went from strength to strength across its 10 seasons on NBC, creating a strong fan base that continues to grow today. The series followed the six titular friends -- Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey -- through their daily lives in New York. But it wasn't just those characters who made the show memorable; other characters filled out their world, too.
Each of the main characters had distinctive traits and very different backstories, yet they remained close to each other. They experienced laughter, heartache, and life-changing moments together. As audiences watched them grow, each character arc developed, sending them on their own paths.
There were also supporting characters with similar growth, so ended with several people whose lives had changed for the better.
Gavin didn't start off on the best foot with Rachel. He covered her position while she was on maternity leave from Ralph Lauren. He initially annoyed her and appeared to be competing against her -- however, in just two episodes, he revealed that he genuinely cared about both her and her daughter Emma.
When Rachel had to decide between going to a meeting and looking after Emma, Gavin offered to watch Emma, so Rachel could carry out her work.
In a short space of time, viewers were able to follow Gavin's arc from Rachel's antagonist to being an ally. Unfortunately, he only showed up in three episodes as he was played by future franchise star Dermot Mulroney.
Played by Mae Whitman, Sarah Tuttle only appeared in one episode of but she's still one of the most iconic side characters of the show. In "The One Where Rachel Quits," Ross accidentally breaks Sarah's leg, who was a girl scout selling cookies. To Ross's dismay, the little kid clearly has a bad family situation and was selling the cookies to earn a trip to Spacecamp.
Ross spends the entire episode trying to sell as many cookies as he can, but he's still defeated by the other girl scouts. Since Sarah doesn't get to go to Spacecamp, Ross and Joey recreate a spaceship in their apartment as a surprise for the little girl. Sarah is an adorable kid and the audience can't help but love her immediately, and this wholesome character arc has become a fan favorite.
David, aka David the Scientist, is one of Phoebe's greatest romantic interests. When they meet at one of Phoebe's performances, they instantly fall in love.
However, David soon has to leave New York City when he and his partner Max earn a grant to start scientific research in Minsk.
Divided between his career and the love of his life, David ultimately decides to stay with Phoebe, but his partner Max forces him to go. David keeps appearing throughout the show as he visits New York and he and Phoebe rekindle their romance. Eventually, Phoebe starts her relationship with Mike and a love triangle forms, but Phoebe stays with Mike. While David wasn't the one, his storyline develops Phoebe's character further as she grows from his relationship with him, and David and Phoebe's tragic romance is one of the best relationships in
Mr. Treeger was a minor character in but similar to Gavin, he had a worthwhile character arc despite limited screen time. Audiences met him a few times, but in Season 4, Episode 4, "The One With the Ballroom Dancing," the building superintendent got on fans' bad side. He threatened to throw Rachel and Monica out of their apartment for illegally subletting the place.
However, Joey managed to reason with him and even helped him learn how to ballroom dance. Mr. Treeger showed no compassion when dealing with Rachel and Monica, but his friendship with Joey displayed his softer side and proved that he could get along with people.
He ended up being the last character mentioned when Monica told the gang to leave their keys for Treeger in the series finale.
Estelle Leonard became Joey's agent when she saw him perform in the musical and continued to be his agent throughout the series. Though very inefficient, as she often got terrible auditions for Joey, she was responsible for Joey landing his role as Dr. Drake Ramoray in the soap opera
Estelle is a beloved recurrent character as is the absurd client relationship between her and Joey. While she wasn't a great agent, Estelle was a great part of Joey's life.
In the tenth season, when all characters are moving on with their lives, Estelle unfortunately dies, representing the last connection of Joey to his past.
Known for her nasal voice and catchphrase ("OH. MY. GOD!"), Janice has one of the best character arcs in Janice goes from being stuck in an on-and-off relationship with Chandler, who didn't truly value her, to forming her own happy family. Throughout the show, it becomes clear that Janice and Chandler weren't meant for each other, and their final separation allows them to pursue better things in life.
After an unhappy marriage, an affair with Chandler, and a brief relationship with Ross, in the end, Janice finds a husband who is deaf and forms a family with him (the ultimate joke about Janice's nasal voice).
As annoying as she may have been at first, there is no doubt that .
As Ross's ex-wife and the mother of his child, Carol is one of the most iconic recurrent characters of . After figuring out her sexuality, Carol leaves Ross and starts a relationship with Susan, which is where the show starts. However, finding out she's pregnant with Ross's baby, Carol, Susan, and Ross have to learn to negotiate with each other to be Ben's co-parents.
While Ross and Carol have a hard time being on the same page, especially when taking Susan into account, they eventually learn to put the past behind them.
