‘Friends’ Reunion Is Happening, But Without Chandler — In NBC James Burrow Tribute
The Friends reunion is really happening! Yes. All you fans can breathe easy now. All that you have been hearing about the reunion is not all hoopla, and NBC has released a teaser which features the cast of Friends (barring Matthew Perry) in conversation with Andy Cohen, People has said.
Cohen does not refrain from getting cheeky on the show. “Did you all sign contracts saying that you wouldn’t sleep with each other,” Cohen asks, bringing some palpable discomfort on the faces of Friends‘ stars. It’s then that Lisa Kudrow springs into action and asks David Schwimmer to help her answer the question.
https://youtu.be/oSlphOETkIs
However, this is not a Friends-only tribute. The show will see a lot of stars come together. There’s, of course, the Friends cast, and you will also witness actors from Mike & Molly, The Big Bang Theory, Taxi, and Will & Grace come up on the stage. An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows airs February 21 at 9 p.m.
MTV has mentioned on their Twitter handle that the fans should be ready for a big announcement.
Get ready to get the inside scoop on the #Friends cast later this month: https://t.co/8uuJV4Ex6B pic.twitter.com/6R3z9ZJn7M
— MTV (@MTV) February 4, 2016
After several rumors around the reunion, in January, NBC had announced that the Friends would make an appearance on the channel. “I’m hoping all six will be in the same room at the same time,” NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said when the announcement was made. “I’m not sure we can logistically pull it off.” Well, it looks like they did pull it off (almost).
ICYMI: See the #Friends cast reunite for NBC special: https://t.co/lP9uJ4Slp8 pic.twitter.com/YEZuOeEoaO
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 25, 2016
Entertainment Weekly had posted this tweet where the Friends cast reunited backstage while filming the NBC special.
While many are happy that the cast is reuniting, there is also a glum among fans because they would not be able to see Matthew Perry on the same stage as others. However, from his Twitter posts, it can be safely concluded that Perry, who is in London for a play, is quite happy with the way things are going at the moment. He proudly tweeted about his play.
So proud of our great cast as we go into 1st preview tmrw @ThePlayhouseLDN Preparation meets excitement #TheEndofLonging
— matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) February 1, 2016
Check this video out to find out about my latest exciting project & for more info see @EndOfLonging pic.twitter.com/UEWU89axcE
— matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) December 4, 2015
He also posted a very interesting video last year in December.
E! Online had reported that David Schwimmer was disappointed Matthew Perry would not make it to the reunion. “I wish I could say it was going to be a reunion,” David Schwimmer had said. “[It’s a] 5/6 reunion.” Schwimmer may not be happy about Perry’s presence, but he says he does understand the reason. “Sure I’m sad, but I’m happy for him, he’s doing a play in London and it’s thrilling,” he added. “I did one there and it was fantastic.”
Although the stars may be getting back together on the stage, there seems to be no indication that Friends would be making a comeback on TV.
When Marta Kauffman was asked by the Wrap whether a reboot of Friends would be happening, her answer was a “No.”
“Nope, never gonna happen,” she’d said. However, Kaufmann has her own reasons for not bring Friends back to its fans.
“That show was about a time in your life when your friends are your family. Once you begin to have a family of your own, that is no longer the case, and your priorities shift. So the show is over.”
She added another reason why the show may never come back again. She said it’s because it may not go back to what it was. “It’s much better that people want it, than that they get it and don’t like it. The fear is, well, it’ll never be what it was,” she explained.
Whether the show comes back or not is a different question, for now fans are looking forward to (an almost) Friends reunion.
[Photo by Handout Photo/Getty Images]