Finally, some good news in the world that has been otherwise ravaged by the Coronavirus pandemic, the much-awaited Friends Reunion Special is on its ways. Fans of the sitcom who have been waiting for a reunion episode ever since the show came to an end in 2004 will be able to see their beloved characters together once again.
A teaser of the long-awaited special called The One Where They Get Back Together was dropped on May 13. The teaser featured an acoustic version of the iconic theme song ‘’I’ll be there for you”, with the legendary show's six main lead, walking away from the camera holding each other's back.
With less than a month to go for the special episode on HBO Max, Here’s everything we know so far.
The One Where They Get Back Together to drop on May 27
The reunion special was originally planned to be released in May 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the filming of the episode never took off and it had to be postponed.
However, after all the hurdles, the filming of the episode was done over three days and the reunion special episode will release on May 27 on WarnerMedia’s streaming service HBO Max. There is no word on its availability in markets that do not have HBO Max outside of the US. HBO Max is only available in the US and Puerto Rico.
While Ben Winston is directing the special episode, it is being produced by Kevin S Bright, Marta Kauffman, David Crane, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Ben Winston.
According to the media reports, the special episode will feature a small scripted element and the, for the most part, the episode will be unscripted and all the cast members will play themselves instead of replicating their characters.
Earlier in an interview with Graham Norton on April 2, David Schwimmer who played Ross on the screen had confirmed that the cast will appear as themselves in the special episode.
“I will be myself. I will be David. There’s nothing scripted; We are not in character. We are all ourselves, the real people, although there is one section of it that I don’t want to give away, we all read something,” David said.
The Reunion special to feature a number of guest stars
All six original cast members - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer – will feature in the special episode. But there is a twist in the tale. Friends Instagram account has confirmed that an array of guest stars will be joining the reunion episode.
This includes David Beckham, Justin Bieber, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, BTS, 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. Co-creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman will also appear on the episode.
A sneak peak into the pictures of the set
Greg Grande, who is also, the original production designer, had shared a few pictures on her Instagram account that she is recreating for the special reunion episode.
The reunion will also include iconic props and set pieces along with some behind-the-scenes footage. Earlier, TMC had reported that the reunion episode will also feature the shots of the iconic fountain in the friends opening credits.
The special will also mark the first time the cast officially reunite on screen after 17 years since the sitcom aired its last episode back in 2004. The series first debuted on NBC back in September 1994.
Where to watch
In India, you can watch the reunion of this iconic sitcom at 12pm on May 27 on Zee5 app. We'll be there before time.
Wathc this space for live updates of the episode!
