I define expendable as having the least effect on the show if the character had been written out. I vote for Phoebe. IMO, she didn’t really add much to the show. In second place would have been Joey. Chandler and Ross could have done OK (storeywise) without him.
0 voters
What?
Tragic cut/paste accident.
Monica was Rachel’s friend. Ross was Monica’s brother. Chandler was Ross’s friend. Joey was Chandler’s friend. Phoebe was… nobody’s friend? But also somehow everybody’s friend?
I cannot choose. This would be worse than Sophie’s Choice.
They each filled a different role, so that’s a tough choice. As annoying as Ross was, I think you have to rule out Ross or Rachel, because that romance carried the plot arc forward for years, and most lists of the best episodes end up with some part of that romance.
I dunno, not a lot of fat on that show as far as characters go.
I never watched the show a whole heck of a lot but I had some girlfriends who did so I’ve seen a decent amount of it. It never super-grabbed me but I always appreciated that it was well-written, casted, and acted. It’s a quality show.
I saw Phoebe was leading in the poll and that did not surprise me at all. But chill out, Friends fans–I don’t think it was any fault of the actress or anything like that. It just seems to me that’s the way it worked out whether that was on purpose or not.
Movies and shows with strong ensemble casts can’t have every character enjoy equal gravity. I suspect with long-running popular shows like Friends little adjustments are constantly being made along the way that feature the different characters less or more.
If a character really catches fire with the audience they are going to be written to take on more prominence. An example is the character “Ben” on Lost. He was just a minor throwaway role at first but it worked out so he was written in to become one of the main characters
I can’t choose, either. The show would have been duller without any one of the characters. That’s because it was a well-written show. But wasn’t the OP the premise for one of the story lines in an episode? I can’t remember which one, but Rachel says to Phoebe, “Oh, come on. You lift right out.” (I disagree.)
Monica’s roommate before Rachel.
When I first read the question, my thoughts were “definitely not Phoebe,” because she’s my favorite character, and I love how funny she can make just being a bit weird.
But, the more I think about it, the more I think that those bits, which I loved, did not tend to be essential to the story lines, while the rest of the characters more often were. Joey would also be my second choice for the same reason—he’s more often just there to have some funny lines.
I can easily remember big plotlines that revolved around Ross and Rachel, as well as Monica and Chandler. But not so much with the other two.
Still, now that I’m thinking about it, I like Phoebe’s less essential plotlines better, so I’m going to have to kick out my second favorite, Joey.
But there’s more to a series than the story line and plots. Phoebe was important precisely because she was an outsider who had a very different background from everyone else’s upper-middle-class prosperity (Joey might have been middle-middle or lower-middle, but not actually homeless). Those different life experiences gave her that weirdness, and put her in a position to reflect and comment on the lives of the others.
I’d pick Rachel to dump. She was a horrible, horrible person, and didn’t improve that much over the course of 10 years. Maybe every group of friends needs a self-absorbed thoughtless shrew, but maybe not.
I agree there are more to sitcoms than plot, but, without the plots, there’s nothing to hang the rest of it on. It’s like saying that the tree isn’t the only part of a Christmas tree. It’s true, but you can’t hang any ornaments without it. Phoebe can’t comment on the plot from her perspective if there is no plot.
Ross and Rachel plays too pivotal a role in the series for me to pick her. Granted, none of that is my favorite part, but removing Rachel I think completely changes the whole series.
That said, while I initially was thinking that Phoebe would be the one I removed, I ultimately wound up deciding Joey made more sense to jettison. So I actually keep her commentary intact.
I would say Phoebe, because she had the least plot impact and because the humour surrounding her just didn’t land with me, so she’s bottom of both metrics. I would say though that “impact on the plot” is a lot less important than individual funny scenes. I care very little about the plot arc of an episodic sitcom.
I think that was the one where they talk about Kip.
I voted Phoebe, for all the reasons above, but she was my favorite character, followed by Joey (who would be my second vote for most expendable). Then, Chandler, then Monica, then Ross, then Rachel (in terms of favorites, most to least). Ross was annoying, but Rachel was cruel.
Without Phoebe, there’s no Ursula, which tied into Mad About You, which was one of my favorite shows. Plus there was Smelly Cat and the oatmeal cookies (guess who has the Cooking with Friends cookbook from 1995, with a Why Milk ad with Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston from the November 1995 copy of Redbook). So I jettisoned Joey. Both Phoebe and Joey are cliches, but I’d rather hang out with Phoebe than Joey.
If the choice was to get rid of two, then it would be Ross and Rachel. But it’s not possible to get rid of one without the other.
There’s no question that Rachel would have found someone else if Ross wasn’t there. Her life would have been filled with drama no matter what, and she definitely would have done way better than a paleontologist with a spotty employment history. Joey and Chandler were mainly comedy relief because it was a show about three women. Ross was totally expendable, Chandler was for most of the time, but they would have had to find someone else just like him to end up with Monica. Joey was the funniest, pretty dull show without him.
None of the women could go. They were an emotional version of the 3 Stooges, Monica was Moe, Rachel was Curley, Phoebe played Larry, the peace keeper and referee between them.
Yes, it’s when Ross’s wife Emily says he can never see Rachel again:
Rachel: Oh my God, its happening. It’s already started. I’m Kip.
Joey: Hey, you’re not Kip!
Rachel: (To Joey) Do you even know who Kip is?
Joey: Who cares? You’re Rachel! (To Chandler) Who’s Kip?
Chandler: Kip, my old roommate, y’know we all used to hang out together.
Joey: Oh, that poor bastard.
Rachel: See? Yeah, you told me the story. He and Monica dated when they broke up they couldn’t even be in the same room together and you all promised that you would stay his friend and what happened? He got phased out!
Monica: You’re not gonna be phased out!
Rachel: Well, of course I am! It’s not gonna happen to Ross! He’s your brother. (To Chandler) He’s your old college roommate. Ugh, it was just a matter of time before someone had to leave the group. I just always assumed Phoebe would be the one to go.
Phoebe: Ehh!!
Rachel: Honey, come on! You live far away! You’re not related. You lift right out.
I really like this breakdown. I voted Ross because as the show was written, Ross was pretty integral - but I think without him, it would have been a better show.
I had to vote for Joey.
Phoebe is the essential “everyman” character who lets the audience relate to the primary characters. Monica is the main character (the Sun), with Ross and Rachel related to her (the Planets). Chandler is a secondary character (the Moon). Phoebe is the space craft observing them all. We care what happens to the others because Phoebe cares; there’s nothing empathetic about them otherwise.
Joey is totally expendable.
(Nothing against the actors themselves. They played their roles very well with good on-screen chemistry.)