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1[[Characters/{{Friends}} Back to the main character page]]
2
3[[foldercontrol]]
4
5!Introduced in Season 1
6[[folder:Gunther]]
7!!Gunther
8[[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gunther_3.png]]
9!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/JamesMichaelTyler
10
11The manager of [[LocalHangout Central Perk]] who has a secret crush on Rachel. The main recurring character who appears in every season.
12
13----
14* TwentyFourHourPartyPeople: 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.
15* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Poor Gunther never had a chance with Rachel.
16* AscendedExtra: Goes from a literal extra to one of the biggest supporting characters in the show.
17* TheBartender: The manager of Central Perk.
18* BitchInSheepsClothing: 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.
19* ExtremeDoormat: When it comes to Rachel, he will do anything she asks of him.
20* FormerChildStar: Claims to have played Bryce from ''Series/AllMyChildren'' (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''.
21* GreenEyedMonster: He hates Ross because he’s jealous that Ross dates (or used to date) Rachel.
22* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: He has some of the character traits, such as being kind, and a ChasteHero 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".
23* HiddenDepths:
24** Has a smoking habit, speaks fluent Dutch, and may have been a child actor.
25** 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 [[SixthRanger Seventh Friend]] (the other being Mike).
26* HopelessSuitor: 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.
27* JerkassToOne: He loves Rachel and usually acts nice (or at least civil) to everyone except Ross, who he hates out of jealousy.
28* MirrorCharacter: 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.
29* MistakenForGay: Rachel at one point tells Gunther that he will make some guy very happy someday.
30* NoFullNameGiven: He's only ever referred to by his first name and the audience never learns what his surname is.
31-->'''Gunther:''' What's my last name?\
32'''Chandler:''' ...Centralperk?
33* OneDegreeOfSeparation: In "TOW the Morning After" it's revealed that he's roommates with Phoebe's friend/co-worker Jasmine.
34* PetTheDog: 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.
35** In "The One Where Eddie Won’t Go'', he notices Joey is upset and asks him if he’s ok.
36** 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.
37* RecurringCharacter: 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 TwentyFourHourPartyPeople. 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.)
38* {{Sadist}}: He’s happy whenever he sees Ross in pain.
39* SingleTargetSexuality: He's very much Rachel-sexual. When Phoebe kisses him to get her cold back, he apologizes to Rachel for not stopping the kiss.
40* SixthRanger: Seventh.
41* UnknownRival: To Ross. He hates him for being Rachel's boyfriend and the father of her daughter, though Ross is oblivious to his hatred.
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Terry]]
45!!Terry
46!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/MaxWright
47
48The grouchy owner of Central Perk.
49
50----
51* BosssUnfavoriteEmployee:
52** Rachel, for her first job working at Central Perk. He ''[[JerkassHasAPoint does]]'' [[JerkassHasAPoint 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.
53** Phoebe, because he doesn't like her singing. In one episode he actually replaces her with Stephanie (played by Chrissie Hynde of Music/ThePretenders).
54* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: 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). [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that he's not a likeable character.
55* InSeriesNickname: Rachel and Phoebe give him the nickname "Jerk".
56* MeanBoss: He's grumpy and mistreats his employees - especially Rachel.
57[[/folder]]
58
59[[folder:Janice Litman]]
60!!Janice Litman
61[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px_janice.jpg]]
62!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/MaggieWheeler
63
64Chandler'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).
65
66----
67* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Chandler. However, in the third season, Chandler actually falls for her and dates her for a while.
68* AmbiguouslyJewish: Aside from her last name, she is a parody of Creator/FranDrescher after all.
69* AnnoyingLaugh: A signifying character trait, to which Chandler cringes every time he hears Janice laugh.
70* BigOMG: Will always say her catchphrase as such and nothing lower.
71* TheCatCameBack: 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.
72-->'''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.
73* CatchPhrase: [[PunctuatedForEmphasis OH. MY. GOD!]]
74* CuteButCacophonic: She is attractive, but has an annoyingly nasal voice and an even more annoying laugh.
75* TheDreaded: Played for laughs. Joey positively hates being around her; Chandler and Monica get to be the same way as the seasons progress.
76* EveryoneHasStandards: 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.
77* FirstLove: 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.)
78* {{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.
79* TheFriendNobodyLikes: 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.
80* HappilyMarried: 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.
81* HiddenDepths: 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.
82* IncomingHam: Her catchphrase is, more than once, the first thing she says when she encounters the friends after a long absence in the series.
83* JustEatGilligan: 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.
84* LargeHam: Loud, and enjoys every minute of it.
85* NiceGirl: 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.
86* ObliviousToHatred: Blissfully unaware of how much the Friends find her annoying. Justified in that they never tell her to her face.
87* OnceASeason: 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).
88* OverlyLongName: Janice Litman Goralnik (née Hosenstein).
89* QuirkyCurls: Her hair is always in curls.
90* RecurringCharacter: Was Chandler's on again off again girlfriend, thus she would always appear when the plot called for it.
91* SpannerInTheWorks: 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.
