Pilot

WRITERS Marta Kauffman/David Crane DIRECTOR James Burrows PLOT

We're introduced to the world's most telegenic

twentysomethings--where else?--at NYC's Central Perk cafe, where

the Friends are having one of their many meandering chats

(Chandler's naked anxiety dream) over lattes. The gang's

personas are nailed before the first commercial break: Joey, the

dim-bulb lothario actor (doing an exaggerated Noo Yawk shtick

that softens in future episodes); Monica, the fastidious

singleton; Chandler, the self-deprecating wiseass; Phoebe, the

New Age flake; Ross, the depressed divorce whose wife has just

ditched him for another woman; and rich girl Rachel, Monica's

high school pal, who runs into Central Perk in a wedding dress

having just left her orthodontist husband-to-be, Barry, at the

altar. Rachel decides to move in with Monica--even if it means

being cut off from Daddy's dollars, prompting her new roomie to

offer Friends' Gen-X mission statement: "Welcome to the real

world. It sucks! You're going to love it." INTRODUCES Central

Perk and the gang; the patented Friends "looking out the window

pensively" shot (performed here separately by Ross and Rachel);

one of TV's most polarizing theme songs. HISTORIC MOMENT Rachel

begins her stint as Central Perk's worst waitress. CREATIVE

CASTING Clea Lewis (Ellen) as Monica's cooking coworker, Franny,

who sets Monica straight about her new boyfriend, Paul the Wine

Guy. BEST LINE "Do the words 'Billy, Don't Be a Hero' mean

anything to you?" (Ross, on how long it's been since he's had

sex) CRITIQUE It's remarkable how quickly this ensemble of

unknowns (save Cox) establishes a comfortable, comedic

vibe--especially in the throwaway "hanging out" bits that pepper

the action: attempting to decipher a Spanish telenovela, trying

to assemble Ross' furniture over a few beers, chanting "Cut!

Cut! Cut!" as Rachel scissors her credit cards. After 22

minutes, these six people are believably set up as lifelong

buddies. B+ [4]

1 THE ONE WITH THE SONOGRAM AT THE END--W Kauffman/Crane D

Burrows PLOT Monica's in a tizzy as she prepares for a visit

from her self-esteem-sucking folks. Rachel gives Barry back his

engagement ring--and learns he's now dating her maid of honor,

Mindy. INTRODUCES Ross' workplace, the Museum of Prehistoric

History; Ross' ex-wife, Carol (Anita Barone), and her

girlfriend, Susan (Jessica Hecht); Barry (Mitchell Whitfield);

Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles as the Gellers. HISTORIC

MOMENTS Ross finds out he's going to be a dad; first Ugly Naked

Guy sighting (Chandler: "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ugly Naked Guy got a

Thighmaster!"); Gunther (James Michael Tyler) appears at Central

Perk, but has no lines; we learn Monica was once chubby (and

that her dad's nickname for her is "Harmonica"), Chandler is an

only child, and Phoebe is a twin ("We don't speak. She's like

this high-powered driven career type...She's a waitress"), which

explains Kudrow's continuing presence on Mad About You. BEST

LINE "Oh, I think this is the episode of Three's Company where

there's some kind of misunderstanding." (Chandler) NEW 'DO Joey

CRITIQUE A snappy episode, packed with smart back

story--including Monica's anal-retentive, perfectionistic roots.

Establishes the comedically fertile Ross-Susan-Carol triangle.

B+ [1] [3]

2 THE ONE WITH THE THUMB--W Jeffrey Astrof/Mike Sikowitz D Burrows

PLOT Monica bemoans how the gang always picks apart her dates,

but she's even more dismayed when they finally like one--waaaay

more than she does. Meanwhile, ex-smoker Chandler gets rehooked.

