The One About “Friends: The Reunion”
17 years after Friends aired its record-breaking series finale, the sextet reunited for a reunion special that premiered Thursday on HBOMax. Here, I delve into how the special came to be, the challenges it faced, and how well it honors the show’s legacy.
Author’s Note: I recently published a five-part series on the legacy of Friends in honor of its silver anniversary. Click here for Part I, in which I delve into the show’s astonishing legacy and the controversies that have been associated with it. Click here for Part II, in which I delve into what the show meant to me personally. Click here for Part III, where I take a deep dive into the classic Thanksgiving episodes. Click here for Part IV, where I rank the 25 best episodes of the show’s run. Click here for Part V, where I discuss the show’s best acting performances.
The Impetus Behind a Friends Reunion
To put it simply, Friends is one of the most popular television series of all time. Although it has become increasingly popular to mock the series and its die-hard fans, no amount of think pieces or social media slander can erase the fact that it remains one of television’s most beloved series even though it premiered over a quarter century ago.
In recent years, the commercial value of Friends has only grown given, particularly due to the fact that it became a critical pawn in the streaming service wars, alongside The Office. Friends and The Office were the most popular series on Netflix and were removed from the streaming service by their owners and used as the flagship properties to launch their fledgling streaming services (Warner Bros. placed Friends on HBOMax and NBC/Universal brought The Office to Peacock).
Given the show’s incessant popularity, it is unsurprising that Warner Bros. continues to try to milk it for cash. In addition to how lucrative the reruns of the series’ 236 episodes are for streaming and syndication, the series continues to generate cash via merchandise, pop-ups, and being the main attraction at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank. (The famed Warner Bros. Studio Tour ends at a replica of the Central Perk where guests can re-enact a famous scene.)
The problem is that Friends co-creators Marta Kaufman and David Crane have remained adamant that the series would never be revived with new episodes or as a feature film. Even as the classic sitcom revival trend raged on with classics like Will & Grace, Roseanne, Murphy Brown, and Mad About You returning to the airwaves, by all accounts the idea of bringing back Friends in a substantive manner was never seriously considered. (Of note, the sitcom revival trend continues to rage on, with revivals of Sex and the City and Frasier recently announced.) Their reasoning, which is discussed on the special, is that they gave all of the characters beautifully happy endings in the series finale and the only way to revive the show would be to unravel those happy endings, which they don’t want to do — and they are pretty sure the fans don’t really want it either despite what they say.
However, even though the cast and crew were not willing to reunite for new episodes or a movie, they were willing to reunite for a special. Sure, the cynic in me wants to point to the reported $2.5-$3.5 million payday each of the six stars received as the main motivating factor, but I honestly believe that the series continues to mean a great deal to them and that they retain great affection for one another. The stars aligned for this reunion to finally occur when HBOMax — desperate to stand apart in the streaming wars — agreed to shell out the big bucks to make it happen once and for all.
The Challenge of a Friends Reunion
The Friends reunion was originally supposed to air much earlier to coincide with the launch of the streaming service. It was rumored in November 2019 and formally announced in February 2020, with plans to film it the following month. However, the onset of COVID-19 pushed the filming back to August 2020 and the persistence of COVID-19 pushed the filming back yet again to April 2021. The buzz only grew for the special as its delay continued to make headlines.
But COVID wasn’t the only challenge to bringing a Friends reunion together. Another challenge was figuring out what form it would take. There are generally two ways that the casts of classic television series reunite. The first is via public appearances. There are countless examples of famous television ensembles reuniting for filmed panel discussions or briefly at a major awards show or other industry event. The second way casts reunite, as mentioned above, is through reviving the series itself in some form or another. But a revival wasn’t under consideration and a panel discussion or brief group appearance couldn’t justify the huge price tag, nor could it come close to satisfying the series’ rabid fans. So the powers that be had to figure out how to create something innovative and satisfying.
A second challenge was figuring out how to strike the right tone. The creative team undoubtedly had to make some very tough decisions about what aspects of the series to delve into during the special. Should they acknowledge the tense salary negotiations or Matthew Perry’s drug addiction, both of which almost derailed the show more than once? Should they address the various controversies the show has faced, including recent allegations of an abusive environment in the writers’ room or criticisms of its depictions of race, sexuality, and gender? Should they acknowledge the wildly divergent careers that the sextet has had since the show rapped, with some rising into the stratosphere (e.g., Jennifer Aniston) and some struggling to find anything close to a hit on the big or small screen (e.g., Matthew Perry)? And if they didn’t address these things (spoiler alert: they didn’t), how could they make the special anything more than a nostalgia trip that would only appeal to hardcore fans?
