F.R.I.E.N.D.S started from humble beginnings with a runaway bride, Rachel Green, storming into Central Park looking for her friend, Monica Geller. Little did she know that this would change her life forever; with all of us looking on as it slowly changed ours too. On May 6th 2004, the cast of the now-beloved sitcom left for coffee and closed the purple door one last time. After nearly 17 years, the six friends opened the door again for the occasion of a long-overdue reunion.
After a long series of delays, the unscripted reunion finally came to fruition and effectively managed to recreate the magic of the sitcom all over again. Part James Corden-hosted talk show, part star-studded tribute and a part trip down memory lane, the reunion gave us plenty of interesting tidbits, new and old. It was a treat watching the camaraderie and onscreen chemistry between the cast once again after all these years, as they discussed the series from inside Monica and Rachel’s old apartment. The executive producers David Crane, Marta Kauffman and Kevin Bright also popped in now and then to shed some light on how the show was conceived in detail, mentioning how they went through with the casting process and first pitch. The producers meant for the show to make people cherish the time in their lives when their friends were their family during the first pitch. After consistently portraying those feelings for 10 seasons, 236 episodes, 121 hours and 7260 minutes, it’s no surprise that the sitcom became the global sensation it is today.
Some of the best moments came from seeing the cast’s reactions to all the unreleased bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage. There were also a bunch of heart-warming cameos from celebrity guests who appeared on the show earlier. Keeping all these nostalgia-driven moments aside, it’s reassuring when you realize a part of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, and Joey will live on forever in the actors who played them. Every single catchphrase made our otherwise mundane life more enjoyable. Needless to say, the show meant the world to a lot to people, some of whom got showcased in touching fan montage in which fans from countries like India, Ghana and many others poured their hearts out about how the show changed their lives.
The show was there for so many of us when we were at our best or worst, and you can’t help but smile seeing the closure the reunion brought along with it. Rachel and Ross are still married after their break and have kids now; with Ross still playing with bones, being the paleontologist he is. Chandler still makes Monica laugh every day even though she is the busiest mom in the PTA with all the bake sales. Phoebe and Mike are living in Connecticut advocating for their kids to be different, while Joey is busy running a sandwich shop on Venice Beach. While the prospect of a scripted reunion is highly likely, whatever we got instead was more than enough to satisfy us fans.
You’ll undoubtedly be swept with a wave of emotions when you see Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer making merry and tearing up as they look back at all the fond memories they’ve had with the show. When the theme song plays in the background for a fleeting moment, you’ll be left feeling like things seem slightly better in their reel world, than the real one we live in today. Despite this reunion taking 17 years to come into being, for fans of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, it never felt like we were on a break at all.
