The one where they reunite: 5 things you need to know about the Friends special

Yes, they will be there for you!

As the countdown begins until we see Friends stars Chandler, Monica, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe on our screens again for their long-awaited reunion special, here’s everything we know so far.

HBOMax

It is set to air exclusively on HBOMax, the new streaming platform from HBO. The special is set to debut in May.

Filming wrapped on 10 April with an announcement on the official Friends Instagram account: “That’s a wrap! Could we BE anymore excited?! Friends: The Reunion is coming to @hbomax.”

Original cast

In 2016 cast members Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, and talk-show host/producer, Andy Cohen, appeared during an all-star tribute to TV director James Burrows, who worked on many iconic sitcoms. (PHOTO: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

It features the entire original cast – Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matthew Perry (Chandler), David Schwimmer (Ross) and Matt LeBlanc (Joey). This will be the first time the entire cast has reunited on screen since the show wrapped in 2004. “Guess you could call this The One Where They Get Back Together,” HBO Max’s chief content officer Kevin Riley said in a statement in February.

Old set

Filming took place on the original Friends set – Stage 24 of the Warner Bros Studio lot in Burbank, Los Angeles – where the sitcom was filmed from 1994 to 2004.

No reboot

Friends remains one of the most popular sitcom of all times. It’s been nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy Awards (and won four), 10 Golden Globes (it won one), 14 Screen Actors Guild Awards (it won two) and 11 People’s Choice Awards (it won 11).

An official reboot remains a dream for fans. “It’s not going to beat what we did,” says original co-producer, Marta Kauffman. 

Unscripted

The reunion show will be a largely unscripted affair, with only a small portion scripted. 

Matt last year told talk-show host Kelly Clarkson there’ll be a lot of reminiscing. “It’s more like the six of us together talking about the good old days. We got the band back together without the instruments.”

“I’ll be myself. I’ll be David,” Schwimmer told UK talk-show host Graham Norton earlier this month. “Nothing is scripted, we’re not in character. We’re all ourselves, the real people, although there is one section of it that I don’t want to give away, but we all read something.”

Sources: usmagazine.com, elle.com