HBO Max's "Friends Reunion" was one of the biggest announcements when the streaming service was first announced. Now, on May 27, we will finally get it -- and I'm already convinced I'm going to hate watching it.
I loved "Friends" when it was a pillar of NBC's "Must See TV" lineup. I was the guy who (wrongly) claimed it was better than "Seinfeld Next Door". I actually cared about Ross and Rachel's on-and-off relationship. I was giddy when Chandler and Monica finally hooked up. Ross and Monica even gave each other two fist bumps, their own kind of middle finger. Joey's dissection of Rachel's trifle was perfect.
But then I actually found out about it. And I gave a fist-pumping salute to the monitor.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the following actors appear in Friends Reunion (in alphabetical order):
And before I name names that clearly don't belong, let's see who does belong here. Cindy Crawford, shockingly, was among the five celebrities on Chandler's "free material" list.
Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles, of course, played Monica and Ross's parents, Jack and Judy Geller. Larry Hankin was Monica and Rachel's neighbor, who lived downstairs and resented the noise. Thomas Lennon ("Reno 911"), in an even deeper cut, played Joey's "identical twin" in the season 5 finale.
Tom Selleck played Dr. Richard Burke, who dated Monica but did not want to have children with her. James Michael Tyler played Gunther, Rachel's boss at the Central Park coffeehouse. Maggie Wheeler plays Janice, Chandler's love interest. And finally, Reese Witherspoon played Rachel's sister, Jill Green.
Rarely does a reunion special make for great entertainment, like the "West Wing" reunion, where the cast recreates the episode. What we know about the "Friends" episode is simple: the six main actors will reprise their roles in some of this new "special" episode. This is all you need to know: ...... The content seems thin, but let's move on to the bigger issue.
The list of guests for the "Friends" reunion is littered with names that make no sense. Justin Bieber (born March 1, 1994) was only 10 years old when the show went off the air on May 6, 2004. What does he have to do with the series? If you were an avid viewer of the show, you have as close a connection as he does. The oldest member of the hugely popular K-pop band BTS (Kim Suk-jin, born December 4, 1992) was 11 when the lights went out in Central Park. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai (born July 12, 1997) may be a first-rate name, but she was much younger; she was six when the show ended.
With all the big stars, it is understandable that a special program would help catch the attention of a younger crowd, but this long-awaited reunion was not big enough. Even more confusing are those who seem to have no real reason to be there, other than being famous. James Corden, for example, is one of those celebrities who is famous for being everywhere. I am not opposed to this person making money, but his mere presence is an indication that any random celebrity is welcome.
Lady Gaga and Mindy Kaling are wonderful and fun, but - again - unaffiliated and unaffiliated with the show. I don't know why David Beckham is on this list, either, except that he was photographed wearing a "Friends" shirt.
Does the name Mike Hannigan ring a bell? Because his portrayal of Hannigan, Phoebe Buffay's third husband, made the later seasons of "Friends" worth watching. [Julia Roberts, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Isabella Rosellini, Christina Applegate, Billy Crystal, Helen Hunt, and Winona Ryder could have been invited. Comedy icon Danny DeVito should also be here.
Of course, I doubt that Brad Pitt would be asked to reprise his role as Will Colbert. Likewise, Aisha Tyler will probably not be back due to problems with show co-creator Marta Kaufman stemming from her melanin deficiency in Friends. Oh, the list goes on and on. Why can't they call George Clooney, who also guest starred on this show? Giovanni Ribisi, Morgan Fairchild, and Kathleen Turner are other names that should be on this list.
Perhaps these big names will be the big surprise that HBO Max doesn't want to spoil. In any case, "Friends Reunion. We're on a break now.
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