Friends, one of the most popular TV shows of the of all time, is returning for a one-off, unscripted special on the newly-announced HBO Max streaming service. All original cast members — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer — will appear on the reunion, which will take place on the original Friends soundstage, Stage24.
HBO Max launches in May but there is no concrete date for the reunion special, which reportedly pays each of the cast members $2.5 million. HBO Max has secured the rights to the entire Friends back catalogue.
Rumors of a reunion have been swirling since Jennifer Aniston posted a picture of all of the former cast members in October of last year. It’s worth noting, however, the reunion will not be a special episode or reboot of the show, rather an hour-long, unscripted reunion special. More details are set to follow.
“Guess you could call this the one where they all got back together - we are reuniting with David, Jennifer, Courteney, Matt, Lisa and Matthew for an HBO Max special that will be programmed alongside the entire Friends Library,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer for the channel.
Friends ran from 1994 to 2004, with the final episode being watched by 52.5 million people, making it the single most-watched episode of the ’00s. It was also Netflix’s most popular show in 2018.
Fans of the show were unsurprisingly excited at the news. Check out some of the best reactions below.
