Fans have been begging for a Friends reunion for what feels like forever, and for the past few months it’s seemed like that might actually be a possibility. The cast seemed game for a one-off special to honor the legendary sitcom and HBO Max was keen to capitalize on the nostalgia factor but up until now, nothing was confirmed. Well, we can all breathe a sigh of relief because now it’s official: the Friends reunion is happening!
- All six stars are coming back. That’s right, the Friends reunion will include Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, just like the old days. Frankly, there’s no way they could have (or should have) gotten back together without everyone being there, so this is a major relief.
- It’s not really going to be a new Friends episode. While I think many fans hoped the reunion would come in the form of a scripted 30-minute episode like the original show, that’s not what’s happening here. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this will be an unscripted show that will include creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane. In other words, it’s more likely to be a roundtable discussion of the stars talking about the show rather than them playing their old characters, which is kind of a bummer.
- They’re getting paid a ton of money for this. The stars of Friends basically never need to work again given that they continue to rake in millions of dollars every year from syndication royalties. They definitely didn’t need to do this reunion, which speaks for how much they really love the show and care about its legacy. That being said, I’m sure the fact that each actor is reportedly receiving between $2.5 million and $3 million for the special didn’t hurt!
- The special will appear on HBO Max. It’s expected to hit the channel’s new subscription service after its launch in May, along with all 10 seasons of the original run of Friends, which are always worth rewatching for the 900th time (not that you don’t already do that when it’s on TV… and it’s ALWAYS on TV). I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!
