F.R.I.E.N.D.S is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. We’ve already told you how the show is about a group of horrible people who the show-runners want you to like. People get too stuck in liking jokes, so they all love Chandler Bing. He turns into the token funny guy of the show with his dumb banter.
I like to believe that the audience were mislead into believing this. Ross Geller is the funniest guy in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Here are a few reasons why Ross, not Chandler, is the funniest guy in the show –
1. Ross’ humour isn’t self-aware or meta
Most of Chandler’s humor comes from the fact that he’s self-aware. He makes some meta observations about the characters and his jokes are restricted to that. Ross, on the other hand, has no clue about what is going on. His brand of humour is genuine. His problems, jokes and reactions are that of a funny man. This makes Ross a funnier guy than Chandler.
2. Ross entered a threesome and ended up making a sandwich
Just this one scenario is funnier than all of Chandler’s jokes put together. He was in a threesome where both the women didn’t want him. He decided to make the most out of that situation by doing something truly useful. He made a sandwich. This is priceless.
3. Even Ross’ love for his moist sandwiches becomes funny
He went HULK when someone ate his sandwich. His problem was funny and trivial for most of us. Joey says he loves sandwiches; Ross actually shows it.
4. Ross made Rachel’s b’day a success when both her parents showed up
When Rachel’s parents showed up for her birthday party, Ross handled the situation brilliantly. He improved and started saying random shit that somehow was funny and believable. Chandler’s jokes will never work in situations like these. This is the mark of a funny guy.
5. Ross’ life goes for a toss but he still keeps referring to his past in the form of jokes
Ross’ jokes are mostly about his messed up past and with David Schwimmer’s brilliant acting, it all feels believable. His jokes are about the really sad things that happened to him during the course of the show.
6. Chandler’s form of humor is aggressive whereas Ross is self-referential and self-deprecating
Chandler tries to defuse every situation with a quick remark. He would make people laugh by making fun of a particular character/situation. Cracking jokes at someone else’s expense is easy. You can always make funny remarks about others. Does that make you a funny person? No.
7. Ross’ character has layers to it which aren’t only restricted to wit or humour
Chandler is all about the jokes. He will have different one-liners pouring in from all directions. Ross often talks about science and tries to have an intelligent discussion with the group as well. He gets shit on by the other friends for his love for science. Ross’ character has layers. This is the mark of a really funny guy.
8. Ross’ complete state of awareness, aka Unagi, makes him commit to the ridiculous things he comes up with
We all knew that Ross possessing Unagi was a load of BS. It wasn’t just a random joke for the more lovable Geller sibling. Ross committed to the con. He kept going with his Unagi con even when shit hit the fan. That’s the sign of a funny guy – you die with the joke.
9. Ross needs no side-kick to be funny
Chandler had Joey – the typical dim-witted sidekick – to make his jokes work. Joey would do something stupid and Chandler would turn the situation funny with his jokes. Ross didn’t need anyone else to be funny.
10. Unlike Chandler, Ross doesn’t try hard to be funny
Like Phoebe says in the show as well, Chandler tries too hard to be funny. He just tried far too hard to make people laugh with jokes that were far from funny. He became even less funny after dating Monica. The other guys were funnier as they used their facial expressions and reactions to situations to induce laughter, rather than just telling pathetic jokes and just being really sarcastic.
11. Ross is less of a prick and more of a funny guy as compared to Chandler Bing
Everytime anyone runs into trouble or a crisis situation strikes, Chandler decides to use humor to belittle their problems and the situation itself. Using humor as a coping mechanism is okay but why would he specifically target his friends even in the most casual circumstances is beyond me.
12. Ross is funny even when he doesn’t want to be funny
With Chandler, the humor is always about quick-witted remarks and sarcasm. Ross is more versatile, with his voice modulations, dumbness at times, but he’s also smart enough to throw jibes when needed. Even his anger could be funny at times.
13. When in trouble, Ross relied on his humor to get out of the mess
On Ross’ first day at work as a professor, he was low on confidence. To get past this problem, Ross uses a ridiculous British accent in order to impress the students. The funny elements in his personality are barely highlighted.
14. Ross was the Holiday Armadillo
Ross decided to teach Ben about Hanukkah by dressing up as the Holiday Armadillo. He didn’t mean to be funny and he didn’t even try to be funny but he was. Ross was funny even when he didn’t mean to.
15. Ross’ comedy gets etched in the memories of the audience
It’s Ross who delivers the majority of the show’s most-quoted lines, even thirteen years later. Chandler’s joke are high on frequency but when it comes to longevity, Ross takes the cake. “PIVOT!”, “We were on a break”, “I’m fine”, “It tastes like feet!” and “MY SANDWICH!” are more powerful moments than anything anyone else gave us.
