The ten episodes (twelve if you count both two-parters) on the two volumes include: Pilot (9/22/94), The One With All The Poker (3/2/95), The One With The Two Parts (2/23/95), The One Where Ross Finds Out (11/9/95), The One With The Prom Video (2/1/96), The One Where No One's Ready (9/26/96), The One With the Embryos (1/15/96), The One With Ross's Wedding (5/7/98), The One With All the Thanksgivings (11/19/98), and The One Where Everybody Finds Out (2/11/99).

I can't say that I had watched much of Friends on TV before reviewing this set; I had caught an episode now and then, but I just don't have time to watch much TV. The selection of episodes in this collection was terrific, I thought; the series definitely gets better as it progresses, but each episode included was quite good and pretty funny. However, since this collection covers four and a half years of the series, some of the events going on were confusing, especially Ross's numerous relationships, since I hadn't previously seen those episodes. My girlfriend, though, who watched these with me, is a fan of the series and was able to clue me into what I missed and point out the extra footage that was included. Fans of the series, though, shouldn't get too excited about this bonus footage; it usually only amounts to 20-30 seconds extra, and though most of it adds an extra joke or two, it isn't worth buying the set for.

Picture:
Friends is presented in 1.33:1 full frame, as it was originally presented on TV. There is some grain here and there throughout some of the earlier episodes, along with some shimmer, but none of it is too distracting. Colors are well saturated and are vibrant throughout. The episodes here, at least compared to what I've seen on TV, look noticeably better than they would on TV.

Sound:
Friends has been newly remastered in Dolby Digital 5.0. Dialogue for all the episodes is crisp and clean with no distortion. Surrounds, though, are really only used for the laugh track and the music between scenes. Still, these sound much better than they do on TV.

Extras:
Extras include filmographies for all six stars and the three producers; the music video "I'll Be There For You" by the Rembrandts; a 6 minute featurette titled "Friends Go to London;" a 2 ½ minute featurette titled "Friends on Location in London;" and subtitles in French and English. The two featurettes are relatively short and contain some interviews from the stars and clips from the episode "The One with Ross's Wedding." They do sometimes overlap, and I'm surprised they weren't just combined.

Summary:
Though I would have much preferred seeing seasons of Friends released instead of "Best Of" volumes, fans of the show should snap these up for the improved picture and sound quality of their favorite episodes. Highly Recommended for fans and newcomers alike.