92* TakeThat: Supposed to be a parody of Creator/FranDrescher. Some local stations, when doing promos for episodes that feature Janice, actually announce, "Fran Drescher guest stars on the next ''Friends''!"
93* {{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.
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:"Ugly Naked Guy"]]
97!!"Ugly Naked Guy"
98
99The 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.
100
101----
102* CharacterDeath: {{Subverted}}. In one episode the gang think he is dead, but he's actually just sleeping.
103* DistaffCounterpart: Spends his Thanksgiving with the Ugly Naked Gal.
104* TheFaceless: 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.
105* FormerlyFit: A flashback reveals he used to be known as "Cute Naked Guy" until he put on weight.
106* TheGhost: 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.
107* HomeNudist: 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'.").
108* IWasQuiteALooker
109-->'''Phoebe:''' ''[in flashback]'' Cute Naked Guy is really starting to put on weight.
110* NakedPeopleAreFunny: 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.
111* NoNameGiven: Always referred to as "Ugly Naked Guy". Or, before he got ugly, "Cute Naked Guy".
112* PutOnABus: In one episode it was announced that Ugly Naked Guy was moving out and subletting the apartment. Ross ends up acquiring the apartment.
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Mr. Heckles]]
116!!Mr. Heckles
117!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/LarryHankin
118
119An 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.
120
121----
122* CeilingBanger: 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.
123* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Often bugged the gang about strange things.
124-->'''Heckles:''' You're disturbing my birds.\
125'''Monica:''' You don't have birds.\
126'''Heckles''' I could have birds.
127* CharacterDeath: 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.
128* HiddenDepths: He was part of a tight knit group before becoming a shut-in. He was the funny one.
129* JerkassHasAPoint: 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.
130* NotSoDifferentRemark: 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. [[spoiler: As far as the series finale goes, he was proven wrong.]]
131* LimitedWardrobe: Always in a bathrobe.
132* ShadowArchetype: He is what Chandler would have become if he remained scared of relationships.
133* SmallRoleBigImpact: 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.
134[[/folder]]
135
136[[folder:Dr. Barry Farber]]
137!!Dr. Barry Farber
138!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/MitchellWhitfield
139
140The fiance Rachel left at the altar in the first episode.
141
142----
143* DerailingLoveInterests: 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 SmugSnake who cheated on with her best friend throughout their engagement.
144* DisposableFiance: He and Rachel consider getting back together in the first season but he eventually decides to stay with Mindy.
145* {{Jerkass}}: Barry is portrayed as a horrible, selfish little man who cheats, lies, and belittles other people.
146* KavorkaMan: 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.
147* NewOldFlame: He's the guy Rachel left at the altar in the first episode.
148* RomanticFalseLead: 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.
149* SuddenNameChange: In the first episode he's referred to as "Barry Finkle". His surname was changed to "Farber" for all subsequent appearances.
150* TookALevelInJerkass: Is a reasonable enough person in his first appearance, but becomes more and more of a jerk with each successive appearance.
151[[/folder]]
152
153[[folder:Paolo]]
154!!Paolo
155!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/CosimoFusco
156
157An 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.
158
159----
160* AffablyEvil: 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.
161* BeautyIsBad: He's introduced as a handsome love interest, but he turns out to be bad for Rachel.
162* TheBusCameBack: 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.
163-->'''Ross:''' Hey, Paulo...? What are you doing here?\
164'''Paolo:''' I do Raquel.
165* DerailingLoveInterests: 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.
166* ForeignPeopleAreSexy: More InformedAttractiveness than anything though.
167* GagPenis: Phoebe says that boy scouts could have camped under there.
168* LatinLover: He's Italian. Also applies to the Italian dub, where due to AdaptationalNationality he becomes a Spanish guy named Pablo.
169* RomanticFalseLead: Former TropeNamer. 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."
170* SexForSolace: Rachel briefly [[SexWithTheEx hooks up with him again]] in the second season premiere when she's trying to deal with Ross' new relationship with Julie.
171[[/folder]]
172
173[[folder:David]]
174!!David
175!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/HankAzaria
176
177A 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.
178
179----
180* BettyAndVeronica: The Veronica to Mike's Betty for Phoebe's Archie.
181* TheBusCameBack: First in season 7 (for just one episode) and then in the second half of season 9.
182* ButtMonkey: His scientific career, his romance with Phoebe, all goes south easily.
183* DidNotGetTheGirl: [[spoiler: Loses Phoebe to Mike at the end of Season 9]].
184* EndearinglyDorky: 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.
185* ExtremeDoormat: More than Chandler and Ross combined. Specially in the Barbados episodes, where he just wants to please Phoebe.
186* GibberingGenius: Smart scientist, constantly stammering and such.
187* LoveInterest: He likes Phoebe a lot. He's her first serious boyfriend, though only for one episode. He comes back now and then.
188* NiceGuy: 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.
189* PutOnABus: He went to Minsk to work on a science project.
190* VerbalTic: His lines are often punctuated by stutters and 'um's.
