How Many Episodes Will the ‘Friends’ Reunion Be?

Friends fans have been waiting for a reboot since Rachel got off the plane back in 2004 — over fifteen years later, the show continues to attract new audiences with its intriguing yet straightforward foundation. The show features three young men and three young women — all living in New York City, all best friends, and all with personalities that perfectly complement one another. 

Now, it looks like fans of the show — those who were around when the show aired, as well as those who hopped onto the bandwagon a decade or so later — will finally receive their wish. Friends will come back with new material when HBO Max releases the entire sitcom as part of the streaming platform’s launch. 

The original six actors — David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry — will all return for $2.5 million each ($1.5 million more than they were making per episode after their famous final negotiation). So, what do we know so far about the show? Will the original cast members return for a little miniseries, or is this a one and done situation? 

The ‘Friends’ reunion will be an hour-long, one-episode special

Friends will receive a reunion episode that will be exclusively available on Warner Bros’ streaming service, HBO Max. It goes without saying that — at $14.99 a month (a price that’s a bit heftier than its top competitors in the streaming space), Warner Bros. needed something to get people on board with HBO Max. And, it looks like they may have found the winning formula needed to attract viewers: two Gellers, a Bing, Green, Buffay, and a Tribiani. 

The special will run for one hour, and it is slated to be an unscripted program. Meaning, the actors will be working off the cuff; unless that is, plans change between now and May. And, those behind the production decide to go for an actual script — releasing a narrative designed to capture where the Friends would be over a decade later in life. 

Chief Content Officer Kevin Reilly talks ‘Friends’ reunion

Monica and Chandler now have teenagers — will they appear in the show? Rachel and Ross should be married at this point, and did Joey get a new gig? Did he make it the big leagues, or is he still vying for Soaps? 

Speaking about the reunion special, Cheif Content Officer Kevin Reilly stated: 

Guess you could call this the one where they all got back together — we are reuniting with David, Jennifer, Courteney, Matt, Lisa, and Matthew for an HBO Max special that will be programmed alongside the entire Friends library…

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.

Entertainment Weekly 

Here’s to hoping that the reunion special lives up to expectations, as going on unscripted for an hour can present a challenge. However, maybe, if it’s a flop, those behind the production can blame the lack of a script, and everyone can move on with their lives and careers unscathed! However, given this cast’s chemistry, expectations remain high.