A Friends ‘reunion special’ is happening – but it’s not quite what you think
By Jennifer McShane
22nd Feb 2020
22nd Feb 2020
It looks like ‘The One With The Reunion’ is officially on, but it won’t be as you remember it
Friends fans rejoice, HBO has confirmed that the cast of Friends will reunite for a special on the streaming platform HBO Max, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The reunion is set to premiere in May, HBO says.
What’s important to note here is that it will be an ‘unscripted reunion special’ so, anything goes. It isn’t quite what some fans were hoping for, but at least it will feature stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, as well as series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman.
The Friends reunion special will be filmed on Stage 24 of the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, where the entire series was filmed.
Kevin Reilly, chief content officer at HBO Max, told The Hollywood Reporter he was thrilled to have seen the show “catch on with viewers generation after generation. It taps into an era when friends – and audiences – gathered together in real-time and we think this reunion special will capture that spirit, uniting original and new fans.”
Related: How Jennifer Aniston broke Instagram with one ‘Friends’ post
The rumours are timely considering Friends is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Fans have wanted it for decades and being fair, no one from the series has ever directly dismissed the idea, perhaps now the timing is just right. It’s the latest thread in a series of non-too subtly focused nods to something bigger than just a two-and-a-half decade milestone.
The show has taken on a second life since airing on Netflix. Once HBO Max debuts, the show will see its streaming rights head over there (at least in the US).
Recently, Jennifer Aniston – while receiving an Icon Award at the People’s Choice Awards – called her time on the show the “gift of a lifetime”, she joined Instagram and has been busy – she returned to television with the premiere of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. The drama marks her first TV series regular role since she wrapped Friends.
Related: Why Phoebe Buffay is the best character in ‘Friends’
And the cast has all confirmed the news on social media, sharing the same tile, and sealing the deal:
View this post on Instagram
Main photograph: @PopCrave
Related: ‘I’ll be there for you’: Study finds friends as important as exercise for your overall health
Related: ‘When a female friendship ends, it doesn’t have to be viewed as a failure’
Related: 4 brilliant Netflix shows about female friendship worth watching again
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