191[[/folder]]
192
193[[folder:Fun Bobby]]
194!!Fun Bobby
195!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/VincentVentresca
196
197A guy Monica occasionally dated in the first season.
198
199----
200* TheAlcoholic: He has a drinking problem, and in season 2 Monica successfully helps him give up drinking.
201* TheBore: He becomes this after getting sober, droning on about things like visiting hardware stores. Chandler starts calling him "Ridiculously Dull Bobby".
202* IronicName: He's not only boring (it's the alcohol that puts the "fun" into Fun Bobby), but downright depressing when sober.
203* TheEeyore: Due to his grandfather's death, he suffers from depression without alcohol.
204* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His full name is never revealed.
205* WhatDidIDoLastNight: According to Phoebe most of his stories involve this due to his heavy drinking.
206[[/folder]]
207
208
209!Introduced in Season 2
210[[folder:Julie]]
211!!Julie
212!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/LaurenTom
213
214A fellow paleontologist that Ross knew in grad school. They reconnect while on a dig in China and start dating.
215
216----
217* AsianAndNerdy: She's a Paleontologist.
218* BettyAndVeronica: The Betty to Rachel's Veronica for Ross' Archie.
219* BewareTheNiceOnes: According to Ross, she was so angry that he broke up with her, she threw things at him.
220* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ross, both being nerdy paleontologists, he has more in common with her than with his FirstLove Rachel.
221* DerailingLoveInterests: 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.
222* EarnYourHappyEnding: Despite Ross dumping her right as things were getting serious, she still manages to find her SecondLove in Russ.
223* NiceGirl: Julie is a very sweet and lovely person.
224* PairTheSpares: 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" [[note]][[ActingForTwo David Schwimmer]][[/note]]) who is virtually identical to Ross. In TheStinger of that episode, he sees Julie, and she him, and it appears to be LoveAtFirstSight.
225* RomanticFalseLead: In the second season, Ross dated academic Julie while Rachel looked on jealously.
226[[/folder]]
227
228[[folder:Dr. Richard Burke]]
229!!Dr. Richard Burke
230!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/TomSelleck
231
232An old family friend of the Gellers who becomes Monica's first serious relationship on the show.
233
234----
235* TheAce: 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.
236* AgeGapRomance: 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.
237* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: How Chandler feels about him as a sophisticated older guy who was Monica's FirstLove. In reality though Chandler is actually ''Richard's'' AlwaysSomeoneBetter, as Monica chose him over Richard several times.
238* BeingGoodSucks: 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.
239* BettyAndVeronica: In Season 6, the Veronica to Chandler's Betty for Monica's Archie.
240* TheBusCameBack: In season 3 and in season 6. However he's still frequently mentioned even later.
241* DidNotGetTheGirl: Steps down when he realizes Monica is meant to be with Chandler.
242* DifferingPrioritiesBreakUp: Monica desperately wants children of her own, but Richard already has kids of his own and doesn't want to go through it again.
243* TheDreaded: 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.
244* FirstLove: To Monica. (Pete was her second and Chandler was her third.)
245* {{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.
246* FriendsWithBenefits: 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.
247* LoveInterest: To Monica in season 2.
248* NiceGuy: Lampshaded by Chandler.
249-->'''Chandler:''' You know, Richard... you are a good guy.\
250'''Richard:''' [[BeingGoodSucks I know. I hate that.]]
251* PornStache: 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.
252* RomanticFalseLead: In his final appearance which he actually realizes by encouraging Chandler to go after Monica.
253* SilverFox: 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.
254* TeamDad: To his dismay, Chandler and Joey only think of him as this rather than as an equal.
255[[/folder]]
256
257[[folder:Eddie Menuek]]
258!!Eddie Menuek
259!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AdamGoldberg
260
261Chandler's temporary roommate after Joey moves out in season two.
262
263----
264* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: His extremely odd behavior freaks Chandler out.
265* CrazyJealousGuy: After his ex-girlfriend visits to return a fish tank, he immediately accuses Chandler of sleeping with her.
266* DerailingLoveInterests: 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.
267* FunnySchizophrenia: His bizarre behavior is PlayedForLaughs.
268* LoveMakesYouCrazy: 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.
269-->'''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?
270* TheMentallyDisturbed: 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.
271* ReplacementGoldfish: 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.
272* StalkerWithoutACrush: He apparently sneaks in Chandler's bedroom to watch him sleep every night.
273* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: 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.
274[[/folder]]
275
276[[folder:Estelle Leonard]]
277!!Estelle Leonard
278!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/JuneGable
279
280Joey's eccentric talent agent. They start working together during the first season but she doesn't appear in person until the second season.
281
282----
283* CatchPhrase: "Joey, it's Estelle!"
284* CharacterDeath: She dies in the last season.
285* TheDitz: Which barely helps Joey's fledging career.
286* SmokingIsCool: When she appears, she is always on the phone or talking with Joey while smoking cigarettes.
287* TwoFirstNames: "Estelle" and "Leonard".