Title

comes from Monica introducing the boys to the mythical

thumb-to-index-finger manhood meter (plus, Phoebe finds a severed

thumb in her soda). BEST LINE "'You're such a nice guy' means

'I'm going to be dating leather-wearing alcoholics and

complaining about them to you.'" (Chandler) CRITIQUE Slow pacing

and feeble secondary plots, but on the upside, Phoebe gets ample

screen time, allowing Kudrow to define her delightfully daffy

character. B

3 THE ONE WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS--W Alexa Junge D Burrows

PLOT Chandler and Joey bring a mopey Ross to a hockey game to

take his mind off the anniversary of his and Carol's first

sexual encounter--but a puck to the face doesn't help. The girls

throw a slumber party and attempt to take Rachel's mind off

being the only one of her hometown friends who isn't getting

promoted, married, or pregnant--and things really pick up when

George Stephanopoulos' pizza is delivered to their pad by

mistake. HISTORIC MOMENT Rachel gets her first paycheck: "Who's

FICA? Why is he getting all my money?" BEST LINE "I think you

have to draw him out. And then, when you do, he's a preppy

animal!" (Monica, speculating on Stephanopoulos' sexual prowess)

CRITIQUE Kudrow, Cox, and Aniston are effortlessly hilarious at

the drunken slumber party, but give the boys their props: Joey's

confusion over the difference between omnipotent and impotent is

a gut-buster. A-

4 THE ONE WITH THE EAST GERMAN LAUNDRY DETERGENT--W Jeff

Greenstein/Jeff Strauss D Pamela Fryman PLOT Dumping is the

theme of the day: Chandler dreads ending it with his heretofore

unseen girlfriend--and it doesn't get any easier after multiple

espressos; Joey enlists Monica to help him break up his

ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. INTRODUCES Janice (Maggie

Wheeler), Chandler's whiny, Fran Drescher-soundalike girlfriend

whom everyone hates. HISTORIC MOMENT Rachel kisses Ross for the

first time--as a token of appreciation for helping her do

laundry. BEST LINE "You know what blows my mind? Women can see

breasts any time they want." (Joey) CRITIQUE Ross' unrequited

love for Rachel emerges as the series' one ongoing story line,

and their laundry date is the first time Aniston and Schwimmer

show off their cute chemistry. B+

5 THE ONE WITH THE BUTT--W Adam Chase/Ira Ungerleider D Arlene

Sanford PLOT Chandler becomes the boy-toy of a worldly Italian

woman (Sofia Milos) who's already got a husband and a boyfriend,

while Joey lands his first movie role--as Al Pacino's butt

double. Too bad he can't keep his derriere from overacting.

HISTORIC MOMENT Joey gets an agent (Estelle Leonard Talent

Agency). CREATIVE CASTING Burrows as the movie's director. NEW

'DO Rachel BEST LINE "After all your years of struggling, you've

finally been able to crack your way into show business."

(Chandler, to ass stand-in Joey) CRITIQUE LeBlanc's Joey started

off as the cast's weakest link, but around this time in the

series, he ditches Tribbiani's more cliched aspects and displays

deceptively subtle comic instincts. His performance in Freud!

the musical is a cold-open gem, thanks to his song about penis

envy: "All you vant is a dingle/Vat you envy's a schwang!/A

thing through vich you can tinkle..." A- [4]

6 THE ONE WITH THE BLACKOUT--W Astrof/Sikowitz D Burrows PLOT

Manhattan is hit with a power outage, leaving Chandler trapped in

an ATM vestibule with a lingerie model, the gang confessing sex

secrets in Monica's candlelit pad, and Ross attempting to escape

"the friend zone" by finally asking Rachel out. INTRODUCES Paolo

(Cosimo Fusco), Rachel's smarmy Italian beau; Monica and Rachel's

perpetually peeved downstairs neighbor, Mr. Heckles (Larry

Hankin). HISTORIC MOMENT Phoebe's would-be Central Perk singing

debut is shut down by the titular power outage. CREATIVE CASTING

Jill (Goodacre) Connick as herself. BEST LINE "Who am I going to

meet in a blackout? Power company guys? Eligible looters?"

(Monica) CRITIQUE The series is at its best when plot

contrivances are put aside for chatty, casual comedy mixed with

physical high jinks (Ross wrestling Paolo's cat on the balcony is

definitive Friends slapstick). A- [1] [2] [4]

7 THE ONE WHERE NANA DIES TWICE--W Kauffman/Crane D Burrows PLOT

Ross and Monica mourn the passing of their maternal

grandmother--who doesn't quite make it into the light with her

first attempt (see title)--but it's Ross who ends up six feet

under. HISTORIC MOMENTS One of Chandler's female coworkers

mistakes him as gay, thus kicking off the series' long-running

gag. Mr. Bing is soon shocked to learn that--as Monica explains

it--he has "a quality." The show goes on location for the first

time (at a cemetery), but it's a little off-putting to see the

cast in actual daylight. CREATIVE CASTING Father Knows Best's

Elinor Donahue plays Ross and Monica's aunt. BEST LINE "When I

first met you...I thought maybe, possibly, you might be

[gay]...but then you spent Phoebe's entire birthday party

talking to my breasts, so then I figured maybe not." (Rachel, to

Chandler) CRITIQUE Friends is atypically adept at handling

sitcom schmaltz--e.g., babies and weddings--but the somewhat

maudlin sentiment of Nana's death lands with a thud. B- [3]

