Season 1 of Friends aired from September 22, 1994 to May 18, 1995 on NBC in the US.
Season summary[]
This season introduced the six main characters: Chandler Bing, Phoebe Buffay, Monica Geller, Ross Geller, Rachel Greene, and Joey Tribbiani.
Rachel, who left her fiancé at the altar on her wedding day, has come to New York and ends up living with Monica as her roommate when Phoebe had just moved out. It establishes early on in the season that Ross has been infatuated with Rachel since the two characters attended high school. Several episodes revolve around his attempts to tell her how he feels. Ross leaves for a fossil dig in China at the end of the season, missing out on Rachel's birthday party but staying long enough to give her a meaningful present: a cameo that was just like the one that belonged to Rachel's grandmother. Chandler accidentally reveals that Ross is in love with Rachel, much to her shock. Rachel realizes that she has feelings for Ross and rushes off to the airport to tell him that she wants to pursue a relationship with him. As she waits at the gate for Ross to arrive, the season ends on a cliffhanger as he gets off the plane but with a new girlfriend: Julie.
Ross' estranged lesbian wife, Carol Willick, is pregnant with his baby. This puts him and Carol's lesbian life partner, Susan Bunch, in an awkward position. When the baby is born at the end of the season, Ross, Carol, and Susan agree to name him Ben: after a name tag on a janitor's uniform worn by Phoebe.
The episodic nature of the season sees the other characters having multiple dates, many of which go wrong (Monica dates a minor in one episode). The recurring character of Janice is introduced as a girlfriend Chandler breaks up with in an early episode but frequently returns to through the ensuing ten seasons.
Starring[]
- Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Greene
- Courteney Cox as Monica Geller
- Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay/Ursula Buffay ("The One With Two Parts, Part 1"/"The One With Two Parts, Part 2")
- Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
- Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing
- David Schwimmer as Ross Geller/Russ
Recurring Cast[]
- Anita Barone as Carol Willick ("The One With The Sonogram At The End")
- Jane Sibbett as Carol Willick
- Maggie Wheeler as Janice
- Mitchell Whitfield as Barry Farber
- Cosimo Fusco as Paolo
- Jessica Hecht as Susan Bunch
Joey and Chandler's apartment shown in The One Where Underdog Gets Away
Monica and Rachel's apartment shown in The One Where Underdog Gets Away
Trivia[]
- Up until "The One Where Underdog Gets Away", Monica and Rachel lived in apartment 5, and Joey and Chandler lived in apartment 4. However, it was realized that such low numbers would correspond to apartments on a lower floor, while their apartments were clearly seen to be higher up in the building. Thus the numbers were changed to 20 and 19 respectively.
- However, in "The One With The Dozen Lasagnas", Monica and Rachel's apartment door number is 5 and Chandler and Joey's apartment door number is 4.
- Visible in Monica's apartment is a billboard (stuck on top of a theatrical poster) promoting the Bijou Theatre. The only Bijou theatre open at this time is the New York East Village Club 82/Bijou Cinema gay adult theatre, located on the eastern edge of Greenwich Village where the apartments are supposed to be located.
- Despite the apartments supposedly being in Greenwich Village, later episodes give the address as 495 Grove Street, which is actually in Brooklyn.
- On most of the exterior[outside] shots throughout this season, 'Guardian Life', is visible as a exterior shot; this is a real New York insurance company located in Manhattan. Its headquarters are at New York, New York, 10001
Images[]
Remastered and HD versions[]
Visual effects comparisons[]
_Version_1.png "Friends opening credits title card (Visual effects comparison) Version 1.png (1.54 MB)")
_Version_2.png "Friends opening credits title card (Visual effects comparison) Version 2.png (1.26 MB)")
See also[]
Episode List[]
| # | Total | Image | Title | Writer | Director | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |  |
"The Pilot" | Marta Kauffman & David Crane | James Burrows | September 22, 1994 |
| Monica and the gang introduce Rachel to the "real world" after she leaves her fiancé at the altar. Ross struggles with his rediscovered feelings for Rachel. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 |  |
"The One With The Sonogram At The End" | Marta Kauffman & David Crane | James Burrows | September 29, 1994 |
| Ross finds out his estranged lesbian wife and her life partner are going to have his baby. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 |  |
"The One With The Thumb" | Jeff Astrof & Mike Sikowitz | James Burrows | October 6, 1994 |
| Phoebe discovers a human thumb floating in her can of soda and gets compensation of $7,000. Chandler starts smoking again. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 |  |
"The One With George Stephanopoulos" | Alexa Junge | James Burrows | October 13, 1994 |
| The girls spy on the sexy politician across the street, while the guys go to a hockey game. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 |  |
"The One With The East German Laundry Detergent" | Jeff Greenstein & Jeff Strauss | Pamela Fryman | October 20, 1994 |
| Ross and Rachel wash their laundry together. Joey takes Monica on a fake double date in an attempt to reunite with his ex | ||||||
| 6 | 6 |  |
"The One With The Butt" | Adam Chase & Ira Ungerleider | Arlene Sanford | October 27, 1994 |
| Joey finally gets a film role: Al Pacino's butt double. Chandler dates a woman who already has both a husband and a boyfriend. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 |  |