288[[/folder]]
289
290[[folder:Mr. Treeger]]
291!!Mr. Treger
292!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/MichaelGHagerty
293
294The superintendent for the apartment where Monica, Rachel, Joey and Chandler live.
295
296----
297* HiddenDepths: He took ballroom dancing lessons to impress a female superintendent he had a crush on.
298* KeyConfusion: 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.
299* MrFixit: 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).
300* NoodleIncident: 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.
301* OddFriendship: He and Ross go to yoga lessons together.
302* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: 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.
303[[/folder]]
304
305!Introduced in Season 3
306[[folder:Mark Robinson]]
307!!Mark Robinson
308[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mark_robinson_5.jpg]]
309!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/StevenEckholdt
310
311A 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.
312
313----
314* BookEnds: 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 [[spoiler:Ross and Rachel eventually get back together for good]].
315* TheBusCameBack: In the Season 10 episode "The One With Princess Consuela".
316* HappilyMarried: It's revealed in Season 10 that Mark is happily married with his wife having just had twins.
317* {{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!".
318* NiceGuy: From Rachel's perspective as he helps her get a job in the fashion industry and shares her interest in the business.
319* OfficeRomance: 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.
320* PutOnABus: In "The One With The Tiny-T-Shirt".
321* RomanticFalseLead: 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'' CrazyJealousGuy). 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.
322* SmallRoleBigImpact: He doesn't appear in many episodes, but has a huge impact on Ross and Rachel's relationship. [[spoiler:Both times.]]
323[[/folder]]
324
325[[folder:Chloe]]
326!!Chloe
327!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AngelaFeatherstone
328
329A young woman who works in a local xerox store. Chandler, Joey and Ross all find her incredibly attractive.
330
331----
332* TheBore: Shown to talk a lot about her work to a clearly disinterested Joey and Chandler.
333* BoyishShortHair: A short-haired, unconventional "hot girl" in contrast to Ross's girlfriend Rachel who is a long-haired and feminine beauty.
334* TheDitz: She's portrayed as being shallow and not particularly bright, which turns Joey and Chandler off to her.
335* DudeMagnet: Attracts all the main guys of the core cast.
336* GenkiGirl: She's bubbly and energetic, which is a big part of her initial appeal to Joey and Chandler.
337* GoodBadGirl: She seems a friendly person, but slept with Ross even though she knew he was in a relationship.
338* SavagePiercings: Has a bellybutton ring, and it's shown in her later scenes.
339* SmallRoleBigImpact: Only appears in two episodes, but has a huge impact on Ross and Rachel's relationship.
340* StickyFingers: Has a bad habit of stealing watches.
341[[/folder]]
342
343[[folder:Isaac]]
344!!Isaac
345!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/MauryGinsberg
346
347Works with Chloe at the xerox store. He also happens to be the brother of Phoebe's friend and coworker Jasmine.
348
349----
350* ChekhovsGunman: 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. [[OhCrap Chandler turns out to be right.]]
351* ImAManICantHelpIt: 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."
352* OneDegreeOfSeparation: In addition to working with Chloe he's also the brother of Phoebe's coworker Jasmine.
353* TheStoner: Though not outright stated, it's clear from his looks and demeanor that he's this.
354* SurferDude: He certainly talks like one.
355[[/folder]]
356
357[[folder:Pete Becker]]
358!!Pete Becker
359!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/JonFavreau
360
361A wealthy tech executive who starts dating Monica in the third season.
362
363----
364* BirdsOfAFeather: With Monica. Both of them are super-competitive, hard-working determinators who are too stubborn for their own good.
365* CompetitionFreak: 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.
366* DerailingLoveInterests: He started as a sweet, smart DoggedNiceGuy who went to great lengths to win over Monica. Then he turns into a pig-headed CompetitionFreak who picks wrestling over her. Could be explained, by his DoggedNiceGuy, Determinator personality extending to all areas of his life, and once he'd 'won' Monica, he got bored and moved onto a new challenge.
367* DetrimentalDetermination: 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.
368* DoggedNiceGuy: Towards Monica.
369* GroinAttack: Is on the receiving end of one of these during his third [=MMA=] fight.
370-->'''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.
371* NiceGuy: Until he becomes obsessed with wrestling, causing his break-up with Monica.
372* NotWithThemForTheMoney: 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.
373* SecondLove: To Monica. (Richard being the first and Chandler being the third).
374* SelfMadeMan: A millionaire manager of a huge computer corporation.
375* TooMuchAlike: Despite sharing his stubborn, competitive nature, Monica can't deal with it and they break up, [[{{Foreshadowing}} hinting she needs someone more relaxed than her]]. Her next boyfriend, and eventual husband, is the easy-going Chandler.
376[[/folder]]
377
378[[folder:Joanna]]
379!!Joanna
380[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/joanna_3.jpg]]
381!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AlisonLaPlaca
382
383An 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.
384
385----
386* AssholeVictim: Sophie is genuinely happy when she dies.
387* BenevolentBoss: She's ''slightly'' nicer to Rachel, as despite all the crap she puts her through, eventually admits that she's a good assistant.
