Source: China Daily
After waiting year after year, nearly 17 years after the end of the classic American drama "Friends", the original creators finally got together again. Last week ,"Old Friends" recorded a special show in the original studio, and judging by the photos that flowed out of social media, it was a truly nostalgic journey.
Credit: Warner Bros
It's almost 17 years since pop culture's six most-famous friends were together on a film set, but The One With The Reunion was finally shot last week.
Six of pop culture's most famous old friends haven't made a film together in nearly 17 years, and last week's reunion show finally began filming.
The special one-off show brought together the sitcom's original cast of Matthew Perry (Chandler), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey) and David Schwimmer (Ross).
In this one-episode special, the original sitcom Friends stars Matthew Perry (Chandler), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Cortney Cox (Monica), Lisa Cudjoll (Phoebe), Matt LeBron (Joey) and David Thumon (Rose) come together.
Set to air on the HBO Max streaming service, the reunion was originally due to be filmed last August but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The reunion show will be broadcast on the HBO Max streaming platform. The show was originally scheduled to be filmed last August, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A broadcast date is yet to be announced but it's expected to be over the next few months.
The broadcast time has not yet been announced, but it should be in the coming months.
Friends was the biggest sitcom of the 1990s, and has found a new generation of fans (and critics) thanks to re-runs and streaming services like Netflix.
"Friends" was the largest sitcom of the 1990s, and due to its subsequent reruns and broadcast on streaming platforms such as Netflix, the show captured a new generation of fans and critics.
The original cast are executive producers on the reunion, alongside show creators Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, with Ben Winston as director.
The reunion was produced by the original "Friends" cast along with original producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kafman and David Klein as executive producers, with Ben Winston as the director.
So, what did the gang get up to when they got back together?
So, what do old friends do when they get back together?
Screenshot from Instagram
Filming for the Friends special took place on the show's original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, California.
Filming of the Friends special took place at Stage 24 Studio in Burbank, California, USA. This is also where Warner Bros. originally filmed "Friends".
TMZ reports that while a live audience participated in the reunion, they were 'mostly union extras, Covid screened and hired for the gig', after the pandemic prevented fans from attending.
According to TMZ Entertainment News, there were viewers participating in the recording of the reunion program, and because fans affected by the epidemic could not participate, they were "mostly hired extras and tested for the new crown virus".
The revived set - partially based outdoors for Covid safety protocols - includes the iconic water fountain that the cast splashed around in during the show's intro, sound-tracked by The Rembrandts' theme tune, I'll Be There For You.
Due to epidemic safety regulations, part of the reunion program was filmed outdoors, including the iconic fountain that appeared at the beginning of "Friends". In the opening credits, the lead actors play with water at the fountain with the theme song "I'll Be with You" sung by the Rembrandt band.
It remains to be seen how many other props make an appearance, but pictures circulating on social media appear to show much-loved elements of Monica's apartment, including the sofa and the empty picture frame on her door.
It's not known how many other sets will appear on the show, but images circulating on social media have featured much of Monica's apartment's much-loved elements, including sofas and empty frames hanging from Monica's doors.
Ever since HBO confirmed the reunion episode, speculation has been rife as to what extent, if at all, the cast will reprise their roles.
Ever since HBO confirmed that it would shoot the reunion show, many have been speculating that several of the original cast members would reprieve old characters.
rife [raɪf]: adj. Universal; popular; popular
Speaking on the Graham Norton Show, Schwimmer appeared to provide clarity... until he didn't.
David Humon seemed to clarify some of the truth on the Graham Norton show, but it didn't.
'I'll be myself. I'll be David', Schwimmer said of the unscripted special. 'We're not in character ... we're all ourselves, the real people'.
Speaking about the unscripted special, Thumon said, "I'll be myself. I will be David. We are not characters, we are all ourselves, our true selves. ”
However, he quickly added a cryptic caveat suggesting otherwise: 'But there is one section, I don't want to give away... where we all read something.'
However, he was quick to remind vaguely and paradoxically: "I don't want spoilers, but there is a part... We'll all read something. ”
cryptic [ˈkrɪptɪk]: adj. Mysterious, vague in meaning
caveat [ˈkæviæt]: n. Warning; reminder
To be fair, clarity was never Ross's strength on the show. The debate as to whether he was 'on a break' with Rachel still rages on to this day.
To be fair, clarification was never Rose's strength on the show. Whether he and Rachel are in a "break-up period" is still being discussed to this day.
Jennifer Aniston provided more (or less) clarity (or confusion) about the issue while speaking to Variety magazine last year.
Jennifer Aniston's conversation with Variety magazine last year may have made the issue clearer, but it may have also confused people.
'I will not be Rachel, although I kind of am,' she said. 'Well, we're all sort of little fragments of them. Not really. But yeah.'
She said: "I don't play Rachel, although in a way I am Rachel. We are all a small part of these characters. Not the characters themselves. But it's also the characters themselves. ”
Although details of the recording are yet to emerge, audience posts collated on social media suggest it was a real nostalgia trip.
Although the recording details have yet to be revealed, posts posted by live viewers on social media suggest that it was a truly nostalgic journey.
collate [kəˈleɪt]: vt. tidy up
Screenshot from Twitter
One post from a Matthew Perry fan account also included a picture of an apparent Central Perk goodie bag - a reference to the café the group used to inhabit during most episodes.
A post by a fan of Matthew Perry included a photo of a gift bag themed at the Central Park Cafe, a café that old friends used to frequent on the show.
As for the future of the friendship beyond the special... Well, in the words of Joey: 'You can't just give up. Is that what a dinosaur would do?'
As for the future of "Old Friendship" after the special show, in Joey's words: "You can't just give up like this." Is that what dinosaurs would have done? ”
Source: BBC
Translator & Editor: Dani