It’s almost time to catch up with some old friends.
HBO Max will debut Friends: The Reunion special on Thursday, May 27, the one-year anniversary of HBO Max’s launch.
Series stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer return to the iconic comedy’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show.
The project is set to feature special guests including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, 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.
Ben Winston directed the special and executive produced along with Friends executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane.
The special comes from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, Fulwell 73 Productions, and Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions.
Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer executive produced the special.
While the project was initially set to air a year ago, the pandemic changed things considerably, meaning that it was thrown into question.
“Guess you could call this ‘The One Where They All Got Back Together,’” Kevin Reilly, CCO of HBO Max (and president of TBS, TNT, and truTV), said in a statement when the special was first announced.
“I became aware of Friends when it was in the very early stages of development and then had the opportunity to work on the series many years later and have delighted in seeing it catch on with viewers generation after generation.”
“It taps into an era when friends — and audiences — gathered together in real time, and we think this reunion special will capture that spirit, uniting original and new fans.”
While little is actually known about what fans can expect, everyone close to the production has been adamant about this not being scripted, so don’t expect any new scenes.
This will be the cast reuniting to shoot a retrospective special, and get this:
It is the first time the full cast has been filmed together since Friends concluded in 2004.
How cool is that?
Friends lasted 10 seasons from 1994-2004 and remains one of the biggest shows in the world.
Have a look at the full clip below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.