"The One With The Blackout" | Jeffrey Astrof & Mike Sikowitz | James Burrows | November 3, 1994 |
| During a power outage, Rachel falls for the owner of a lost kitten, a Italian guy, much to Ross's chagrin. Meanwhile, Chandler is trapped in an automated-teller vestibule with a gorgeous model. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 |  |
"The One Where Nana Dies Twice" | Marta Kauffman & David Crane | James Burrows | November 10, 1994 |
| Ross and Monica go to the bedside of their dead grandmother, who momentarily returns to life. Chandler questions his sexual persona when a collegue wants to arrange a date for him with another guy. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 |  |
"The One Where Underdog Gets Away" | Jeff Greenstein & Jeff Strauss | James Burrows | November 17, 1994 |
| Monica plans a lovely, quiet Thanksgiving feast in her apartment but her plans go awry. Joey appears on medical posters. Rachel plans to go skiing with her family. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 |  |
"The One With The Monkey" | Adam Chase & Ira Ungerleider | Peter Bonerz | December 15, 1994 |
| Ross arrives at the New Year's Eve party with his new companion, a monkey named Marcel, who is more compatible with the group than he is. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 |  |
"The One With Mrs. Bing" | Alexa Junge | James Burrows | January 5, 1995 |
| Chandler's flamboyant romance-novelist mother comes to New York for a visit. Monica and Phoebe cause a traffic accident. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 |  |
"The One With The Dozen Lasagnas" | Jeffrey Astrof & Mike Sikowitz and Adam Chase & Ira Ungerleider | Paul Lazarus | January 12, 1995 |
| Rachel's Italian boyfriend Paolo hits on Phoebe in the massage parlor. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 |  |
"The One With The Boobies" | Alexa Junge | Alan Myerson | January 19, 1995 |
| Chandler sees Rachel naked. Joey learns that his father is having an affair with a pet mortician, but his mother already knew. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 |  |
"The One With The Candy Hearts" | Bill Lawrence | James Burrows | February 9, 1995 |
| The girls rebel against Valentine's Day by burning mementos from past relationships. Chandler reunites with an old flame. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 |  |
"The One With The Stoned Guy" | Jeff Greenstein & Jeff Strauss | Alan Myerson | February 16, 1995 |
| Ross asks Joey for advice on how to talk dirty to women. Monica interviews for a chef's position, but the owner shows up stoned. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 |  |
"The One With Two Parts, Part 1" | David Crane & Marta Kauffman | Michael Lembeck | February 23, 1995 |
| Phoebe's twin sister causes confusion and conflict when Joey is attracted to her. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 |  |
"The One With Two Parts, Part 2" | David Crane & Marta Kauffman | Michael Lembeck | February 23, 1995 |
| Monica and Rachel squabble over two handsome doctors. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 |  |
"The One With All The Poker" | Jeffrey Astrof & Mike Sikowitz | James Burrows | March 2, 1995 |
| The girls lose money in a poker game with the boys. After getting advice from Monica's aunt, they demand a rematch. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 |  |
"The One Where The Monkey Gets Away" | Jeffrey Astrof & Mike Sikowitz | Peter Bonerz | March 9, 1995 |
| Rachel accidentally lets Ross's pet monkey escape and a search party forms. Then she discovers that her old best friend Mindy is engaged to marry her ex-fiance. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 |  |
"The One With The Evil Orthodontist" | Doty Abrams | Peter Bonerz | April 6, 1995 |
| Rachel has a brief encounter with her ex-fiance. Riddled with guilt, she decides to confess her evil sins only to discover that Mindy's been busier than she's let on. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 |  |
"The One With The Fake Monica" | Adam Chase & Ira Ungerleider | Gail Mancuso | April 27, 1995 |
| Monica meets her identity thief, who helps her live out her fantasies. Ross's monkey becomes sexually mature and drives everyone crazy. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 |  |
"The One With The Ick Factor" | Alexa Junge | Robby Benson | May 4, 1995 |
| Monica discovers that she is a cradle snatcher. Ross's ex-wife begins giving birth. | ||||||
| 23 | 23 |  |
"The One With The Birth" | Teleplay by Jeff Greenstein & Jeff Strauss, Story by David Crane & Marta Kauffman | James Burrows | May 11, 1995 |
| The baby is born, bringing adoration from everyone. | ||||||
| 24 | 24 |  |
"The One Where Rachel Finds Out" | Chris Brown | Kevin S. Bright | May 18, 1995 |
| Rachel finds out about Ross's love for her while he is working in China. However, another surprise awaits her as she heads to the airport to meet him. | ||||||
- "The Pilot"
- "The One With The Sonogram At The End"
- "The One With The Thumb"
- "The One With George Stephanopoulos"
- "The One With The East German Laundry Detergent"
- "The One With The Butt"
- "The One With The Blackout"
- "The One Where Nana Dies Twice"
- "The One Where Underdog Gets Away"
- "The One With The Monkey"
- "The One With Mrs. Bing"
- "The One With The Dozen Lasagnas"
- "The One With The Boobies"
- "The One With The Candy Hearts"
- "The One With The Stoned Guy"
- "The One With Two Parts, Part 1"
- "The One With Two Parts, Part 2"
- "The One With All The Poker"
- "The One Where The Monkey Gets Away"
- "The One With The Evil Orthodontist"
- "The One With The Fake Monica"
- "The One With The Ick Factor"
- "The One With The Birth"
- "The One Where Rachel Finds Out"