‘Friends’ Reunion Special Won’t Be Part of HBO Max’s May Launch
They’ll still be there for you.. just later than originally planned. This week, HBO Max revealed it will move forward with its May launch despite ongoing delays with some original content, including the highly-anticipated Friends reunion.
While the exact day in May has yet to be determined, ongoing social distancing prevents the HBO Max special from coming together as planned. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry — wanted to gather at the show’s original Stage 24 at the Warner Bros. lot for the reunion, dashing any hopes for a virtual special.
Originally slated to film in past March, the reunion was set to include the cast as well as series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, but not long before filming was set to occur, the special was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
(Credit: ©Warner Brothers / Courtesy: Everett Collection)
“We want to share some background information about the production dates for the upcoming unscripted Friends reunion special for HBO Max. As previously reported, production is delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that the special will not be available on the streamer on Day 1 of launch. But it is coming!” a statement read at the time.
Though we won’t get the reunion just yet, Friends‘ entire library of episodes will be available to stream when HBO Max launches, giving fans plenty to enjoy until that promised program eventually arrives. Until then, hang in there! Your Friends will be back as soon as they can.