[4]

8 THE ONE WHERE UNDERDOG GETS AWAY--W Greenstein/Strauss D Burrows

PLOT It's Thanksgiving, but nobody's feeling grateful when the

gang gets locked out of Monica's apartment after running outside

to see an escaped Underdog balloon from the parade. HISTORIC

MOMENT Chandler boycotts Turkey Day because his parents announced

their breakup over Thanksgiving dinner (he prefers a meal of

tomato soup, grilled cheese, and Funyuns). INTRODUCES Jane

Sibbett as the new Carol. CREATIVE CASTING ALF's Max Wright as

Terry, Central Perk's boss. CRITIQUE While this is a holiday

episode first and foremost, it's the subplot--new model Joey

inadvertently becomes a clinic's poster boy for VD--that's truly

worth celebrating. B [1] [4]

9 THE ONE WITH THE MONKEY--W Chase/Ungerleider D Peter Bonerz

PLOT The gang decides to forgo the desperate scramble for New

Year's Eve dates and have dinner together--but one by one they

break their resolution. INTRODUCES Marcel the Monkey, rescued

from a lab by Ross' friend Bethel. HISTORIC MOMENTS Joey kisses

Chandler at midnight--further fanning the "Is Chandler gay?"

flames. Phoebe gets her first on-screen kiss from a shy

scientist--but it establishes the Friends tradition of rarely

letting Miss Buffay keep a man for more than one episode when

he's quietly whisked off to Minsk; Phoebe finally sings her

first song in Central Perk. CREATIVE CASTING Hank Azaria as the

scientist; The Invisible Man's Vincent Ventresca as Monica's

boyfriend "Fun Bobby." BEST LINE "Hey, that monkey's got a Ross

on his ass." (Chandler) CRITIQUE Introducing the monkey was

perhaps Friends' biggest blunder-- forcing Schwimmer to do

comedy opposite a simian is beneath him. "Monkey" illustrates

the writers' tendency to overplot (was it necessary to add

Rachel getting into a catfight at the airport?), and the

multiple story lines never quite jell. Still, any ep that gives

Phoebe center stage gets bumped up a grade. B [2] [4]

10 THE ONE WITH MRS. BING--W Junge D Burrows PLOT Chandler's

mom, a lusty and beautiful romance novelist, hits town--and hits

on Ross. Phoebe and Monica make a love connection of their own:

After they startle a cute guy with a catcall, he's hit by a car,

leaving him in a coma and the girls fighting over nursemaid

duties. HISTORIC MOMENT We learn Chandler's mom bought him his

first condoms. INTRODUCES Morgan Fairchild as Chandler's mom.

BEST LINE "You don't kiss your friend's mom. Sisters are okay,

maybe a hot-lookin' aunt, but not a mom. Never a mom." (Joey, to

Ross) CRITIQUE Jay Leno's appearance is a portent of the

annoying stunts and NBC crossovers to come. While the Episode

One introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Geller brilliantly informs the

Ross and Monica characters, the idea that Chandler's mom is a

bawdy sexpot is just plain confusing. Add the forced Coma Guy

story line and you have the weakest Friends outing yet. C [2]

[3]

