Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica, Rachel and Phoebe – we all love them, right? But, there are definitely some characters in Friends that don’t get as much credit as they deserve and are ultimately underrated.
- Janice Litman Goralnik
Season Appearances: 1-10 (19 episodes)
As far as underrated Friends characters go, Janice is definitely up there as one of the biggest undervalued character. It’s not difficult to see why either, her character’s purpose is to be irritably whiney through every single thing she says. This is what makes her so brilliant in my opinion, she’s one of the only Friends characters that is instantly recognisable by a single phrase. That phrase of course being ‘OH MY GOD’ (you just read it in her voice, didn’t you?). As annoying as she was at times it’s hard to deny she brought comedy gold to one of the greatest comedy shows ever created. From her leopard print eccentric clothing to her nasally laugh – Janice was always TV gold and definitely underrated.
- Gunther (Last name unknown)
Season Appearances: 1-10 (185 episodes)
Known for his striking blonde hair and barista job in Central Perk, Gunther became the pinnacle of unrequited love for his undivided affection for Rachel. As an audience, although we knew it wasn’t going to happen, we couldn’t help but root for Gunther as an underdog. Whether or not you thought Ross and Rachel were on a break, I can guarantee that had Rachel been dating Gunther he definitely wouldn’t have slept with the copy girl! In order to be an underrated character, you have to be appreciated which I believe Gunther definitely is. Although he’d only have 30 second appearances in each episode, the material he was given not only ensured you remembered him but kept you laughing sometimes more than the main characters.
- Character Name: Marcel (Yes, the monkey)
Season Appearances: 1 (8 episodes)
Never have I felt the pure emotion in ‘The Lion Sings Tonight’ more so than when all of the Friends sing it to reunite Marcel and Ross. Although it’s rather odd to argue that a monkey was an underrated character, I really believe he was. Through the time we as an audience pined for Ross and Rachel to get together, Marcel provided Ross with some much -needed companionship. In a way, the Ross and Marcel relationship was more compelling than some of the other longer lasting Friends relationships (Joey and Rachel *cough cough*). Marcel gave Friends the iconic cute animal it needed, and of course with Friends being a show about a group of unconventional twenty-somethings, a dog would have been far too basic to cast.
Alannah Joy
