The moment that Friends went off the air in 2004, fans of the iconic sitcom desperately hoped for a spinoff, reboot or even a reunion.
17 years later, the show’s cult fanbase got what they wished for, as HBO Max debuted Friends: The Reunion on Thursday (May 27).
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, the cast returned to the iconic comedy’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show.
The special featured a variety of celebrity guests and former guest stars including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai, but fans were quick to realize that both Paul Rudd, who played Phoebe’s husband Mike, and Cole Sprouse, who played Ross’ son Ben weren’t involved in the 1 hour and 45 minute event.
Director Ben Winston weighed in on the situation, explaining to TheWrap that there were just too many stars to fit in with so little time.
“Well, we couldn’t have everybody on, because it’s only an hour and 45 minutes. And you’ve got to pay attention-the main nub of the show has got to be about the six cast members,” Winston shares. “So, you can’t have too many cameos because of course, there were hundreds of amazing people who were in Friends over the years. Sadly, we couldn’t get everybody in.”
Not only was there limited timing for the reunion, but the pandemic has made traveling and filming difficult. “It’s a complicated time to be making television now because, you know, some people couldn’t fly internationally, some people were on other TV or film shoots, some people are in bubbles on stuff. There was also no flexibility, as it was being filmed in one night that those six were available. The timing of it was incredibly difficult,” adds Winston.
View this post on Instagram
Friends remains one of television’s most beloved series. One of the highest-rated shows on television in its original network run, the series still remains a perennial go-to in syndication and on streaming services, where it continues to be a smash hit worldwide. A favorite among critics and fans alike throughout its 10-season run, “Friends” not only won the Emmy® for Outstanding Comedy series, but also garnered Emmy® Awards for series stars Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow.
From Warner Bros. Television, Friends follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston).
Friends: The Reunion is now streaming on HBO Max.