388* CasualKink: She leaves Chandler locked in her office and handcuffed to her desk chair wearing nothing but his underwear while she goes to a meeting.
389* CharacterDeath: She is one of the few recurring characters to have been killed on the show.
390* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Rather runned over by a New York City cab offscreen.
391* ForTheEvulz: She makes Sophie miserable out of pure fun.
392* IrrationalHatred: From the way she treats her, it's clear that she hates Sophie, but it's never explained why.
393* {{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.
394* MeanBoss: She constantly mistreats and belittles Sophie, for some unexplained reason. She clearly likes Rachel much more than her.
395* TheSociopath: Is completely remorseless in treating her employees like crap and enjoys it.
396[[/folder]]
397
398[[folder:Sophie]]
399!!Sophie
400[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sophie_8.jpg]]
401!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/LauraDean
402
403Mark's replacement as Joanna's assistant. She ends up taking the brunt of Joanna's cruelty.
404
405----
406* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: She takes Joanna's death very well.
407* BosssUnfavoriteEmployee: Joanna loves Rachel and hates Sophie.
408-->'''Rachel:''' The hiring committee is meeting people all day and...
409-->'''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.
410* ButtMonkey: She's constantly picked on by her boss Joanna.
411* NiceGirl: 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.
412* PutOnABus: She disappears from the show after Rachel's department was eliminated.
413[[/folder]]
414
415[[folder:Kate Miller]]
416!!Kate Miller
417!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/DinaMeyer
418
419An 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.
420
421----
422* BreakTheHaughty: Her inflated ego takes a bit when her a critic gives her acting a worse review than Joey’s.
423* DefrostingIceQueen: She's initially dismissive of Joey and his acting career, but softens up to him after he comforts her.
424* {{Jerkass}}: She was a pompous jerk to Joey at first.
425* LoveInterest: One of the few women Joey was genuinely interested in.
426* MoralityPet: She was the first woman to turn Joey into a LadykillerInLove, many years before Rachel.
427* ThePrimaDonna: A stuck-up actress who looks down on other people, including Joey.
428* PutOnABus: After a few episodes, she obtains a part in LA and leaves Joey.
429* SmallNameBigEgo: 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.
430* {{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.
431[[/folder]]
432
433[[folder:Marshall Townend]]
434!!Marshall Townend
435!!!'''Played By:''' Reg Rogers
436
437The director of ''Boxing Day'', a play starring Joey Tribbiani and Kate Miller. He's far more dramatic than his actors.
438
439----
440* {{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.
441* PrimaDonnaDirector: 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.
442* SmallNameBigEgo: 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.
443[[/folder]]
444
445[[folder:Bonnie]]
446!!Bonnie
447!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/ChristineTaylor
448
449One 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.
450
451----
452* BettyAndVeronica: The Veronica (GoodBadGirl newcomer) to Rachel's Betty (his FirstLove) for Ross' Archie.
453* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: 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 [[PlayedForLaughs something to laugh at]]. It's Rachel who apparently sees it as something bad.
454-->'''Ross:''' I can't stay here all night. If I go in there, she'll want to... do stuff.\
455'''Rachel:''' Can't you say you aren't in the mood?\
456'''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?\
457'''Rachel:''' I don't know.\
458''[Rachel and Ross start to kiss passionately]''\
459'''Ross:''' Hmm, uh. ''[opens the door]'' It wasn't every morning...\
460'''Rachel:''' You're making it worse!\
461'''Ross:''' OK. ''[leaves through the door]''
462* GoodBadGirl: A hypersexual ShamelessFanserviceGirl, but still friendly and likable.
463* NiceGirl: Despite her former sluttiness, she's generally very nice and friendly with everybody.
464* ReallyGetsAround: 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.
465* RomanticFalseLead: Just introduced to stand in the way of the Ross/Rachel pairing for a while.
466[[/folder]]
467
468[[folder:Doug]]
469!!Doug
470!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/SamMcMurray
471
472Chandler's new, deeply obnoxious boss introdued in "The One With The Ultimate Fighting Champion".
473
474----
475* TheAlcoholic: 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.
476-->'''Chandler:''' Boy, urine just cuts right through an ice sculpture, doesn't it?
477* DrowningMySorrows: 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.
478* FlirtatiousSmackOnTheAss: 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.
479* {{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.
480* WeddingRingRemoval: 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).
481
482[[/folder]]
483
484!Introduced in Season 4
485[[folder:Chip Matthews]]
486!!Chip Matthews
487!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/DanGauthier
488
489Rachel'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.
490
491----
492* BigManOnCampus: In high school, where he was dating the equally popular Rachel.
493* TheFaceless: In "The One with the Prom Video", he's played by an unknown, uncredited actor and his face is not seen on screen.
494* FutureLoser: He was the most popular guy in high school, now he's an immature ManChild with no job who still lives with his parents.
495* ManChild: Monica dates him in "The One With The Cat" and learns that he hasn't matured at all since high school.
496[[/folder]]
497
498[[folder:Kathy]]
499!!Kathy
500!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/PagetBrewster
501
502A woman that Joey meets in acting class who quickly become the center of a LoveTriangle between him and Chandler.
