Friends (season 8)

Friends (season 8)
Friends season 8 DVD cover
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 24
Release
Original network NBC
Original release September 27, 2001 (2001-09-27) – May 16, 2002 (2002-05-16)
Season chronology

The eighth season of Friends, an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 27, 2001. Friends was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The season contains 24 episodes and concluded airing on May 16, 2002. This season had an average of 24.5 million viewers, and was the most watched TV show of the 2001–02 television season.[1]

Cast and characters

(In particular, Introduced in season 8 or Only in season 8)

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
US viewers
(millions)
1711"The One After 'I Do'"Kevin S. BrightDavid Crane & Marta KauffmanSeptember 27, 2001 (2001-09-27)22740131.70[2]

Everybody thinks Monica's pregnant, but her denial quickly shifts the focus to Phoebe, who takes the heat off of Rachel--who is actually pregnant. Chandler's shoes are slippery, rendering his dance lessons useless. Joey tries to impress a Broadway director. Ross dances with children to impress Monica's attractive, funny friend Mona, which leads to him getting injured quite a bit.

Note: This episode is dedicated to "The people of New York City" to remember the September 11 attacks.
1722"The One with the Red Sweater"David SchwimmerDana Klein BorkowOctober 4, 2001 (2001-10-04)22740230.04[2]
Rachel won't tell anybody who the father of her baby is until she tells him. Joey tells Monica and Phoebe that a guy slept with Rachel a few weeks earlier, and left a red sweater behind. Phoebe thinks it's Tag Jones and arranges a meeting for Rachel with him. Ross and Chandler attempt to recreate the wedding pictures, after Chandler loses the disposable cameras. Monica opens all of her and Chandler's wedding presents. Monica, Joey and Phoebe find out that Tag is not the father of Rachel's baby. They're still pondering the mystery when the red sweater is spotted in front of them and retrieved by its owner: Ross.
1733"The One Where Rachel Tells..."Sheldon EppsSherry Bilsing & Ellen PlummerOctober 11, 2001 (2001-10-11)22740329.20[2]

Chandler and Monica prepare to leave for their honeymoon as Rachel prepares to tell the father of her baby. Phoebe and Joey try to get into Monica and Chandler's apartment by telling Mr. Treeger there is a gas leak. However, not all goes to plan when Treeger, who could not find Monica and Chandler's key, orders firefighters to break down the door.

Note: There was a subplot of Chandler and Monica's honeymoon that was completely shot and filmed but ultimately never aired. It involved Chandler playfully joking about bombs when preparing to board first-class. The airport security mistake Chandler's joke as a real threat then take him and Monica to interrogation. Towards the end of the episode they're determined not to be a threat to the aircraft, but shortly after their release Joey calls Monica and pretends that there is a gas leak in their apartment in an attempt to cover for the broken door. When Joey asked her whether they'll charge them for the damage of breaking down the door, she sarcastically replied, "No, I want you to stand there and wait for the entire place to blow up!", causing the authorities to re-interrogate the couple. Following 9/11, the writers felt the humor of this subplot was off color and quickly replaced it with a story about Chandler and Monica getting jealous over another newly married couple who got free perks by arriving just before they did. The cut scenes from this episode were later shown as a special feature on the 2004 UK version of the DVDs.
1744"The One with the Videotape"Kevin S. BrightScott SilveriOctober 18, 2001 (2001-10-18)22740625.58[2]
Ross and Rachel disagree over who came onto whom when they hooked up, with Rachel (and the group) sure that Ross was the initiator of their pregnancy-causing sex and Ross being sure that Rachel hit on him first. He wants to prove it and accidentally reveals that he has the encounter on videotape. Rachel goes from being disgusted to being intrigued, and everyone watches the tape where they find out that Ross was right because Rachel used Joey's patented "story that leads to having sex". Monica and Chandler meet another couple while on their honeymoon.
1755"The One with Rachel's Date"Gary HalvorsonBrian Buckner & Sebastian JonesOctober 25, 2001 (2001-10-25)22740425.64[2]

Phoebe begins dating a guy who works for Monica, causing a problem when Phoebe wants to dump him on the same day Monica plans to fire him. A guy at Chandler's work thinks that Chandler's name is Toby. Rachel goes on a date with Joey's costar, despite being pregnant, much to Ross' annoyance.

