On Feb. 21., the TV show “Friends” cast announced they will be reuniting for a series special, for HBO streaming services.

 Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer posted the same picture of the cast, with the caption “It’s Happening…”, on their Instagram accounts.

According to Variety Magazine, the cast will return to the series’ set to celebrate this special. The episode won’t actually have a script since it’s not a reboot of the series. The six of them will sit to chat and remember the good years they spent giving life to Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross.

All of them will actually be executive producers of the episode, along with the original executive producers, Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. Ben Wiston will be the director. Sources from the HBO website confirmed that each of the six stars will receive a minimum of $2.5 million for their participation. The new platform HBO Max is scheduled to be released in May, where all 10 seasons of “Friends” will be available.

“I think you can call this ‘the one where everyone got back together’ — We are reuniting David, Jennifer, Courteney, Matt, Lisa, and Matthew for an HBO Max special that will be programmed alongside the entire ‘Friends’ library,” said Kevin Reilly, the chief content of HBO Max. “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,” said.

HBO Max gave $425 million to have the show on their catalog, taking it from Netflix, which was, until then, the owner of the rights to it.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston (who played the super stylish Rachel Green), had already said that the most famous friends from TV wanted to reunite. She said they weren’t planning on a “reboot”, but were planning something. 

“Would love for there to be something, but we don’t know what that something is,” she said. “So, we’re just trying. We’re working on something.”

Before Jennifer, other cast and creative production had already said they didn’t really like the idea of a remake or reboot of the show. In an interview for Rolling Stone Magazine, one of creators of “Friends”, Marta Kauffman, made it clear that she has no intention of writing new episodes for the show. 

“The show is about a time in your life when your friends are your family,” Kauffman said. “It’s not that time anymore. All we’d be doing is putting those six actors back together, but the heart of the show would be gone. Two — I don’t know what good it does us. The show is doing just fine, people love it. (New episodes) could only disappoint. ‘The One Where Everyone’s Disappointed.’”

In October, Courtney Cox offered the same point of view during an interview for People. In 2017, Lisa Kudrow, who played the iconic Phoebe, also said during the TV show “Today” that it would be a “decharacterization” of the show.

When asked about it, some fans shared their opinion about the reunion. 

“I’m super excited,” Luana Damaceno – a huge fan of the show – said. “That’s everything the fans could ever ask for.”

Priscila Gonzales, another huge fan, said she hopes they don’t “ruin it”, and that she hopes they are careful about what they talk about. 

“I don’t know — I’m excited, but a little bit concerned about it,” she said, laughing. “I really wish they could show Emma (Rachel and Ross’s daughter), though.”

“I think it’s a good marketing ploy, the fact they are doing this 25 years later,”  said Gabriela Sampaio, also a fan of the show. “It’s also good for the cast since some of them don’t have that much ground in the film industry today. This can boost up their careers. Anyone who loves the show is absolutely glad this is happening. It’s super special and I can’t wait for it.”

“Friends” ended 15 years ago, with 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. When it came to an end, the show had already become one of the biggest successes in TV history, having made all six main characters’ actors become Hollywood stars. On Netflix, it was one the most-streamed shows, alongside “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Office.”

Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 the reunion production has been delayed since studios all around Hollywood are closed for now. 

The new platform “HBO Max” is planned to launch in May, so there’s not a platform available to watch the iconic TV Show, unless through the old way: DVD. If somehow you do have it available, Friends is absolutely going to entertain you during quarantine times!