A combination of all of these issues — the impact of the pandemic, the untested format, and the high likelihood that the creative team would avoid many of the most interesting aspects of the show’s legacy — made me apprehensive about getting too excited about the reunion. Despite this apprehension, I watched it in its entirety the day it premiered … and I was enormously relieved to say that I found it to be generally inspired and an emotional powerhouse.
Recapping and Reviewing Friends: The Reunion
Friends: The Reunion defies most traditional descriptors in terms of its format. It is a fairly ambitious combination of documentary, panel discussion, testimonial, and clip show, with some blooper reels, sketches, and musical numbers sprinkled in. Given how much the special is trying to accomplish, it is perhaps unsurprising that it runs a hefty 104 minutes, the length of an average feature film. (And it hits a full two hours if you watch the extras that HBOMax also has available on demand.)
The special begins elegiacally. It first replays the final scene of the final episode (“The Last One,” which aired on May 6, 2004). Text then appears (in the signature Friends font, of course) to tell you that the cast has only been reunited once up until now. It then shows each cast member, one by one, arriving at the Warner Bros. soundstage that they shot the majority of the show at and wandering nostalgically through the meticulously recreated sets. As they run into one another and affectionally reunite, the camera lingers observantly and unobtrusively allowing the viewer to feel like “a fly on the wall.” It is intimate and feels truly unscripted. It is remarkably powerful for fans of the series and, in fact, the special is never better than when it is in this documentary mode.
The creative team, led by director/producer Ben Winston (most famous for The Late Late Show with James Corden), appears to bank on the idea that the inevitable panel discussion with the cast is going to be the major draw. The panel is staged beautifully as it staged outdoors in front of the iconic fountain that they danced in during the opening credits. There are some truly lovely and funny moments during the panel. Highlights include jaw-dropping cameos (more on that later), impromptu moments like when a bug lands on Lisa Kudrow and she reacts in a spectacularly Phoebe-like manner, and when the cast gets asked thought-provoking questions like “Were [Ross and Rachel] on a break?” and “Where do you imagine your character to be now?” But, these segments suffer a bit from jerky editing, the limitations of the exceedingly traditional format, and moderator James Corden’s aggressive hamminess. (Seriously, after his abysmal turns in Cats and The Prom, what will it take for Hollywood to rein in their over-utilization of Corden?)
The special featured two truly inspired segments that allowed the cast to flex their acting chops a bit more. The first was a clever recreation of the trivia game from “The One with the Embyros,” which is widely heralded as the show’s most beloved episode. (I ranked it #2 on my list of the show’s best episodes, which you can read here). Once again, David Schwimmer moderates and it’s the men versus the women as they delve into obscure Friends trivia. The second was table readings of the scripts from classic episodes. Moments like Ross and Rachel’s first kiss and Phoebe’s discovery of Monica and Chandler’s affair were re-enacted by the cast as the special cleverly interwove the original clips with the present-day table read.
The special did a wonderful job surprising the audience (and often the cast as well) by bringing out famous guest stars from the shows’ run. For me, the most poignant was seeing Elliot Gould and Christina Pickles briefly but emotionally reminisced about their nearly two dozen appearances as Monica and Ross’s parents Jack and Judy Gellar. Tom Selleck (who made 10 appearances on the series as Monica’s boyfriend Dr. Richard Burke) showed up for some hugs and to help out with the trivia game. Oscar-winning film icon Reese Witherspoon reflected on her two-episode guest arc as Rachel’s sister Jill. Larry Hankin appeared in character as the curmudgeonly (and possibly schizophrenic) neighbor Mr. Heckles. Thomas Lennon had a wordless reappearance as Joey’s hand twin from the gang’s trip to Vegas. And, finally, the show’s two most iconic recurring characters showed up. Maggie Wheeler (who made 20 appearances on the series as Chandler’s whiny love interest Janice) emerged with her trademark exclamation of “Oh My Gawd!” and chatted with the cast for a few minutes and James Michael Tyler (who appeared on screen in 151 episodes as the Central Perk waiter with a dogged devotion to Rachel) appeared via Zoom.