Note: This episode is dedicated to the memory of Richard Cox, Sr., father of Courteney Cox.
1766"The One with the Halloween Party"Gary HalvorsonMark KunerthNovember 1, 2001 (2001-11-01)22740526.96[2]
Monica and Chandler are throwing a Halloween Party. At the party Phoebe runs into her sister's fiance, Eric (Sean Penn), and finds herself attracted to him as they bond over what a total liar Ursula is. Ross and Chandler arm wrestle ineffectually, as Ross laments that his goofy "Spudnik" outfit makes him look like feces. Rachel asks if she can be the person who hands out candy to the trick-or-treaters, as she says 'ever since I got pregnant, I have had the strongest maternal instincts', only to find out she isn't as maternal as she thought.
1777"The One with the Stain"Kevin S. BrightR. Lee Fleming Jr.November 8, 2001 (2001-11-08)22740724.24[2]
Chandler hires a maid to help Monica but she thinks the maid is stealing her clothes. Eric broke up with Ursula and wants to date Phoebe but she reminds him too much of her sister. Ross attempts to secure the apartment of a dying Dutch woman for Rachel, while Joey tries to convince Rachel to continue living with him.
1788"The One with the Stripper"David SchwimmerAndrew Reich & Ted CohenNovember 15, 2001 (2001-11-15)22740826.54[2]
Rachel's having dinner with her dad to tell him that she's pregnant, and Rachel is intimidated and lies about Ross being unsupportive, leading to Mr. Green threatening Ross and nearly ruining his budding romance with Mona. Meanwhile Monica hires a stripper, who turns out to be a hooker, for Chandler because he never got to have a bachelor party.
1799"The One with the Rumor"Gary HalvorsonShana Goldberg-MeehanNovember 22, 2001 (2001-11-22)22741024.24[2]
Monica invites a high school friend, Will (Brad Pitt) to her Thanksgiving dinner. Rachel finds out that Will (who was a loser like Ross in high school and is now a gorgeous guy) and Ross started a rumor about Rachel having both male and female "reproductive parts" during their senior year of high school. Joey tries to eat an entire turkey because 'he's a Tribbiani'. Chandler and Phoebe avoid helping Monica by sitting on the couch and watching a game.
18010"The One with Monica's Boots"Kevin S. BrightStory by: Robert Carlock
Teleplay by: Brian Buckner & Sebastian Jones
December 6, 2001 (2001-12-06)22740922.44[2]

Monica buys very expensive boots and promises Chandler to wear them all the time. After a while they are killing Monica's feet but she doesn't dare to tell Chandler. Joey's youngest sister Dina (Marla Sokoloff) is pregnant and comes to Rachel for advice. Phoebe finds out that Sting's son is in Ben's class so she goes to see Sting's wife (real wife, Trudie Styler) pretending to want to talk about Ben and Jack in order to get tickets to Sting's concert.

