she was pregnant with twins and thought she would have only one baby. She had also misinterpreted the reference to two heartbeats as referring to her heart and the baby's.
Hereditary Twinhood: Apparently, having twins is one of those things that runs in Erica's family.
In the Blood: Erica tells Chandler and Monica that having twins is one of those runs that run in her family, right as she's delivering their adoptive twins.
Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Erica admitted that she was uncertain whether the father of her baby was her high school boyfriend — a football champion — or a guy who was in prison for killing his father with a shovel.
Miss Conception: Monica suspects that Erica wasn't paying much attention in health class because whatever sexual act she did with "Shovelly Joe" couldn't have got her pregnant. We never find out what exactly she did, just that it's something Monica and Chandler never do.
Nice Girl: She was initially mad at Chandler and Monica for lying to her, but when Chandler talks privately to Erica and tells her about how much Monica really wanted a child, Erica understands his reasons and gives them another chance.
Surprise Multiple Birth: Erica knew she was pregnant, she just didn't know that it was twins. Her doctors clearly knew, as it's on her chart, but she misunderstood what they meant by "both heartbeats are good" and thought one of those was her heartbeat.
Took a Level in Dumbass: When we first meet her, she's a perfectly normal, intelligent girl. Then she seemed to get progressively dumber in every appearance she made, which is saying something given that she was only a one-season character. By the end of the show, she's so stupid that Chandler makes a crack about her having a similar level of intelligence to Joey. Of course by the finale, you realize this was done to justify the surprise of her having twins and not realizing it.

Characters / Friends: Other Characters

Edit Locked