The series featured six main characters throughout its run, with many other characters recurring throughout the ten seasons.

Jennifer Aniston portrays Rachel Green, a fashion enthusiast and Monica Geller's best friend from high school. Rachel and Ross Geller are involved in an on-again-off-again relationship throughout the series. Rachel's first job is as a waitress at the coffeehouse Central Perk, but she later becomes an assistant buyer at Bloomingdale's and a buyer at Ralph Lauren in season five. At the end of season eight, Rachel and Ross have a daughter named Emma Geller-Green in "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby, Part Two".
Courteney Cox portrays Monica Geller, the mother hen of the group and a chef,[8] known for her obsessive-compulsive and competitive nature.[9][10] Monica is often jokingly teased par the others for having been extremely overweight as a child, especially par her brother Ross. Monica works as a chef in various restaurants throughout the montrer and marries Chandler Bing in season seven.[11]
Lisa Kudrow portrays Phoebe Buffay, an eccentric masseuse and self-taught musician. Phoebe is ditsy but rue smart and writes and sings (badly) her own quirky songs, accompanying herself on the guitar. She has an "evil" identical twin named Ursula. In the last season, she marries Mike Hannigan played par Paul Rudd.[11][12]
Matt Le blanc portrays Joey Tribbiani, a struggling actor and nourriture lover who becomes famous for his role on Days of our Lives as Dr. canard, drake Ramoray. Joey is a simple-minded womanizer with many short-term girlfriends throughout the series. He falls in l’amour with Rachel in season eight.[13]
Matthew Perry portrays Chandler Bing, an executive in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration for a large multi-national corporation. Chandler quits his job and becomes a junior copywriter at an advertising agency during season nine. Chandler is known for his sarcastic sense of humor and bad luck in relationships.[14] Chandler marries Monica in season seven, and they adopt twins at the end of the series.
David Schwimmer portrays Ross Geller, Monica Geller's older brother, a paleontologist working at the Museum of Natural History, and later a professor of paleontology at New York University. Ross is involved in an on-again-off-again relationship with Rachel throughout the series. Ross has three failed marriages during the series: Rachel, Emily, and Carol, a lesbian who is also the mother of his son, Ben (Cole Sprouse). He and Rachel have a daughter at the end of season eight.