Jennifer Aniston's Favorite Friends Episode May Surprise You
"Friends" is a show that never really goes away. For some, it may feel like there's been a spike in retrospective popularity for the landmark NBC sitcom ever since that buzzy reunion special hit HBO Max in 2021, but the truth is that it would have made sense to release "Friends: The Reunion" at any point in the past 18 years. Few shows from that era, comedic or otherwise, have proven to have so much staying power with mass audiences.
To be sure, "Friends" had a few rough patches, like any show that runs for as long as it did. But, all in all, it's truly impressive how thoroughly the writers and cast managed to retain consistency for all of the series' 10 seasons; even as late as 2004, "Friends" was still turning out classics like "The One with Phoebe's Wedding." There are so many potential picks for the best "Friends" episode that everyone's answers are bound to be different, and yet everyone who watched the show is guaranteed to have one installment they hold especially close to their heart. That is also true, of course, of the titular friends themselves — and Jennifer Aniston's favorite episode might not be one you'd expect.
Jennifer Aniston loves the flashback episodes
Many of the most classic "Friends" episodes, including "The One Where Ross Finds Out," "The One with the Rumor," and "The One Where Ross Got High," are largely Rachel-centric. There's an argument to be made that she and Ross (David Schwimmer) are the closest the show has to central protagonists. But when Jennifer Aniston spoke up about her favorite "Friends" episodes, she didn't focus on the big turning points of Ross and Rachel's romance. Instead, she looked back fondly on the flashbacks.
During the "Friends" reunion that happened in 2016 on the occasion of a tribute to director legendary sitcom director James Burrows, Aniston revealed that she "always loved the flashback [episodes]." "I always loved when we would flashback to fat Monica and Rachel pre-nose job and Ross with his afro," the actress said.
While she didn't name the specific episode, it's clear she was referring primarily to "The One with the Prom Video," which takes a brief but unforgettable glance at the lives of Rachel, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Ross all the way back in high school. Although the titular prom video ultimately illustrates Ross' devotion to Rachel, thus serving as a prime example of "Friends'" ability to blend comedy and sweetness, fans usually remember it first for how funny it is to see all the characters looking so different. And, based on Aniston's words, that would seem to be her favorite element of the episode, too.