By The lyrics to the Friends theme are starting to take on an ironic quality. For the second time this year, HBO has announced that it will be delaying the debut of the Friends reunion special. Due to the ongoing impact from the coronavirus pandemic, production on the revival/reboot has yet to start and likely won’t during 2020.
This new information comes from Variety, which reports that sources close to the production have learned of its second postponement. Originally, this reunion special was meant to debut alongside the launch of HBO Max, but it seems that production is “stuck in second gear.”
It’s hard to say what HBO is planning, but we do know that this reunion won’t take the form of a web conference. Warner Media chairman Bob Greenblatt said of the delay back in May, “we didn’t want to just suddenly do it on a web call with, you know, six squares and people shooting from their kitchens and bedrooms.” At least there we can expect some kind of quality here.
I’m not sure what level of quality we’re talking, though. To me, Friends has aged pretty horribly and I don’t see what value it holds in 2020. So many shows have sprung up in the wake of its finale that not only better its initial idea, but provide different perspectives on life. Why not promote those instead of digging back up this long-buried slice of 90s hell?
Source: Variety
