'Friends' cast reunion coming to NBC
UPDATE: One Friend down! Perry isn’t coming, sources say
EARLIER: One of TV’s biggest comedy hits ever is getting a long-awaited curtain call.
Twelve years after going off the air, the cast of Friends will reunite on NBC for a two-hour special, NBC announced at the Television Critics Association’s press tour in Pasadena on Wednesday.
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The special is a tribute to Friends‘ legendary comedy director James Burrows, who also helmed iconic series such as Taxi, The Bob Newhart Show, and Cheers. Burrows directed 15 episodes of Friends, including the pilot, and recently shot his 1,000th episode of television.
While the special is about Burrows, the reunion of the cast of Friends — which launched in 1994 and ran for 10 seasons — is obviously the key buzzy highlight. All six original cast members (Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer) are on board.
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But here’s the rub: The cast might not be together in the special. Efforts to wrangle all six cast members for reunion stunts have proved difficult in the past, with one or more members typically resisting behind the scenes. NBC entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt was asked if the network would have all six in the same room. “I’m hoping all six will be in same room at same time; I’m not sure we can logistically pull it off,” Greenblatt told reporters.
The special (“The One with the Reunion”?) will air Sunday, Feb. 21.