11 THE ONE WITH THE DOZEN LASAGNAS--W Astrof/Sikowitz and

Chase/Ungerleider D Paul Lazarus PLOT Ross prepares for the

birth of Carol's baby--though he can't decide if he wants to

know the sex; Joey and Chandler prepare to take a big step as

roommates--buying a table; Phoebe prepares to tell Rachel that

Paolo made a pass at her. HISTORIC MOMENTS We see Phoebe at work

as a massage therapist; a first look at Carol and Susan's

apartment; Joey and Chandler buy a Foosball table; and it's

official--Ross' baby is a boy! BEST LINE "We are way past the

fling thing. I mean, I am feeling things that I've only read

about in Danielle Steel books." (Rachel on Paolo) CRITIQUE

Masterfully silly cold open--the gang humming the Odd Couple

theme in Central Perk--sets the tone for this meandering,

somewhat scattered but charming installment. B+

12 THE ONE WITH THE BOOBIES--W Junge D Alan Myerson PLOT It was

bound to happen with all this barging in and out of each other's

apartments: Chandler walks in on a half-naked Rachel. Joey meets

his dad's longtime mistress. INTRODUCES Joey's philandering dad,

Joey Sr. (Robert Costanzo), and his prototypical Italian mom,

Gloria (Brenda Vaccaro). HISTORIC MOMENTS A flustered Chandler

coins the phrase "nipular area." Joey and Chandler sleep

together (sharing a sofa bed while guests stay over); first

reference to Chandler's dad being gay. CREATIVE CASTING Fisher

Stevens as Phoebe's beau Roger, a psychiatrist who alienates

everyone with his spot-on analyses of their lives. NEW 'DO

Monica BEST LINE "If I turn into my parents, I'll either be an

alcoholic blond chasing after 20-year-old boys or--I'll end up

like my mom." (Chandler) CRITIQUE The goofy parent-child role

reversal of the Joey story line is tired, but the show does a

hilarious job of mocking its Gen-X hipness with Roger's bitter

denunciation of the gang's "codependent, emotionally stunted"

dynamic: "You're all like 'Oh, define me! Define me!'" B [3]

[4]

13 THE ONE WITH THE CANDY HEARTS--W Bill Lawrence D Burrows PLOT

It's Valentine's Day and the gang is--go figure--dealing with

dating disasters: Chandler's blind date turns out to be his

ridiculously irritating ex, Janice; the girls nearly torch

Monica's apartment with an out-of-control "boyfriend bonfire";

poor Ross ends up sharing a table with his ex-wife while on a

date. BEST LINE "C'mon, man--she's needy. She's vulnerable. I'm

thinking, 'Cha-ching!'" (Joey) CRITIQUE What Friends does best

is mine laughs from love woes. Janice and Chandler's

anti-chemistry continues to yield shrill comedy, and the bonfire

is just the kind of true-to-life silliness we watch this show

for. B+

14 THE ONE WITH THE STONED GUY--W Greenstein/Strauss D Myerson

PLOT After five years of data processing, Chandler heads to a

career counselor--and learns he's ideally suited for...data

processing. Monica tries to land a head chef position, but is

chagrined when the restaurateur attends her tasting stoned. Ross

dates the curator of insects at his museum, but bugs out when

she wants him to talk dirty. HISTORIC MOMENTS Chandler's

heretofore vaguely defined job is slightly elucidated when he's

promoted to processing supervisor, with a phat new salary and

office--though it's never quite clear what he does, which poses

a problem for the girls in Episode 84; introduction of the

"wenus" concept (weekly estimated net use of systems). CREATIVE

CASTING Jon Lovitz as the pothead. CRITIQUE Lovitz's stoner

shtick is an unfunny stunt-casting gimmick, but the ep is

redeemed by an all-time classic scene in which Joey teaches Ross

to talk dirty: "If you can't talk dirty to me, how are you going

to talk dirty to her? Now, tell me you want to caress my butt!"

A- [4]

15 THE ONE WITH TWO PARTS--W Crane/ Kauffman D Michael Lembeck

PLOT Joey falls for Ursula, Phoebe's ditsy and bitchy identical

twin--continuing Ursula's lifelong habit of stealing all of her

sister's stuff. Ross goes to Lamaze class with both Carol and

Susan; Chandler has to fire his office crush. CREATIVE CASTING

First in a series of NBC Must See TV crossovers: Mad About You's

Helen Hunt and Leila Kenzle drop by Central Perk and--get

this!-- mistake Phoebe for Ursula. CRITIQUE Flights of fancy do

not suit this sitcom at all, and this installment is full of

them--including Rachel dangling off the balcony tangled in

Christmas lights, and the hackish split-screen gimmick when

Phoebe and Ursula "meet." Even worse, the script boasts nary a

laugh-out-loud joke. One redeeming factor: the setup of the

subtle sweetheart dynamic between Joey and Phoebe. C+ [4]

16 THE ONE WITH TWO PARTS--PART 2--W Crane/Kauffman D Lembeck

PLOT The high jinks continue as an injured and uninsured Rachel

(who twisted her ankle in Part 1) needles Monica into defrauding

the hospital by letting Rachel use her insurance. Ross continues

to grapple with impending fatherhood. CREATIVE CASTING Painful

NBC crossover, Part d'oh: ER's George Clooney and Noah Wyle play

two hunkalicious M.D.'s whom Monica and Rachel date. HISTORIC

MOMENT Phoebe and Joey kiss! (Of course, he thinks she's

Ursula.) CRITIQUE Far superior to the pallid Part 1 thanks to

Monica and Rachel's wickedly funny insurance-fraud-necessitated

identity swap. ("See, I was supposed to get married, but I left

the guy at the altar," says Monica, as "Rachel," to the docs.