Carol even marries Susan in the second season and Ross gives her away in the ceremony. Carol, Susan, and Ross never become close friends, but they maintain a jovial relationship, which shows Ross's and Carol's growth.
Frank Buffay Jr. didn't have a lot of screen time on but his personality was much like his half-sister Phoebe's. He was another eccentric character who proved to be an asset to the show. While his initial appearance didn't suggest he had many aims in life, his arc proved differently.
Frank Jr.'s relationship with Alice, played by
's Debra Jo Rupp, was a shock to Phoebe because of the age difference. But Frank Jr. became a father because of the relationship, which showed his commitment and love for both Alice and his baby. It was also beautiful to see Frank and Phoebe's sibling relationship turn into a strong bond when they previously hadn't even known the other existed.
Although he's had many brilliant performances, one of Paul Rudd's best roles came on where he played Phoebe's boyfriend and later husband Mike. Their relationship came about by chance, but it gave audiences another great character to watch in the final two seasons.
Mike had a significant role in Seasons 9 and 10, allowing for considerable development. as one of the few supporting characters who could hold his own against the six main friends.
Mike led a seemingly plain life, but Phoebe brought all the zest he could possibly need. Mike soon adapted to a new and energetic lifestyle with Phoebe, and after they briefly split, he made it clear he wanted to be with her. Audiences got to see her bring out the best in him and Rudd was a standout in the role.
Within his friend group, Ross was a walking red flag, because of his stubbornness and other difficult traits.
However, he was also on his own journey, as revealed the hard times that he had been through. These not only explained his character flaws but made his growth over the course of the series more impressive.
Audiences were shown that growing up, Ross was shy and never had the confidence to ask out Rachel. He overcame this obstacle, thus beginning the on-off relationship with his teenage crush that was a huge part of . He also became more mature, something that fatherhood taught him, and learned to have an amicable relationship with his ex-wife Carol in order to create a happier life for their son Ben.
Phoebe was an easy character to love among fans, because of her wit and enlivening charisma. She didn't have a stable family life and that created early challenges for her. However, , her inner strength shone through to get her on a path of happiness. Audiences saw her build both new and old relationships across the seasons.
Phoebe's relationship history was complicated, but marrying Mike was one of the best decisions she made. Phoebe also connected with her half-brother Frank Jr. and even made peace with her father and mother. Phoebe's personality stayed very much the same throughout the whole series, but she ended up with the beautiful life she'd always deserved.
While Monica was very competitive, she was arguably one of the most mature characters on . She would often be the host for everyone else and took charge of getting Rachel back on her feet. It was apparent from the start what Monica wanted out of life, and her character arc allowed audiences to watch her go after her dreams.
As a chef, Monica's working life had ups and downs. At one point, she had to take a job as a waitress at a 1950s-themed restaurant. But she ended the series as head chef at a restaurant called Javu, with the family she'd always wanted.
Monica's arc wasn't as obvious as others, but it was wholesome and rewarding.
From the outset, Joey was fiercely loyal and trustworthy with his friends and family. He made it known how much the people meant to him and that never changed. His character arc showed the most progress -- both in his love life and his career as an actor. He went from being one of the most immature characters to someone more stable.
Joey had the most casual flings, sometimes breaking women's hearts along the way. However, on several occasions, viewers saw him enter into serious relationships that he truly tried to make work, including with Rachel.
Likewise, Joey wasn't so successful as an actor when he started out, but by the end of the series, he'd acted in a film with Richard Crosby and reprised his role on the soap opera .
Rachel entered like a whirlwind. Clad in her wedding dress, she'd left her husband-to-be Barry at the altar and found Monica to help her with a place to stay. From there, she had a lot of growing up to do, supported by the group who became her closest friends. By default, starting from zero meant that she had an impressive journey to go on.
Letting go of her father's financial support and getting a job were the first steps in Rachel finding stability and becoming independent.
As she flourished, she climbed her way up to working for Ralph Lauren and became a mother. Although proved frustrating for many viewers, the character is still one of the most endearing and complex in the series. Rachel's development took place across many aspects of her life and the character truly felt like a more complete person by the show's end.
Chandler was an endearing character who used humor and sarcasm as a defense mechanism. He started out fairly immature, afraid of commitment, and stuck in a job he hated.
Though his comedy was a source of entertainment for audiences, it came out of pain that stemmed from his parents' divorce.
But Chandler began to change when he started dating Monica, and soon moved out of his comfort zone to face much of what he'd been avoiding. He committed to his relationship, which led to marriage and their adopting children. He quit his job to pursue a career he wanted and made peace with his dad. Chandler turned out to be much more vulnerable and complex; it just took him some time to find himself.