503
504----
505* BirdsOfAFeather: Chandler falls in love with her after they bond over their favorite television show.
506* BitchInSheepsClothing: 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.
507* CommitmentIssues: 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.
508* DerailingLoveInterests: 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.
509* {{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.
510* LoveInterest: To Chandler and Joey in season 4.
511* SecondLove: To Chandler, with Janice being first. (Monica was his third).
512* SelfFulfillingProphecy: 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.
513* TooMuchAlike: She and Chandler bond over their similar interests and sense of humor. Their relationship ends up failing because they both struggle with commitment.
514[[/folder]]
515
516[[folder:Joshua Burgin]]
517!!Joshua Burgin
518!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/TateDonovan
519
520A customer at Bloomingdale's that Rachel develops a crush on. He's recently divorced and wary about starting a new relationship.
521
522----
523* BreakupBonfire: 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.
524* TheGenericGuy: 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.
525* LoveInterest: To Rachel in season 4, although he's obviously just a RomanticFalseLead.
526* ObliviousToLove: He was clueless about Rachel's crush on him in the beginning.
527* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: 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.
528[[/folder]]
529
530[[folder:Emily Waltham]]
531!!Emily Waltham
532!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/HelenBaxendale
533
534The 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.
535
536----
537* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: At the rehearsal dinner she introduces Ross to her father and ''step''mother. 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.
538* BitchInSheepsClothing: She's mostly portrayed as a nice love interest in season 4 (before she TookALevelInJerkass), but she had jerkass foreshadowing from the start.
539** 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.
540** 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.
541** 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.
542** 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.
543* BreakTheCutie: In the season 4 finale she is humiliated by Ross at their wedding, the main reason why Emily turns into an obsessive ControlFreak and ClingyJealousGirl afterwards.
544* ClingyJealousGirl: 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.
545* ControlFreak: Again, only after the season 4 finale.
546* DeathGlare: She angrily gives one to Ross after mistakenly saying Rachel's name at their wedding.
547* EnglishRose: 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.
548* {{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).
549* JerkassHasAPoint: 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.
550* ManicPixieDreamGirl: 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.
551* NeverMyFault: 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.
552* OneOfTheBoys: 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.
553* PutOnABus: 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.
554* RomanticFalseLead: 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.
555* TookALevelInJerkass: 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.
556* WomanScorned: Although this ''is'' partially Ross's fault.
557[[/folder]]
558
559!Introduced in Season 5
560[[folder:Danny]]
561!!Danny
562!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/GeorgeNewbern
563
564A new neighbor in the main apartment building who becomes Rachel's TemporaryLoveInterest for the fifth season.
565
566----
567* BeautifulAllAlong: 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.
568* BrotherSisterIncest: He has a "special relationship" with his sister. They even take baths together.
569* {{Manchild}}: When he's around his sister. They play together like little kids.
570* TheMatchmaker: In "The One Where Ross Moves In" he tries to set up Rachel with his friend Tom, much to her dismay.
571* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: He and his sister towards each other. Rachel eventually breaks up with him because of this.
572* ObliviousToLove: Like Joshua before him, he was initially oblivious to Rachel's interest in him.
573[[/folder]]
574
575[[folder:Gary]]
576!!Gary
577!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/MichaelRapaport
578
579A 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.
580
581----
582* ActuallyPrettyFunny: 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.
583* DerailingLoveInterests: He was a NiceGuy 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.
584* LoveInterest: To Phoebe in season 5.
585* OutOfCharacterMoment: When he kills a bird for...whatever reason. Probably the dumbest way of getting rid of a LoveInterest ever used on the show (even worse than Danny and his disturbing [[BrotherSisterIncest "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.
586* {{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?
587[[/folder]]
588
589!Introduced in Season 6
590[[folder:Janine Lecroix]]
591!!Janine Lecroix
592!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/{{Elle MacPherson}}
593
594An 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.
595
596----
597* BitchInSheepsClothing: 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 FriendVersusLover situation.
598* DerailingLoveInterests: 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.
599* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Besides Joey, even Ross and Chandler showed attraction to her good looks.
600* GirlyGirl: She likes pictures of babies, vases with flowers, bowls with petals, pretty little boxes or colorful pillows.
601* LoveInterest: To Joey in season 6.
602* StatuesqueStunner: 6 feet of glamazon perfection.
603* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Briefly with Monica, with Janine complaining she's 'too loud' and running away when Monica challenges her to fight it out.
604[[/folder]]
605
606[[folder:Elizabeth Stevens]]
607!!Elizabeth Stevens
608!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AlexandraHolden
609
610A student in Ross' paleontology class at NYU. Once the semester ends she reveals she has a crush on him and they start dating.
611
612----
613* DatingWhatDaddyHates: She dates Ross, her professor from college. Her dad is not pleased.
614* DerailingLoveInterests: To the point of self-parody. After Ross breaks up with her for the perfectly valid reason that [[DifferingPrioritiesBreakup 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.
615* HollywoodLaw: 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.
