Friends: Every Season Ranked Worst To Best

Season Four of Friends is the season the writers began to realise that there were characters and plots outside of Ross and Rachel, and so Chandler and Phoebe were finally given a clear arc to shine and show their stuff.

Whilst Chandler's storyline involving Joey and Kathy isn't as compelling as the early years of the Ross/Rachel dynamic, it does paint a good picture of Chandler and Joey's bromance and gives some much-needed respite from other long-running character arcs. Lisa Kudrow, meanwhile, stuns as Phoebe as she agrees to be a surrogate for her half-brother's babies, delivering one of the show's most rewarding and emotional episodes with "The One with the Embryos."

Unfortunately, all this excellent character work is tragically over-shadowed by the introduction of Emily, Ross' new love interest who proves to be as one-note and unforgettable as any character Friends has ever had. The Ross/Emily story goes on for far too long and Emily ends up feeling more like a plot point to make Rachel realise her feelings, rather than a good character or genuine match for Ross.

All in all, it's funny and has some moving moments, but the London arc and the introduction of Emily make the whole thing seem quite forced and inconsistent.