Ever since it debuted in 1994, Friends has always been there for you, and fans were there for it, too. But those 10 seasons and 230+ episodes are all they’re going to get, as the chance of any more Friends reunions ended with the 2023 death of Matthew Perry.
Jennifer Aniston – who played Rachel Green – recently told Harper’s that the 2021 reunion (which actually earned four Primetime Emmy Award nominations) was the last true time the gang was ever going to get back together. With Perry’s untimely death, she said of Friends’ future, “It would be literally, physically impossible.” And we all know that’s for the best. That said, there’s a comfort for many to keep going back and revisiting their favorite episodes (heck, I still watch some of the Christmas episodes around the holiday season). “People will say that they go back and watch episodes to help their mental health – that if they’re stressed about the news or the world, they’ll just sit down and watch a Friends episode. And that’s the ultimate compliment.”
Speaking about Perry himself and everything she saw him go through while making Friends for a decade, Aniston added, “It’s heartbreaking that he had so many demons,” says Aniston quietly. “But boy, for someone who had that much inner turmoil, he sure got to laugh a lot, and that was everything to him.”
Despite Chandler Bing being a Friends favorite from his first wisecrack, it took until 2002 for Matthew Perry to earn his first and only Primetime Emmy Award, landing a spot in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category. Previously, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Aniston had been recognized; Matt LeBlanc would also earn his first nod that year, directly competing with Perry. Controversially to fans, Courtney Cox would never get the chance to clean up at the Emmys herself, failing to secure a nod.
Do you think the remaining cast of Friends should ever reunite even as a tribute to Matthew Perry? What is your all-time favorite episode that you find yourself revisiting? Let us know in the comments section below.
