Ruhi Gilder
We know they know we know that this is going to be an epic reunion. The cast of hit 90s TV show, Friends, is reuniting for an unscripted special on HBO Max. After being on a break since the last episode aired in May 2004, the entire main cast consisting of Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer will be back on our screens.
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Just yesterday, on May 13, HBO Max announced the release date of the show – May 27. The announcement was accompanied by a teaser revealing the name of the episode “The One Where They Get Back Together”. Could we BE any more excited? Turns out, we can because “OH MY GOD!”, the official Friends trailer was released by HBO Max. It shows the cast recreating an iconic scene from ‘The One With The Embryos’ (S4E12), also known as the episode where Rachel and Monica lost the apartment. Take a look at the super-emotional rollercoaster of things to come!
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The special is being produced by Friends’ creators Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman, David Crane, the show’s main cast, and Ben Winston (director of the special). The cast shot on the original Friends soundstage, Stage 24, in the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California, which was renamed “The Friends Stage” after the series finale. While the actors are set to be in the special, don’t expect Ross and Rachel to make an appearance. The cast will reportedly be participating in a talk-show-style conversation reminiscing the memories of filming the show that launched their careers. HBO Max explained in a statement, “Lastly, in order to avoid any misunderstanding about what this special is, we want to make it very clear that this is not a new, original episode of the series. The cast will be appearing as themselves, not as their beloved characters.”
In an interview with Graham Norton in April 2021, actor David Schwimmer also mentions, “I’ll be David. Nothing is scripted, and we are not in character.” He added, “We are all ourselves, although there is one section of it that I don’t want to give away but we all read something.” Only 13 more days till we find out!
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica and Chandler negotiated their fees together and will be paid between $2.5 million and $3 million each for the reunion special. The friends allegedly got $1 million per episode in the last two seasons of the show.
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The iconic show is known for its multiple celebrity guest cameos over the course of its 10 seasons. Brad Pitt, then husband to Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Bruce Willis, Danny DeVito, Denise Richards, Winona Ryder, Ben Stiller, and even Pretty Woman Julia Roberts had appeared on the show. The reunion is no exception, and the cast is joined by some old Friends and some new. Former cast members, Elliott Gould (Ross and Monica’s father), Christina Pickles (Ross and Monica’s mother), Tom Selleck aka Richard, Maggie Wheeler (Janice), Reese Witherspoon (Rachel’s sister), Larry Hankin (Mr. Heckles), James Michael Tyler (Gunther). New faces in the show are David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, GOT’s Kit Harington, Mindy Kaling, and Malala Yousafzai.
For a little sneak peek at the sets, check out the series’ original production designer, Greg Grande’s Instagram. The classic purple and yellow door, turquoise cabinets, and slanted windows are back!
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On April 11, TMZ also reported the reunion will include shots from the iconic fountain in the Friends opening credits.
The special episode was first announced in February 2020, and scheduled to launch the HBO Max streaming service in May last year. However, the episode could not be filmed because of pandemic-related delays. In a phone interview with Deadline, Aniston said about the delays, “It’s going to be super. You know what? This has also given us more time to make it even more exciting and more fun than it would have been. So I choose to see it as the glass is half-full that it got postponed. Look, we’re not going anywhere. You’re never going to get rid of Friends, sorry. You’re suck with us for life guys.”
In dedication to the cult show, Lego has created a Friends-themed lego set, complete with the apartments and all six characters, carved in exquisite detail.
The special is set to air on HBO Max on May 27, and Indians can stream it exclusively on OTT platform, Zee 5.
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