Note: In this episode, Ross tells Phoebe Ben is 7. However this episode is set in December 2001, and as Ben was born in May 1995, Ben would only be 6 at the time.
18111"The One with Ross's Step Forward"
"The One with The Creepy Holiday Card"
Gary HalvorsonRobert CarlockDecember 13, 2001 (2001-12-13)22741123.85[2]
Ross freaks out when Mona wants to send out joint Christmas cards and wants to have "the talk". Chandler tries to get out of spending time with his boss. Rachel has hormonal problems as a result of pregnancy and becomes "erotically charged".
18212"The One Where Joey Dates Rachel"David SchwimmerSherry Bilsing-Graham & Ellen PlummerJanuary 10, 2002 (2002-01-10)22741225.53[2]
Now that Rachel can't go on dates any more due to her pregnancy, Joey decides to take her on a date. But instantly, he begins to have a crush on Rachel, something that even he is scared about. Monica and Chandler get a Ms. Pac-Man arcade game from Phoebe as a late wedding present. After Phoebe hogs the game, Chandler becomes a pro by repeatedly playing and putting swear words as his initials, however Monica wants them to be removed as Ben would be coming over to play on it. After Ross gets to teach an advanced class, he struggles to get to the class on time.
18313"The One Where Chandler Takes a Bath"Ben WeissVanessa McCarthyJanuary 17, 2002 (2002-01-17)22741329.24[2]
Monica sways Chandler's dislike of baths but he soon becomes addicted to them. Phoebe, who thinks Joey has a crush on her, is shocked to discover that Joey actually likes Rachel; Ross and Rachel debate over potential names for their baby and find out the baby's sex.
18414"The One with the Secret Closet"Kevin S. BrightBrian Buckner & Sebastian JonesJanuary 31, 2002 (2002-01-31)22741428.64[2]
Chandler becomes obsessed with finding out what is behind the door of Monica's secret closet. Phoebe feels betrayed when she discovers Monica has been using a different massage therapist. Ross feels left out after missing the baby's first kick especially when Joey is mistaken for the father. Joey, feeling bad about the situation, suggests that Rachel should move in with Ross even though he wanted Rachel to live with him.
18515"The One with the Birthing Video"Kevin S. BrightDana Klein BorkowFebruary 7, 2002 (2002-02-07)22741528.64[2]
Phoebe gives a birthing video to Rachel. Chandler, mistaking the tape for porn, watches it and is horrified after watching it with Monica, which kills the mood for Valentine's Day. Ross struggles to tell Mona that Rachel is now living with him, and she breaks up with him over his dishonesty. Joey is depressed and in an effort to lighten his mood, Phoebe lends him a dog to cheer him up. However Joey ends up subduing the dog with his depression, and in the end tells Ross about his feelings for Rachel.
18616"The One Where Joey Tells Rachel"Ben WeissAndrew Reich & Ted CohenFebruary 28, 2002 (2002-02-28)22741627.52[2]

Ross, shocked at Joey's declaration, avoids him, but eventually convinces him to tell Rachel. Joey confesses his love for Rachel, but Rachel politely and lovingly turns him down. Phoebe is convinced that a British man called Don is Monica's soulmate.

