A ‘Friends’ Reunion Is Reportedly In Development For HBO Max, But There’s A Catch

From continuations like Veronica Mars and Fuller House to oddball meta-narratives like BH90210, television reunions are (still) all the rage in our neverending “Peak TV” era. Even so, one of the most popular sitcoms of the past few decades — NBC’s Friends — has managed to avoid the likely popular temptation to join the bandwagon. Many other series of similar repute have thankfully done the same, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, it seems the gang may have finally succumbed to their urge to get back together. Kind of.

Per the report, the cast and creators of Friends are in talks for an “unscripted reunion special” that, if it actually happens, would stream exclusively on WarnerMedia’s forthcoming HBO Max streaming service:

Talks are currently underway for an unscripted reunion special that would feature Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Matthew Perry (Chandler) and David Schwimmer (Ross) as well as series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman. Sources caution that a deal is far from done and agreements with cast and creatives still need to be hammered out. When and if deals are completed, the challenge then becomes sorting out everyone’s schedules. Of course, the talks could fizzle and the whole concept could fall apart.

So, should Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey actually decide to get back together for what sounds more like a weird prime-time television special than anything else, nothing will happen for at least the next year or two. Plus, it won’t even happen on broadcast or cable television, but on (and only on) HBO Max.

Friends has been celebrating its 25th anniversary in numerous ways. So, too, has the cast. Especially Jennifer Aniston, who seemingly loves to tease fans constantly about the prospect of a potential reunion. At least Matthew Perry hasn’t been doing that.