[ad_1]
The long-awaited Friends Reunion finally made its debut on Thursday, with the sitcom’s cast heading back to the iconic set to reminsce on the show’s history, 17 years since its conclusion.
Friends is arguably one of most successful sitcoms of all time, running for 10 beloved seasons and 235 episodes from 1994 to 2004, which has left fans clamoring for a reunion, and that day is finally here.
The six iconic stars – Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer – reunited on the Warner Bros. studio lot, where the original show was filmed, for a night full of laughs, tears and everything in between.
They’re back: 17 years after its memorable series finale – ‘The Last One’ – everyone’s favorite Friends are finally back together in the Friends Reunion Special
Laughs and tears: The six iconic stars – Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer – reunited on the Warner Bros. studio lot, where the original show was filmed, for a night chocked full of laughs, tears and everything in between
The special was filmed over a three-day period on the Warner Bros. lot, using the iconic fountain from the show as a backdrop for the cast’s main discussion, hosted by James Corden.
The Late Late Show host – whose choice was quite controversial among fans – delved into the making of the show in a lively discussion, and reflected on the moment each actor landed their iconic part.
The special kicked off with all six actors heading back to the sitcom’s legendary set, and Jennifer struggled to hold back her tears as she embraced Courteney, clearly overwhelmed at returning to the series almost two decades since its conclusion.
Controversial: The Late Late Show host – whose choice was quite controversial among fans – delved into the making of the show in a lively discussion
Corden also brought over Ben Winston, who serves as showrunner on The Late Late Show, to serve as the director and producer of the reunion special.
Though the Q&A did garner some criticism for failing to delve too deeply into topics that most Friends super-fans weren’t already familiar with.
The discussion delved into familiar territory, asking about each cast member’s auditions and other tales from early in development.
Aniston revealing a producer on a show she was on while auditioning for Friends, incorrectly told her, ‘That show won’t make you a star.’
She also shared the bombshell that she and David did have a sneaky off-screen crush on the series, while viewers were gripped by Ross and Rachel’s will-they won’t-they romance.
As James asked: ‘ It’s impossible not to realise and see that you’re all young, hot, good looking successful actors, that it’s inconceivable to me that there weren’t perhaps off-screen romances.’
A coughing Jennifer said: ‘Well.. I mean, David?’ before David added: ‘The first season, I had a major crush on Jen.’
Of his feelings for Jennifer, David added: ‘At some point we were both crushing hard on each other but it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship. So, and we never crossed that boundary, you know we respected that.’
But Matt didnt seem so convinced, declaring: ‘B*****t!’
The actress also reminisced on the iconic moment Ross and Rachel shared their first kiss in Central Perk, after he finally learned his hidden feelings were reciprocated.
She told James: ‘I remember saying one time to David, ”it’s gonna be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television”.
‘Sure enough, first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. So we just channelled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.’
Series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman also regaled fans with tales from casting, and how the idea for the show was first formed.
Discussion: The discussion delved into familiar territory, asking about each cast member’s auditions and other tales from early in development
No star: Aniston revealing a producer on a show she was on while auditioning for Friends, incorrectly told her, ‘That show won’t make you a star’
Still, for the more casual fan, the Friends Reunion Special may be more enlightening than for the die-hard fan, but there is still nostalgia aplenty.
The cast visited the original soundstage – Stage 24 – where Friends was filmed, where it took over three weeks to re-construct the iconic set.
‘Where’s the tissue box?’ Aniston asks while visiting the living room set, while LeBlanc wonders if Cox’s lines are still written on the kitchen table.
Lines: ‘Where’s the tissue box?’ Aniston asks while visiting the living room set, while LeBlanc wonders if Cox’s lines are still written on the kitchen table
Table read: The nostalgia continued with the cast doing sporadic ‘table reads’ on the set, with the stars re-creating some of the show’s most beloved moments
The nostalgia continued with the cast doing sporadic ‘table reads’ on the set, with the stars re-creating some of the show’s most beloved moments.
Among these moments are Monica getting stung by a jellyfish and Phoebe seeing Monica and Chandler kissing, along with the monumental first kiss between Ross and Rachel.
The cast even quiz each other on their Friends lore with a recreation of the legendary trivia game right in the living room set, which famously saw Rachel and Monica lose their beloved apartment to Chandler and Joey.
Blast from the past: The cast even quiz each other on their Friends lore with a recreation of the legendary trivia game right in the living room set, which famously saw Rachel and Monica lose their beloved apartment to Chandler and Joey
Most fans were expecting some of the show’s most iconic guest stars to return – and many of them do – but some of the biggest surprises come from celebrity fans.
When HBO announced the May 27 date for the special, it also released a list of celebrity guests that left many fans scratching their heads.
While some were expected like guest stars Tom Selleck, Reese Witherspoon, Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles, others like David Beckham and Malala Yousafzai were not.
Tom returns: While some were expected like guest stars Tom Selleck, Reese Witherspoon, Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles, others like David Beckham and Malala Yousafzai were not
Malala revealed that if she were to be any Friends character, she would be, ‘totally a Joey,’ with a bit of Phoebe as well, while also revealing her favorite moment is ‘The Routine,’ the iconic dance between Monica and Ross.
Mindy Kaling said one of her favorite parts of the show was Monica and Chandler hiding their relationship during Season 5.
David Beckham also surprised fans by revealing he’s more of a Monica, because he is also a ‘clean freak.’
Joey: Malala revealed that if she were to be any Friends character, she would be, ‘totally a Joey,’ with a bit of Phoebe as well, while also revealing her favorite moment is ‘The Routine,’ the iconic dance between Monica and Ross
Monica: Mindy Kaling said one of her favorite parts of the show was Monica and Chandler hiding their relationship during Season 5
Clean freak: David Beckham also surprised fans by revealing he’s more of a Monica, because he is also a ‘clean freak.
While some fans may hope this long-awaited reunion could lead to a scripted revival series with all of the cast members returning, they all shot that down during the reunion.
What’s clear from the one-hour-and-45-minute special is that these on-screen Friends have a deep and lasting friendship in real life that goes beyond the screen.
While they may never return for a scripted revival series or even another reunion, these Friends have cemented their small screen legacy in more ways than one.
Friends: What’s clear from the one-hour-and-45-minute special is that these on-screen Friends have a deep and lasting friendship in real life that goes beyond the screen
[ad_2]
