HBO Max has announced that Friends: The Reunion will debut on Thursday, May 27. The special takes place at the iconic comedy's original soundstage, Stage 24, and will feature Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer. The unscripted celebration of one of television's most beloved sitcoms will also welcome a variety of guests including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon, and Malala Yousafzai.
In addition to revealing the premiere date of the special, HBO Max also shared an official teaser trailer for the anticipated event.
Originally, Friends: The Reunion was scheduled to premiere in May 2020, as a way of celebrating the launch of HBO Max. Woefully, the coronavirus pandemic happened, which forced production to be delayed until much further down the line. The reunion will be the first time all six Friends cast members have been together on screen since the show wrapped in 2004.
“Guess you could call this ‘The One Where They All Got Back Together,'” Kevin Reilly, CCO of HBO Max (and president of TBS, TNT, and truTV), said in a statement when the reunion was first announced. “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.”
Ben Winston directed the special and executive produced along with “Friends” executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. The special hails from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, Fulwell 73 Productions, and Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions. Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer executive produced the special. Emma Conway, James Longman, and Stacey Thomas-Muir co-executive produced.