Friends is one of the best sitcoms of all time, and with any show that has that label, there’s a lot of discourse around it. But since the series is streaming for those with an HBO Max subscription, new people are always discovering the classic series. Someone who had “zero internet influence” about the NBC series just watched the whole thing for the first time, and they’ve got a hot take on Ross. Or is it?
Is Ross The Worst Or Actually The Best?
When it comes to the post-internet discourse about Friends, there are two popular topics fans tend to talk about: “why Ross is the worst” and “if Ross and Rachel were on a break”. As one Reddit user said this week, their off-the-grid best friend just finished Friends, and had a surprising take on Ross. Here’s what the new fan allegedly said:
I would've expected literally anyone else to be the most hated. He's so caring and he always seems to consider other people's feelings.
Funny enough, when the longtime Friends fan heard the take, it got them thinking about Ross and how “isn’t she kind of right?” As the user also wrote:
I guess I became so used to hearing all the reasons people dislike him that I stopped questioning the premise itself. But now I'm sitting here trying to remember all the reasons why he's so much more hated than everyone else. Obviously, there are some VERY questionable moments. Trying to kiss his cousin immediately comes to mind lol. And I'm definitely not saying he never did anything wrong.
Obviously, we’re talking about a sitcom character, so shenanigans are part of what makes Friends so funny. And Ross gets into a lot of shenanigans, that’s for sure. But there are definitely a few reasons why Ross is disliked nowadays. He often exhibits arrogance, is quite possessive and controlling of Rachel, and never takes fault for cheating on her. But hey, I haven’t seen it in a while. Are we too hard on Ross? Here’s who they actually think might be the worst:
And while we're on the subject... wouldn't Phoebe actually make more sense as the 'most hated' one? 😭 I love her, but there are so many moments where she seems to deliberately stir things up or say something she KNOWS is going to hurt someone. Like the whole 'okay, tell them who you originally wanted to sleep with' thing with Monica, for instance. There are quite a few moments where she's unnecessarily rude or inconsiderate, sometimes seemingly just for the sake of it.
I don’t know. I think you could make a case for anyone in the cast being “the worst.” Heck, the character of Rachel definitely has a lot of haters herself, and I know I’ve found Monica to be quite annoying on multiple accounts.
How Friends Fans Feel About This Take
The post has gotten pretty popular on Reddit, leading to hundreds of comments on the topic. Interestingly enough, this take was mostly well-received on the internet, with a lot of comments totally agreeing that Ross is getting a bad rep when he’s actually kind of the best. Check some of these out:
- "Whether you love or hate Ross, you have to agree David Schwimmer was brilliant in the role."
- "I love Ross. Has faults but he's not unlikeable. Obviously by design. It is a show and has to be interesting after all."
- "I don’t hate any of them but Ross is my favorite too. He’s a good friend. He can be a bit whiny though which is why a lot of people dislike him."
- "I liked Ross fine. I just didn’t like him with Rachel."
- "I watched friends in real time and Ross was my favorite back then too"
It does make you think! How do our TV opinions change without the internet? These days we're inundated with online thoughts, but there was a time when it was just watercooler chat, and perhaps more diverse ideas about our shows were discussed in social circles. Either way, it’s going to be a long time before we stop talking about Friends.
