Friends Cast Will Return for Unscripted HBO Max Special After a very long time in development, the cast of Friends has finally reached a deal to return for a special on Warner Bros.' upcoming HBO Max streaming platform. According to Variety, stars Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox will receive more than $2.5 million each for the unscripted special. The cast will return to Stage 24 in Burbank, California, where the original series was filmed. It should be intersting to see how far they've come.
It sounds like they're getting a lot of money to just sit in a room and talk about that one job they had together. I presume it will be moderated by someone like Yvette Nicole Brown or something.
I think everyone would be more interested if it was a Friends reunion where they play their characters, not just actors sitting around talking about their lives. Simple plot I came up with in 2 seconds is something like Guenter has died and he put Rachel (since he always had the hots for her) in the will for Central Perk. All six friends meet there for his funeral. Maybe since Joey moved to Hollywood and Chandler/Monica went to the suburbs, they've haven't seen Phoebe in years & they rarely see Joey, who had become a famous actor.
Friends: Why Generation Z LOVES the ’90s Sitcom With the show celebrating its 26th birthday this year, older fans may be confused about why a generation of people who weren't even born at the time of the original run are as in love with the show as those who watched when it was broadcast from 1994 to 2004. The show's continuing relatability is a key reason it remains so popular. In a world of unattainable beauty standards on TV and social media, the Friends cast is very approachable, with all the characters literally being the guy or girl-next-door. The types of people exemplified by this group of friends are not outlandish or too perfect. They are undeniably flawed but we love them anyway, just like our real friends. Not only that, no matter what generation the viewer is a part of, chances are they can see themselves in one or more of the characters. Whether you're charming like Joey, funny like Chandler, intellectual like Ross, neurotic like Monica, quirky like Phoebe or confident like Rachel, there is a "friend" in everyone -- and sometimes two or three. As Friends co-creator Marta Kaufman said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2019, "the show is about a time in your life when your friends are your family." Every person, regardless of age or generation, can understand to this sentiment at one time or another. When you're young and life is just starting to throw its curveballs, it's a commonly shared dream that our support system could always just be waiting at the local coffee shop to deal out laughter and advice whenever we need it. In Friends, the gang's trials, tribulations and moments of joy are all shared with viewers who have gone through (or are going through) similar challenges in their own lives. By focusing on the support system of the friends, the show is eternally aspirational to its younger viewers who hope to have the same kinds of friendships in their lives as they grapple with similar problems. Regardless of when they grow up, almost all young people across the globe have to deal with bad jobs, questionable relationship choices and finding themselves. The aspirational quality of Friends extends to its seemingly utopian setting where everyone can afford to live in huge (by New York standards) apartments while working low-paying jobs and never get fired from those jobs despite spending most of their time at Central Perk. The friends never worry about real-life adult issues such as bills and debt, which contributes to an appealing degree of lighthearted escapism where, for the next 23 minutes, the biggest problem is helping Rachel locate Ross's lost monkey. The iconic status of Friends can also be attributed to the show's nostalgic time period. Friends takes us back to a time before mobile phones, Instagram and dating apps took over the lives of modern 20-somethings, where leaving voicemails and going on bad blind dates was a huge source of relationship drama and stories to talk about over a cup of coffee. Even though Gen Z-ers may never be unable to reach anyone whenever and wherever, watching Friends' pre-mobile phone world is a therapeutic demonstration of life without constant contact with the online world. Whether it's your favorite show or not, there’s no question Friends has attracted viewers from numerous generations with easily distinguished characters and by fueling dreams of an ideal young life filled with meaningful relationships. This perpetual classic proves that being funny and relatable never gets old.
Even if I didn't hate this show, I would think it's a bad idea. Gen Z'ers may have discovered and like the series, but they're going to come face to face with their own depressing mortality when they see what the actors look like now.
One of my favourite jokes is the opening of an episode during the time Joey is working at Central Perk. Everyone is sat there drinking coffee and Chandler mentions how much his boss hates him. Then slowly everyone else mentions how much their boss hates them and they decide it must be a universal boss thing to hate their employees. Then Joey says "Or maybe it's because you're all sat in here drinking coffee at 10:30 on a Tuesday morning." And everyone looks at each other, drops their cups and rush out the door. Man, I loved Friends. Watched it all through again a year or so ago on netflix, still as funny today as it was when it first aired.
It's a great show that still holds up today, which is rare these days I think. They have done a reunion before though, without Matt Perry who was busy doing a play at the time.
While them together talking is fun, I do wish there was a reunion movie to catch up with where the characters are now.
