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…
