Forget about all the fear, drama, rage and heartbreak going on in the world: the moment you have been waiting for since May 2004 is finally here. Pinch yourself—hard—because Warner Bros. recently announced that Friends is making a comeback, reuniting for an exclusive untitled, unscripted special on HBO Max.
According to a release on Friday, WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer offering will air sometime in May 2020, along with all 236 episodes of the Emmy®-Winning Series, available to Subscribers at the Launch of HBO Max.
Did you hear that? Better start theorizing now, folks, because we are less than two months away from one of the most anticipated get-togethers of all time.
“Guess you could call this the one where they all got back together,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max and president, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
“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.”
Whispers of a possible reunion began recirculating last fall, following Jennifer Aniston’s record-breaking debut on Instagram, where she posted a selfie of herself laughing it up with Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
“And now we’re Instagram FRIENDS too,” she wrote. “HI INSTAGRAM 👋🏻”
Though cast members and network execs initially denied rumors, wishful thinkers lost their minds last week when Aniston posted a follow-up message, letting them know that news of a Friends reunion was real.
“It’s happening.”
The post, which has already earned over ten million likes and 300k+ comments on Aniston’s page alone, was all part of an elaborate social media campaign—a simultaneous plug between friends—to promote the upcoming show. And smitten fans, including A-list celebs like Michelle Pfeiffer, Sophie Turner and Reese Witherspoon, who played Aniston’s baby sister on the show, are coming out of the woodwork to commemorate the moment with applause, high fives and thoughtful comments.
The clock is ticking, so stock your fridge and pop that corn because Friends will be airing on TBS and live streaming on the TBS app, weekdays from 10:00am – 4:00pm, for the next four weeks.
Also, the network announced that it has curated “an experience” for fans, offering the best of the series on their digital platforms to help make tailgating the reunion even more enjoyable.