As wonderful as these appearances are, it’s impossible not to think about who was noticeably absent. The most obvious ones that came to my mind were Paul Rudd (who made 18 appearances across the show’s final two seasons as Phoebe’s love interest Mike), Jane Sibbett (who played Ross’s ex-wife Carol on 15 episodes), Giovanni Ribisi (who made 10 appearances as Phoebe’s half-brother Frank Jr.), Aisha Tyler (who guest starred on 9 episodes as Ross’s girlfriend Charlie), and Christina Applegate (who scored two Emmy nominations and one win for her appearances as Rachel’s other sister Amy). Were they not invited? Did they decline their invitations? I hate that I want to know so badly.
I have mixed feelings regarding the onslaught of icons and megastars that appeared. On the one hand, it felt a bit like a supremely arrogant flex. They seemed to line up some of the most recognizable and beloved people on the planet like Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzi, soccer legend David Beckham, Game of Thrones heartthrob Kit Harrington, and pop superstars BTS, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber to sing the praises of the series just because they could. It seemed to primarily serve as an ever-present reminder that the show remains a pop culture behemoth. On the other hand, they were all featured very briefly and the special integrated several of them in an organic way. Beckham talked about how the show always served as a comfort to him as he traveled the world. BTS discussed how the show helped them learn to speak English. And, in one of the major highlights of the special, Lady Gaga showed up to duet with Lisa Kudrow on the iconic tune “Smelly Cat” and discuss the cultural impact of the supremely off-kilter character of Phoebe Buffay. (The less said about the fashion show which brought in Justin Bieber, Cindy Crawford, and Cara Delevingne wearing iconic Friends outfits, the better.)
The best interviews tended to be the ones not featuring megastars. Watching the show’s cast and creative team reminisce on how they generated the idea for the show, the long and arduous casting process, and their memories of the final night of filming were informative and engaging. And even though it was spectacularly emotionally manipulative, the fan segment where people all over the world gave testimonials to what the show meant to them was so effectively done that it actually brought me to tears.
In addition to everything listed above, the special contained some never-before-seen bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage as well as some unearthed footage of amusing clips from the cast’s pre-Friends acting days. HBOMax also features a handful of extras, which include a special on how the opening titles came to be and interviews with legendary comedian Bob Newhart, frequent series director Jim Burrows, and K-Pop group BTS (which thankfully spends most of its time showcasing one of the show’s funniest episodes, “The One Where Ross Got High.”)
None of the six cast members did enough in the special to earn their multimillion dollar paychecks (how could they in this format?), but they did deliver. Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing) and Courteney Cox (Monica Geller) were the least prominent and at times seemed uncomfortable with the whole endeavor, but they were charming and each got their share of laughs. David Schwimmer (Ross Geller) brought a surprising edge and passionate intensity to the proceedings, particularly when he ranted about filming scenes with Marcel the monkey and emceed the trivia show. Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani) was full of sarcasm and goofiness and seemed the most comfortable to be back in the saddle. Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay) was razor-sharp and brilliant as always, settling back into the Phoebe persona with technical precision while also coming off authentic and reflective. Perhaps most surprising to me, Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green) came off as remarkably invested in the proceedings. She has had the most commercially successful career of the sextet, by far, and there was a part of me that wondered if she would find returning to the show that made her famous to be regressive, as so many Hollywood stars do. In stark contrast, she appeared to be the most enthusiastic. She appeared to have a sharper memory for the specific episodes than any of her co-stars and her exceedingly deep affection for them was evident on numerous occasions.
Very few new facts were gleaned from the special, which is unsurprising given that countless books and articles have been written about the series already. But there were a few. We learned that Matt LeBlanc dislocated his shoulder doing physical comedy for “The One Where No One’s Ready” and that it disrupted the whole filming schedule. We learned that Matthew Perry had paralyzing anxiety regarding getting big laughs from the audience. And we learned that Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer came very close to becoming a real life “Ross and Rachel” as they flirted their way through the first couple of seasons. But, there were no jaw dropping revelations.
The lack of revelations may be disappointing for die-hard fans, but it was undoubtedly by design. After all, Friends: The Reunion isn’t a documentary or an expose or a bombshell interview. It’s a tribute to the show, its cast, and the fans that made it one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the past century. It’s nearly impossible for something that is striving to be fan service and propelled almost entirely by nostalgia to be artful and inspired, but there are times when the special comes tantalizingly close.
There is a particularly touching moment toward the end of the special when Matt LeBlanc states that he had no idea what to expect when it came to the reunion, but that he found himself deeply and unexpectedly moved being back on the old set and with his co-stars.
I had the exact same experience watching it.
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