Guest starring Sam Pancake as the waiter.
18717"The One with the Tea Leaves"Gary HalvorsonStory by: R. Lee Fleming Jr.
Teleplay by: Steven Rosenhaus
March 7, 2002 (2002-03-07)22741726.30[2]
Phoebe determines through tea leaves that she'll soon meet the man of her dreams, which leads her to a disastrous date with a disturbing man and then a pleasant meeting with a charming one at the dry cleaners. Rachel invents a crazy work problem to reduce the awkwardness of hanging out with Joey, since he confessed his feelings for her. Ross tries to retrieve his 'faded salmon' shirt from Mona's apartment.
18818"The One in Massapequa"
"The One with the Zesty Guy"
Gary HalvorsonStory by: Peter Tibbals
Teleplay by: Mark Kunerth
March 28, 2002 (2002-03-28)22741822.05[2]
Monica botches an attempt at giving a heartfelt speech for her parents' 35th anniversary party. Phoebe dates Parker (Alec Baldwin), who's very enthusiastic about everything and ultimately annoys the entire group including herself. Ross and Rachel have to pretend to be married and Ross' "wedding toast" stirs feelings in Rachel.
18919"The One with Joey's Interview"Gary HalvorsonDoty AbramsApril 4, 2002 (2002-04-04)22742422.59[2]
Joey prepares for an interview with Soap Opera Digest, although he's afraid of saying something stupid that may jeopardize his career. (In a previous episode, in an interview, he said he writes a lot of his own lines, which led to his firing from Days of Our Lives.) Joey enlists his friends to make sure things go well. This is the fourth of Friends' six clip shows.
19020"The One with the Baby Shower"Kevin S. BrightSherry Bilsing-Graham & Ellen PlummerApril 25, 2002 (2002-04-25)22742122.24[2]
Phoebe and Monica prepare for Rachel's baby shower and forget to invite Rachel's mother. During the shower Monica tries desperately to seek forgiveness from Sandra, but to no avail. Rachel realizes she has no idea how to look after the baby after the birth, so her mother insists on staying with her for eight weeks, much to her and Ross' annoyance. Monica eventually gives Rachel the confidence to be a mom and lets Sandra know she's furious at her spitefulness. Joey auditions for a job as a host for a new game show called "Bamboozled" that makes absolutely no sense, and Chandler and Ross help him practice.
19121"The One with the Cooking Class"Gary HalvorsonStory by: Dana Klein Borkow
Teleplay by: Brian Buckner & Sebastian Jones
May 2, 2002 (2002-05-02)22741923.97[2]
Monica's cooking skills get a bad review in The Post. After confronting the critic who wrote it, she decides to join a cooking class, with Joey in tow. Rachel gets jealous when Ross meets a girl who flirts with him at the baby department store. Phoebe helps Chandler prepare for an interview by stopping his natural instinct to make immature jokes.
19222"The One Where Rachel is Late"Gary HalvorsonShana Goldberg-MeehanMay 9, 2002 (2002-05-09)22742024.32[2]
Joey invites Chandler to his movie's premiere but Chandler falls asleep during it. Rachel is very frustrated with the fact that she's eight days late, and will try anything to induce labor, which leads to a bet between Monica and Phoebe.
193
194
23
24
"The One Where Rachel Has a Baby"Kevin S. BrightScott Silveri
Marta Kauffman & David Crane
May 16, 2002 (2002-05-16)[lower-alpha 1]227422
227423
34.91[2]
Ross and Rachel arrive at the hospital. Judy Geller gives Ross her mother's engagement ring to propose to Rachel with. Monica and Chandler decide to have a baby. After forty-seven hours of labor, Rachel has her and Ross' baby, Emma as "River Of Tears" by Eric Clapton plays in the background. Joey finds Ross' engagement ring. Rachel thinks he's proposing and says "Okay". Monica and Chandler try for a baby in the hospital.

United States ratings

No. in
series
No. in
season
Episode title Air date Rating/Share (18–49) Viewers (millions) Weekly rank
1711"The One After 'I Do'"September 27, 200119.5/3131.70#1
1722"The One with the Red Sweater"October 4, 200118.9/3130.04#1
1733"The One Where Rachel Tells Ross"October 11, 200117.9/2629.20#1
1744"The One with the Videotape"October 18, 200116.0/2525.58#2
1755"The One with Rachel's Date"October 25, 200116.1/2525.64#2
1766"The One with the Halloween Party"November 1, 200116.8/2526.96#2
1777"The One with the Stain"November 8, 200115.2/2324.24#2
1788"The One with the Stripper"November 15, 200116.1/2526.54#2
1799"The One with the Rumor"November 22, 200112.7/2524.24#3
18010"The One with Monica's Boots"December 6, 200114.0/2322.44#2
18111"The One with Ross's Step Forward"
"The One with The Creepy Holiday Card"
December 13, 200114.9/2523.85#2
18212"The One Where Joey Dates Rachel"January 10, 200216.1/2425.53#2
18313"The One Where Chandler Takes a Bath"January 17, 200217.5/2729.24#1
18414"The One with the Secret Closet"January 31, 200217.8/2828.64#3
18515"The One with the Birthing Video"February 7, 200217.8/2828.64#2
18616"The One Where Joey Tells Rachel"February 28, 200217.4/2727.52#1
18717"The One with the Tea Leaves"March 7, 200216.3/2526.30#2
18818"The One in Massapequa"March 28, 200213.7/2322.05#4
18919"The One with Joey's Interview"April 4, 200214.7/2422.59#4
19020"The One with the Baby Shower"April 25, 200214.4/2322.24#3
19121"The One with the Cooking Class"May 2, 200215.4/2523.97#3
19222"The One Where Rachel is Late"May 9, 200215.4/2624.32#3
193 / 19423 / 24"The One Where Rachel Has a Baby"May 16, 200221.1/3434.91#1
  • Season 8 averaged 24.5 million viewers and finished, for the first time, as the most watched show of the 2001–02 television season.[1]
  • All episodes aired at 8:00 pm ET Thursdays on NBC.
  • All episodes ranked within the weekly top 5 most watched TV shows.

