Oh. My. God.
When HBO Max was gearing up for its debut in the spring of 2020, the plan was to anchor it with a mega Friends reunion. One of the most popular sitcoms of all time (and a streaming favorite), Friends is already a huge draw for the streaming site; having a reunion special would have certainly made a splash. Unfortunately, the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 upended those plans, putting the reunion special on infinite hold until it was safe to film in front of a live studio audience again. A year on, that time has finally come, and HBO Max's 2021 Friends reunion is on its way.
The official title of the special is Friends: The Reunion. Not too much is known about the reunion, but HBO Max did reveal the special will feature more than just the six cast members wandering up and down memory lane — there will be a whole lot of (A-list) guest stars there too. But the specifics of what they talk about will likely have to wait for the special's premiere at the end of May 2021.
Friends: The Reunion is also a good reminder to those who haven't watched the series since it exited Netflix that all 10 seasons are currently streaming on HBO Max.
Let's run down everything we know about the special so far:
The official teaser for Friends: The Reunion arrived on May 13, 2021. The teaser showed the cast heading toward the series' original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California. All 10 seasons of the show were taped there, so this emphasizes what a big homecoming this is for everyone.
On May 19, HBO Max released a full-length trailer showing the six stars recreating their infamous trivia quiz game and getting sentimental about their time on the show. Warning: If you’re a superfan, you will get chills.
All six of the original Friends cast confirmed they will return for the special. That includes Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer as Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross, respectively.
But Friends: The Reunion won't just be the six prominent cast members sitting around remembering the good times. Since this is such a big deal, there will be guest stars! And not just celebrities who appeared on the show, but also friends of the Friends cast and fans of the Friends cast.
The roster is huge, and includes 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.
HBO Max will release Friends: The Reunion on Thursday, May 27, 2021, to mark the one-year anniversary of the streaming service's debut.
