Enter--and, in the bittersweet season finale, exit--Tom Selleck as Dr. Richard Burke, the family friend ("He's like a brother to... Dad," notes a disapproving Ross) who becomes Monica's (Courtney Cox) lover. Joey (Matt LeBlanc) finds success (albeit short-lived) as Dr. Drake Ramoray on "Days of Our Lives" and moves out ("We're not Bert and Ernie," he tells roommate Chandler). Future Emmy winner Lisa Kudrow's best season is to come, but, as Phoebe, she makes the most of some memorable subplots, including her shocked discovery of sad movie endings she had been shielded from ("The One Where Old Yeller Dies"), her dispute with Ross over evolution ("The One Where Heckles Dies"), and her channeling of an elderly woman who died on her massage table ("The One with the Lesbian Wedding"). Praise is due unsung hero Lauren Tom, so charming and sweet in the thankless role as Julie, the Girl Who Comes Between Ross and Rachel. Adam Goldberg also makes an indelible impression in his three-episode stint as Chandler's new "psycho" roommate. Notable omissions from this set include chapter stops for each episode, and uh, ahem, hel-LOH, how about commentary from the cast? --Donald Liebenson

Product Description
In addition to scoring one of the biggest surprise hits in television history, NBC generated a veritable pop culture phenomenon with its twentysomething sitcom smash FRIENDS. Set in New York City, the series chronicled the lives of six best friends as they navigated through the ups and downs of romance and career from the confines of their local coffee shop and some pretty fabulous Manhattan apartments. While the series originally rode to success on the coattails of its Thursday night predecessor SEINFELD, what differentiated FRIENDS from the rash of copycat sitcoms that followed--and made it a bona fide hit in its own right--was the unique chemistry of its fine ensemble cast: Courtney Cox as neurotic clean freak Monica; David Schwimmer as her endearingly hangdog brother Ross; Matt LeBlanc as none-too-bright actor-wannabe Joey Tribbiani; Matthew Perry as sarcastic computer programmer Chandler Bing; Lisa Kudrow as goofy new-age free spirit Phoebe Buffay; and, of course, Jennifer Aniston as reformed spoiled rich girl Rachel Green (whose highly influential fashion sense launched a thousand hairstyles). This collection includes every episode from the popular series' second season, which featured guest appearances by Elliott Gould, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chris Isaak, Julia Roberts, and Brooke Shields, whose performance secured her a sitcom of her own, SUDDENLY SUSAN.