616* NiceGirl: Has a nice and pleasant demeanor, which Monica acknowledges after first meeting her.
617* OneOfTheBoys: 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.
618* TeacherStudentRomance: She dates Ross who was her paleontology teacher. Their relationship ends when her relative immaturity becomes a problem for Ross.
619[[/folder]]
620
621[[folder:Paul Stevens]]
622!!Paul Stevens
623!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/BruceWillis
624
625Elizabeth's single father who, understandably, objects to her relationship with Ross. He ends up dating Rachel for a while.
626
627----
628* ChickMagnet: He immediately attracts Phoebe and Monica who try to flirt with him, and then he starts making out with Rachel in Joey's apartment.
629* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Especially in the episode "The One Where Paul's the Man" when he starts talking and singing exaggeratedly to himself in the mirror.
630-->'''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.
631* DarkAndTroubledPast: 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.
632* FreudianExcuse: He had a horrible childhood that made him a very insecure person.
633* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: After revealing to Rachel his ridiculously bad childhood, he begins crying for hours and Rachel dumps him for this reason.
634* {{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.
635* HypocriteHasAPoint: 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.
636* {{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.
637[[/folder]]
638
639!Introduced in Season 7
640[[folder:Tag Jones]]
641!!Tag Jones
642!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/EddieCahill
643
644Rachel's assistant at Ralph Lauren who she's immediately attracted to.
645
646----
647* DerailingLoveInterests: [[AvertedTrope 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.
648* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Even Chandler gushes about how good-looking he is.
649* HiredForTheirLooks: Rachel finds him so cute and pretty that she hires him as her assistant.
650* LoveInterest: Rachel fancies him.
651* NiceGuy: He appeared to be a decent guy, but wasn't mature enough for Rachel.
652* PrettyBoy: He's quite young and has pretty, almost feminine features.
653* RomanticFalseLead: He dates Rachel but they are not meant to be.
654* SleepingWithTheBoss: He becomes Rachel's lover even though she's his boss.
655[[/folder]]
656
657!Introduced in Season 8
658[[folder:Mona]]
659!!Mona
660!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/BonnieSomerville
661
662One 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.
663
664----
665* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ross. She is the only person to understand the reference to his "Spudnik" Halloween costume.
666* DerailingLoveInterests: 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.
667* TheGenericGirl: 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?"
668* InformedFlaw: PlayedForLaughs, 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.
669-->'''Ross:''' [{{beat}}] What was wrong with ''Mona''?!
670* LoveInterest: To Ross.
671* NiceGirl: She is generally a friendly person, even to the other people in the group. Most notably, despite her breakup with Ross being very messy ([[BewareTheNiceOnes 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.
672* RomanticFalseLead: She begins a relationship with Ross just as Ross learns that Rachel is pregnant with his child.
673[[/folder]]
674
675[[folder:Will Colbert]]
676!!Will Colbert
677!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/BradPitt
678
679A 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.
680
681----
682* BerserkButton: 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.
683* BoringButPractical: How he describes his job as a commodities broker.
684-->'''Ross:''' So, commodities broker. That sounds interesting.
685-->'''Will:''' It's not. But I'm rich and thin.
686* FatBestFriend: Was this to Ross in high school.
687* FormerlyFat: He was incredibly overweight in highschool, to the point Monica was referred to as "his thin friend". Seeing how Monica was FormerlyFat 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".
688* InnocentlyInsensitive: He laughs at how he and Ross used to be so into dinosaurs not realizing Ross is a paleontology professor now.
689* JerkassToOne: While Will is good friends with Ross and Monica, he acts extremely hostile to Rachel due to her mocking his obesity back in highschool.
690* ManChild: Seems like an ordinary guy to begin with but seeing Rachel again causes him to go through serious emotional regression.
691* NoSympathyForGrudgeholders: While being bullied in highschool makes his resentment understandable, forming an "I Hate Rachel Club", [[HeWhoFightsMonsters 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.
692* OneShotCharacter: Only appears in "The One With The Rumor" and is never mentioned in any other episode.
693* RejectedApology: He refuses to accept any kind of apology from Rachel, who has no recollection of their past at all.
694* RememberTheNewGuy: 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.
695[[/folder]]
696
697[[folder:Parker]]
698!!Parker
699!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AlecBaldwin
700
701A 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.
702
703----
704* NiceGuy: He is friendly, despite his annoying nature.
705* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: 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.
706* ThePollyanna: So overly cheerful and enthusiastic that he annoys the rest of the gang and eventually Phoebe herself.
707-->'''Phoebe:''' ''I'' am a positive person. ''You'' are like Santa Claus on Prozac, at Disneyland, getting laid!
708[[/folder]]
709
710!Introduced in Season 9
711[[folder:Mike Hannigan]]
712!!Mike Hannigan
713!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/PaulRudd
714
715A 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]]Or third? The first being the supposedly-gay ice dancer she married before the series began. The one-off joke about Phoebe not understanding that Vegas marriages are real was meant to indicate that she'd gotten married in Vegas but didn't care, meaning she's both thrice married and a bigamist.[[/note]].
