Friends: 10 Best Characters Only In One Episode
9. Earl
Episode: The One Where Rosita Dies (S7E13)
When Phoebe starts working as an over-the-phone saleswoman - a recipe for disaster if there ever was one - she ends up chatting to Earl, a man who has decided he's going to kill himself because he hates his dead-end job and his coworkers don't pay him any attention.
It's a dark subplot, but actor Jason Alexander is both likeable and believable as the down-on-his-luck, schlubby office worker, managing to bring bursts of humour to the character like his to-do list (with only one item: "KILL SELF"), and his mini-rant to his negligent colleagues at the end of the episode. In the end, Phoebe convinces Earl not to commit suicide by simply caring about him, a nice message about how noticing people - even just asking how their day is going - can do a lot of good.
As a result, what could have been quite a miserable episode is instead a touching one that's tinged with optimism and hope, and, of course, that lively Friends spirit. Plus, Earl's laugh is arguably the greatest thing of all time.