"Yeah, I know it's pretty selfish but, hey--that's me!") Still,

the gooey Marcel-in-peril ending is unforgivable schmaltz. B

[4]

17 THE ONE WITH ALL THE POKER--W Astrof/Sikowitz D Burrows PLOT

The girls try to beat the guys at poker, while Ross keeps

bluffing about his feelings for Rachel. HISTORIC MOMENT Rachel

gets an interview for an assistant buyer spot at Saks Fifth

Avenue. CREATIVE CASTING Beverly Garland as Monica's Aunt Iris.

BEST LINE "Hello, Kettle? This is Monica. You're black."

(Phoebe, when Monica calls Ross "competitive") CRITIQUE Besides

being rife with genius Chandler comebacks (Rachel: "Guess what?"

Chandler: "Uh, okay--the fifth dentist caved and now they're all

recommending Trident?"), "Poker" proves the power of this

ensemble; the six players spend almost the entire 22 minutes

together, and it's the best episode so far. A [4]

18 THE ONE WHERE MARCEL GETS AWAY--W Astrof/Sikowitz D Bonerz

PLOT Rachel loses Marcel, throwing a monkey wrench into Ross'

plan to confess his true feelings for her. HISTORIC MOMENTS We

learn Marcel is an illegal exotic animal; Barry tells Rachel he

wants her back. CREATIVE CASTING Megan Cavanagh (Marla Hooch

from A League of Their Own) as Luisa, the animal control officer

(and Rachel and Monica's former classmate). BEST LINE "What

happened to, 'Forget relationships! I'm done with men!'--the

whole, uh, penis embargo?" (Ross, to Rachel) CRITIQUE The nadir

of Friends first-season simian-centric plots, chockful of

pointless monkeying around, including a random Shaft gag that

culminates with Phoebe getting shot in the butt with a

tranquilizer gun. Oh, the hilarity! C [4]

19 THE ONE WITH THE EVIL ORTHODONTIST--W Doty Abrams D Bonerz

PLOT Rachel reconnects with Barry--even though he's now engaged

to her best friend and former maid of honor, Mindy. Chandler

sends himself into a stress spiral when a girl doesn't call him

after "one of the greatest first dates of all time." HISTORIC

MOMENT We learn that Joey cooks naked: "Toast, oatmeal, nothing

that spatters." CREATIVE CASTING Jennifer Grey as Mindy. BEST

LINE Probably the best cold-open line of the series. Chandler:

"I can't believe you would actually say that. I would much

rather be Mr. Peanut than Mr. Salty." Joey: "No way. Mr. Salty

is a sailor, all right? He's gotta be, like, the toughest snack

there is." CRITIQUE Aniston is a whiz at milking Rachel's

high-strung guilt for laughs, but did we ever really believe

Rachel would end up with Barry when millions of viewers are now

rooting for Ross? B [1] [4]

20 THE ONE WITH FAKE MONICA--W Chase/Ungerleider D Gail Mancuso

PLOT After Monica's credit card is stolen, she tracks down the

thief and becomes enamored of the Fake Monica's free-spirited,

rule-breaking ways. HISTORIC MOMENT Ross sends Marcel--who's

reached his sexual peak and is getting aggressively randy--to a

zoo in San Diego. CREATIVE CASTING Broadway's Claudia Shear as

faux Mon; Harry Shearer as a creepy animal collector. BEST LINE

"Let's just say my Curious George doll is no longer curious."