716
717----
718* AwfulWeddedLife: 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.
719* BettyAndVeronica: The Betty to David's Veronica for Phoebe's Archie.
720* TheBusCameBack: He breaks up with Phoebe midway through Season 9 but then returns during the season finale.
721* CompetitionFreak: 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.
722-->'''Chandler:''' Oh dear God, there's two of them!
723* ContrivedCoincidence: 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.
724* DeadpanSnarker: It's Paul Rudd, after all.
725* {{Foil}}: He's this to Richard. Both characters are a prominent recurring SixthRanger 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.
726* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: While mostly seen around Phoebe, he's the SixthRanger 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.
727* TheGenericGuy: 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.
728* HappilyMarried: Eventually to Phoebe.
729* LoveInterest: To Phoebe in the last two seasons and the most important one.
730* NiceGuy: He loves Phoebe and patiently puts up with her odd behavior.
731* NotSoAboveItAll: 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.
732* OnlySaneMan: He's much saner than Phoebe, although sometimes he humors her when she's being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
733-->'''Phoebe:''' ''[doing a crossword puzzle]'' Hey, Mike, what's the capital of Peru?\
734'''Mike:''' Lima.\
735'''Phoebe:''' No, it starts with a V and ends in an X. And hopefully with a T-O in the middle.\
736'''Mike:''' You know, you're right. The capital of Peru is Vtox.
737* OppositesAttract: With Phoebe. Their normal guy/quirky girl pairing works because of this trope.
738* PursueTheDreamJob: He becomes a pro pianist quite late in his life.
739* RulesLawyer: 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.
740* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Savvy Guy to Phoebe's Energetic Girl.
741* SecondLove: 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.
742* SixthRanger: He has a prominent role being married to Phoebe, but never gets promoted to main cast member, so he takes on this role.
743* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: At the end of the eighth season Phoebe meets a man named Cliff, who similarly to Mike was also formerly married and is a NiceGuy 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.
744* UptownGirl: Gender inverted. He's a former lawyer and comes from a very wealthy family who are not thrilled at him falling for former StreetUrchin Phoebe.
745[[/folder]]
746
747[[folder:Wendy]]
748!!Wendy
749!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/SelmaBlair
750
751One 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.
752
753----
754* ArmorPiercingQuestion: 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.
755* AwfulWeddedLife: 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.
756* SmallRoleBigImpact: 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.
757* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: She was runner up Miss Oklahoma.
758[[/folder]]
759
760[[folder:Gavin Mitchell]]
761!!Gavin Mitchell
762!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/DermotMulroney
763
764Brought 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.
765
766----
767* BelligerentSexualTension: With Rachel.
768* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Disappears after a few episodes without explanation. Probably justified as he didn't want Rachel to complicate her situation with Ross any further.
769* DeadpanSnarker: His first interactions with Rachel are SnarkToSnarkCombat.
770* DidNotGetTheGirl: 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.
771* HiddenDepths: He was apparently a rodeo clown, which intrigues Rachel.
772-->'''Gavin:''' One of the best, ma'am, one of the best.
773* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Starts out as a jerk to Rachel, but is eventually revealed to be a nice person.
774* PetTheDog: In his first appearance, he lets Rachel do a big presentation in his place and agrees to watch Emma in the meantime.
775[[/folder]]
776
777[[folder:Charlie Wheeler]]
778!!Charlie Wheeler
779!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AishaTyler
780
781A 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.
782
783----
784* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ross. They're both paleontologists who work at the same university. They begin dating after Charlie breaks up with Joey.
785* DerailingLoveInterests: 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.
786* HasAType: 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.
787* LoveInterest: To Joey and Ross.
788* OppositesAttract: With Joey. She's a very intellectual woman who usually dates only smart guys, while Joey is extremely BookDumb 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.
789* StatuesqueStunner: She's a tall and imposing beauty. She's taller than most female characters and looms over some men as well.
790* TomboyishName: Charlie is usually a male name.
791[[/folder]]
792
793!Introduced in Season 10
794[[folder:Erica]]
795!!Erica
796[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/erica_friends.jpg]]
797!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AnnaFaris
798
799A young woman who selects Chandler and Monica to adopt her unborn baby.
800
801----
802* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: 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.
803* BrainlessBeauty: She's pretty but not very bright.
804-->'''Monica:''' There's something that we wanna tell you. We decided to name the girl-baby Erica.\
805'''Erica:''' Oh my God, that's just like my name!
806* DumbBlonde: She didn't even realize she was pregnant [[spoiler: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.]]
807* HereditaryTwinhood: [[spoiler:Apparently, having twins is one of those things that runs in Erica's family.]]
808* InTheBlood: [[spoiler: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.]]
809* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: 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.
810* MissConception: 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.
811* NiceGirl: 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.
812* SurpriseMultipleBirth: [[spoiler: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.]]
813* TookALevelInDumbass: 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. [[spoiler:Of course by the finale, you realize this was done to justify the surprise of her having twins and not realizing it.]]

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