The Friends reunion is finally here, and we’re ranking some of the best (and worst) moments from the special.
Today the Friends reunion finally dropped on HBO Max, and fans around the world are flocking to the streaming service to check out the highly-anticipated special. After multiple delays due to COVID, it started to seem like the reunion would never happen, but we’re so glad it finally did, and it was just as heartwarming and fun as Friends fans could want!
Best: The cast arrives on the set
The Friends reunion wastes zero time reuniting the main cast as each member arrives one by one to the rebuilt set, a replica of the sets they spent a decade filming on in front of a live audience. The bulk of the one-hour and 45 minute long special features the cast meandering through the old sets to reminisce and remember fond memories of their time spent together.
They’re in Monica and Rachel’s apartment most of the time, but Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry do make time to sit down in their old recliners. They even talk about the episode where Joey and Chandler refused to move from their seats. It’s sweet to see each actor arrive and hug their castmates as many of them are immediately moved to tears at the reconciliation.
Best: The trivia game
If you’re a Friends fan, you might have done better at the Friends reunion trivia game than the cast, although they didn’t do too badly themselves! It was girls vs. guys as David Schwimmer offered them a series of questions from multiple categories, ranging from Matt having to guess Joey’s hand twin (played by Thomas Lennon) to the girls trying to recall who’s voice belonged to who. Apart from the cast, a few memorable guest stars popped up like Lennon, Larry Hankin, and of course, Tom Selleck!
Worst: That “Smelly Cat” rendition
Look, I think we all love “Smelly Cat,” but the version on the show just felt like a little bit too much. It starts with Lisa Kudrow snapping instantly into her Phoebe persona and singing the song on the guitar, which was all we needed, but then Lady Gaga shows up…and a choir? [UPDATE: I’ve been told the choir is a callback to the episode where Phoebe gets a record deal, totally forgot about that so I can justify its existence. I still don’t think we needed Lady Gaga here though, the choir could have worked without her.]
It felt unnecessary. Even Lisa-as-Phoebe jokes that the song is still “better when it’s just her,” and honestly, we agree! No offense to Lady Gaga, but we didn’t need all the extra stuff for this bit.
Best: Ross & Rachel’s real feelings
Host James Corden said it best himself when he asked the audience if this bombshell was “blowing anyone’s mind.” Jennifer Aniston and David revealed that not only did Ross and Rachel carry a torch for each other, but so did the actors!
Apparently, Jennifer and David were crushing hard on one another during the show’s early days, but they were like two ships passing in the night. They never got a chance to act on their feelings because they were always with other people at the time. At the Friends reunion, Jennifer admitted that she took David aside and said it was a shame their first real kiss would be on national television!
However, as Courteney Cox pointed out, it might have been a good thing that Ross and Rachel never happened off-screen. The cast had an amazing relationship and sense of camaraderie between them, and if something went sour between them, it could have changed everything.
Worst: Some of those cameos
It was sweet to see some random celebrities and fans from around the world talk about how much Friends meant to them, but overall, it felt pointless. I admittedly fast-forwarded through these bits because, frankly, I don’t care what David Beckham’s favorite episode of Friends is. That’s something that could have been shared separately on YouTube to promote the show.
I’d rather have cut all those clips in favor of more time spent with the cast (I mean, Corden only took one question from the audience who was there, and it gave us that hilarious Marcel anecdote, perhaps we could have gotten more of that!?). Reese Witherspoon’s input was about the only one worthwhile because she was actually on the show!
Even when Maggie Wheeler came on to talk about Janice, it was for the briefest of moments. Why not cut stuff from fans and unrelated celebrities in favor of giving the guest stars more time to chat with the cast? Plus, we already know how meaningful Friends is to people, we’ve been hearing it for years, and it’s why there was a reunion in the first place!
Best: The cast watches old bloopers
I think this might have been my favorite part of the entire Friends reunion. I’ve always loved watching the gag reels from my favorite shows, but it’s even better to see the cast react to those bloopers. Now I want more features like this for every show!
Worst: The fashion show
That fashion show…just why? I mean, it was cute; I’ll give the producers that, but overall felt unnecessary. I would rather have listened to the cast talk about each costume and their experience with it than see Justin Bieber (?!) and Cara Delevingne modeling them on stage. Even having the cast do the fashion show would have been better!
Like the “Smelly Cat” thing, it felt like the producers wanted to make the reunion special into a segment on Corden’s late-night show, but all fans really want to see is the cast themselves and find out fun behind-the-scenes details. That’s why those pared-down Zoom reunions were so successful last year!
Best: All the moments of just the cast bonding
Overall, the absolute best moments of the Friends reunion special were the moments that felt most genuine and unfiltered, just the cast hanging out and talking about the show and the things they remembered most. It would have been nice to get even more of that.
Seeing them sitting together in Monica and Rachel’s apartment, discussing their favorite episodes and how they feel watching themselves in the show, and even doing the table reads was all the stuff I think most of us tuned in to watch. The rest just felt superfluous.
What were your favorite and least favorite moments from the Friends reunion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The Friends reunion special is now streaming on HBO Max.