(Rachel, after an amorous Marcel attacks her stuffed animal)

CRITIQUE A thin, hokey episode with a semi-sappy, "carpe diem"

theme that doesn't jibe with the series' tone of slackeresque

cynicism. And that "Marcel-likes-to-hump-things" joke isn't

getting any funnier the zillionth time around. Good riddance,

Fuzz Boy. C [4]

21 THE ONE WITH THE ICK FACTOR--W Junge D Robby Benson PLOT

Monica is dating "young Ethan" (Stan Kirsch), but doesn't find

out how young he is until after she deflowers him. Chandler

discovers his entire staff hates him when he hires Phoebe as his

temp secretary. At least Rachel likes Chandler--if those sex

dreams she keeps having about him mean anything. HISTORIC

MOMENTS We learn Monica is 26; the Chandler-loves-Joey theme

stays alive when Rachel dreams about the two of them going at

it; Carol goes into labor. BEST LINE "Oh God, I just had sex

with someone who wasn't alive during the Bicentennial!" (Monica)

NEW 'DO Chandler CRITIQUE A perfectly balanced episode: Monica's

shrill hysterics over her jailbait boyfriend are countered by

Chandler's chagrin over being "Bossman Bing." Genius subplot

alert: Ross buys a beeper so Carol can reach him when she goes

into labor, but he gets all the wrong messages when his number,

55JIMBO, is frequently mistaken for the gay prostitute 55JUMBO.

A-

22 THE ONE WITH THE BIRTH--W Teleplay by Greenstein/Strauss;

story by Crane/Kauffman D Burrows PLOT The gang descends on the

hospital when Carol goes into labor, but Ross and Susan's

constant bickering in the delivery room gets them tossed

out--and eventually locked in a storage closet. Not that Rachel

notices: She's too busy flirting with the cute obstetrician.

HISTORIC MOMENTS We learn Joey is 25; Chandler foreshadows his

romantic future when he offers to have a baby with Monica if

they're both unmarried at age 40. CREATIVE CASTING Jonathan

Silverman as the obstetrician; Leah Remini (The King of Queens)

as a single mom Joey helps get through labor; June Gable (later

cast as Estelle, Joey's agent), as a nurse. BEST LINE "I love

them--each one's like a little party in my uterus!" (Carol,

after the doctor asks how she's doing with the contractions)

CRITIQUE Once again, Friends delivers standard-issue sitcom

devices (the locked-in-a-closet gag, the tearjerker ending) with

exceptional charm and restraint. Schwimmer works his patented

nebbishy anxiety to great effect, while Phoebe reminds us that

she's actually the most insightful Friend with a casually sweet

observation of the squabbling Susan and Ross: "Here's this

little baby who has, like, three whole parents who care about it

so much they're fighting over who gets to love it the most."

Dammit--we told ourselves we wouldn't cry. A- [2] [4]

23 THE ONE WHERE RACHEL FINDS OUT--W Chris Brown D Kevin S. Bright

PLOT As you might have already guessed from the title, Rachel

discovers Ross' love for her when a careless Chandler lets it

slip at her birthday party. Even if Rachel wanted to reciprocate

she can't, because Ross is in China on a museum trip, where he

digs up a new fossil--and a new girlfriend. INTRODUCES Julie

(Lauren Tom), Ross' new squeeze. HISTORIC MOMENT Major product

placement of Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries in Chandler and Joey's

kitchen. BEST LINE "Wow, you're going to be making money hand

over fist." (Phoebe, learning what Joey will earn for his sperm

donations) CRITIQUE Though the long-awaited Ross-'n'-Rachel

romantic revelation is ostensibly the focus of "TOWRFO," we found

ourselves more entertained by the randy b-story: Joey's got a

hot-to-trot new girlfriend, but he's also participating in a

paying fertility study that requires, of all things, celibacy.

There's nothing like sex jokes to temper shmoopy sitcom

sentimentality. B

[BOX]

KEY

[1] Ugly Naked Guy Sighting

[2] Phoebe Song Alert

[3] Parental Pop-In

[4] Celeb Drop-In (Non-recurring)

Illustration/Photos:

COLOR PHOTO: WARNER BROS. TV

NO CAN "I DO" In the debut episode, runaway bride Rachel explains

her altar state to some Friends

COLOR PHOTO

SEASON OF HOPE (1) Lingerie model Connick guests as herself; (2)

Ross introduces his simian pal; (3) the Gellers lose Nana

1

COLOR PHOTO: ALICE S. HALL

[See caption above]

2

COLOR PHOTO

[See caption above]

3

COLOR PHOTO: NBC/EVERETT COLLECTION

WHAT'S UP, DOCS? Clooney and Wyle prescribe romance

COLOR PHOTO

THE MAMAS AND THE PAPA Ben meets the extended family