Awards and nominations

Association Category Recipient Results
59th Annual Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical N/A Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Jennifer Aniston Nominated
14th Annual Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards Favorite Television Show N/A Nominated
Favorite Television Actor Matt LeBlanc Nominated
Matthew Perry Nominated
Favorite Television Actress Jennifer Aniston Nominated
6th Annual Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Comedy Series N/A Won
Best Direction in a Comedy Series Kevin S. Bright
David Schwimmer
Sheldon Epps
Gary Halvorson
Ben Weiss
Nominated
Best Writing in a Comedy Series David Crane
Marta Kauffman
Dana Klein Borkow
Sherry Bilings
Ellen Plummer
Scott Silveri
Brian Buckner
Sebastian Jones
Mark Kunerth
R. Lee Flemming, Jr.
Andrew Reich
Ted Cohen
Shana Goldberg-Meehan
Robert Carlock
Vanessa McCarthy
Peter Tibbals
Doty Abrams
Won
Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston Won
Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Brad Pitt Nominated
28th Annual People's Choice Awards Favorite Television Comedy Series N/A Won
Favorite Female Television Performer Jennifer Aniston Won
54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series N/A Won
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
for episode "The One Where Joey Tells Rachel"
Matt LeBlanc Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
for episode "The One Where Chandler Takes a Bath"
Matthew Perry Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
for episode "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby (Part 1 & 2)"
Jennifer Aniston Won
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
for episode "The One with the Rumor"
Brad Pitt Nominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series
for episode "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby (Part 1 & 2)"
John Shaffner
Joe Stewart
Greg J. Grande
Nominated
Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series Leslie Litt
Barbara Miller
Nominated
Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
for episode "The One with the Rumor"
Nick McLean Nominated
Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series
for episode "The One with the Rumor"
Stephen Prime Nominated
Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series
for episode "The One with the Halloween Party"
Kenny Tintorri Nominated
Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special
for episode "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby (Part 1 & 2)"
Dana Mark McClure Nominated
6th Annual Satellite Awards Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical N/A Nominated
Best Actress in a Series - Comedy or Musical Jennifer Aniston Nominated
8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston Nominated
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston
Courteney Cox
Lisa Kudrow
Matt LeBlanc
Matthew Perry
David Schwimmer
Nominated
4th Annual Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Show - Comedy N/A Won
Choice TV Actor - Comedy Matt LeBlanc Won
Choice TV Actress - Comedy Jennifer Aniston Won
Courteney Cox Nominated
Lisa Kudrow Nominated
18th Annual Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Comedy N/A Nominated
Individual Achievement in Comedy Matt LeBlanc Nominated

Notes

  1. These episodes originally aired as a single double-length episode but are sometimes split into two episodes for syndication, reruns and DVD presentation.

References

  1. 1 2 "How Did Your Favorite Show Rate?". USA Today. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Friends Nielsen Ratings Archive – Season Eight". Newmusicandmore.tripod.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
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