After all the buzz about reboots and reunions,Friendscreators have finally set the record straight. One of the most popular sitcom of all time will not be following the recent wave of revivals says creator and executive producer Marta Kauffman during afriends25th anniversary panel at the Tribeca TV Festival in Manhattan Friday. She avoided all vagueness when she answered the long asked question.
“We will not be doing a reunion show, we will not be doing a reboot. The show was about that time in life when friends are your family.”
The 10 season series ended at a point in the character’s lives when all of that changed as their own families grew. Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) moved out of the city with their children while Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) finally decide to raise their daughter as a couple. Meanwhile, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) married Mike who was played by a very young and very charming Paul Rudd. Joey (Matt LeBlanc), well, he went on to a short-lived spinoff. So why not just reboot the entire series? Kauffman had an answer, saying, “It’s not going to beat what we did.” Her Co-creator and executive producer David Crane agreed.
“We did the show we wanted to do. We got it right, and we put a bow on it.”
Executive producer Kevin Brightchimed in with a quick joke, saying, “Eh, I think we should do a reboot.” Kauffman wished him good luck, but the consensus was made.
The creators behind many ofFriendsfellow 90’s television shows haven’t quite felt the same about their properties. While networks and streaming services have ushered in anew generation of fanswith fresh reboots ofCharmed,RoswellandSabrina the Teenage Witch, older fans are getting some of their past favorites back. Netflix became the new home for theFull Houserevival,Fuller House.Roseannereturned with a revival that brought in the viewers, but also stirred up off-set drama that ultimately sent the show in a very different direction to becomeThe Connorsstarring John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sarah Gilbert.Will and Gracecontinued with their politically charged banter for a revived three-season run, the last of which will air in 2020. The most recent 90’s return,Beverly Hills 90210, played with the formula a bit, but saw very little success.
Friendshas continued to be one of the most watch sitcoms of all time. It was recently announced that the series will be making the move from Netflix to HBO Max in 2020. Although we may never see them sit around the table in theCentral Perkagain, much of the cast has continued to keep busy with other projects. After a successful bout of feature films, Jennifer Aniston is returning to the small screen in Apple TV+’s upcoming seriesThe Morning Show. David Schwimmer, who made a brief appearance in the crowd at the Tribeca Film event, held a recurring role in theWill and Gracereboot, and Lisa Kudrow recently appeared in featuresBooksmartandLong Shot.
Kauffman managed to replicate a fraction of theFriendssuccess with her Golden Globe nominated series,Grace and Frankie, which returns to Netflix for its sixth season in 2020. This news comes to us fromDeadline.
