Across its immensely successful ten seasons, Friends grew as a beloved show that to this day is talked about in the pop culture sphere, way more than most other TV shows and sitcoms. The characters are a huge part of the show itself, and how it came to be the phenomenon it did.
Every character has to deal with what life throws at them throughout the series. Together as a group and as individuals, the characters have their own stories and arc, and some develop massively. Others, though, do not, both in terms of the main gang and the supporting cast. Here are five characters who grew through the series, and five who did not.
DID NOT: PHOEBE BUFFAY
Phoebe Buffay does end the show with a more normal life, getting married to Mike and the prospect of kids coming in hot. However, apart from this, she does not grow. She is in love, yes, but she appeared to love David too, and maybe even Gary.
If anything, Phoebe just gets meaner as the show goes on. There is no growth. She remains mysterious about a lot of her shady past, she is still hugely eccentric and a free spirit. Any growth Phoebe does have is negative, losing the innocence she held in Season 1 and becoming mean, but even then, there is just not a lot.
GREW: FRANK BUFFAY JR.
Phoebe’s brother, on the other hand, does have quite a bit of growth. Though he is not in the show that often, Frank develops almost every time fans do see him.
He started as quite an oddball who enjoys burning things and is attracted to Phoebe’s friends and coworkers. Then as time went on, Frank falls in love with Alice, and Phoebe gives them triplets, leading Frank to become an exhausted but loving father who, even though he considers giving one to Phoebe, lives for his kids.
DID NOT: GUNTHER
Gunther is everyone’s favorite sun-hair colored coffee house worker who appears continuously throughout Friends as somewhat of a second-tier friend to the gang. Throughout his time on the show, though, there are no changes in Gunther.
From Season 3 onward, Gunther has an almost obsessive crush on Rachel, which does not make sense. Did he not date in those seven years? We do not find out anything about Gunther, not even his last name; he just manages the coffee house and hates on Ross.
GREW: MIKE HANNIGAN
Going back to the life of Phoebe, her eventual husband Mike Hannigan was not in the show for too long but did manage to squeeze a lot of growth into that time-frame.
From the get-go, we learn Mike abandoned his safe career as a lawyer to pursue his passion for being a pianist, which is extremely brave. Also, Mike’s divorce leads him to be totally against marriage, something he grows out of and gets over when he realizes he may lose Phoebe forever, even after they have broken up, eventually marrying the woman he loves.
DID NOT: JANICE LITMAN-GORALNIK
Moving on from the guy who Phoebe ended up with to the woman Chandler very well could have ended up with, Janice Litman-Goralnik (née Hosenstein). Janice just remains the same old Janice throughout the show, with her only changes coming in relationships and having children.
She has the same loud personality in Season 10 as she does in Season 1. Whenever she pops up, she says similar things, usually hitting on Chandler, leading to them either being together for a short time, or later just leading Monica and Chandler trying to get rid of her.
GREW: ROSS GELLER
Ross is the main focus of a lot of hate from Friends fans who point to his treatment of women and annoying jealous nature as the main reasons for how awful he is. However, love him or hate him, Ross grows a lot through the show.
The primary source of Ross’ growth comes from his failed relationships. As the show goes on, Ross learns from his past relationships, which all culminates in him going after Rachel in the finale. Season 1 Ross would not have gone and gotten Rachel off that plane.
DID NOT: MONICA GELLER
Ross’s sister Monica did not grow throughout the series as Ross did, though. She changes in that she falls in and out of love and settles down and gets children, but does not herself grow.
Monica knows what she wants in life: a head chef job, a husband, and kids. All she has to do is wait. Monica may mature more, but she was already at a level of mature that ultimately, the character does not undergo much growth.
GREW: RACHEL GREENE
There is a case to be made that Rachel deserves the top spot in terms of characters who grew the most throughout the series. Nevertheless, there is no denying the growth of Rachel over the ten seasons, which earns her a high place on this list.
Starting as still a spoiled, clueless character who has to try and cope with actual adult life, Rachel develops immensely. She finds her feet career-wise, matures in terms of finances and romance, becomes a single mothers, falls in love, and overall becomes a strong woman and comes a long way from Season 1 to 10.
DID NOT: JOEY TRIBBIANI
If any character throughout the show got no love or attention from the writers as the show progressed, it was Joey Tribbiani. He does not grow or develop, and his ending is open-ended with him being in the same place in Season 10 as in Season 1, until the events of Joey.
The only development Joey gets is his deteriorating intelligence. He ends up going back to the same show he was on early in the series, with his financial stability changing throughout the show, but ultimately, there is criminally zero growth in Joey.
GREW: CHANDLER BING
Chandler Bing, alongside Rachel, is the show’s best character, especially in terms of growth and development. Chandler retains his humor and sarcasm from Season 1 to Season 10, but ultimately undergoes massive changes and is a different man.
Alongside falling in love with Monica, Chandler manages to overcome his commitment issues and get married to and have children with her. He also deals with a lot of insecurities he has throughout the show, rekindling a relationship with his father, becoming more confident in his own body, and matures an insane amount, leaving his job to follow his heart and become a father.
