‘Friends’ Reunion Officially Wraps, See the First Photo

The official Friends Instagram account announced on Saturday that the show’s reunion special has wrapped up filming. The account posted a photo of a massive banner with the series logo on it, reading: “Friends The Reunion.” The announcement had fans losing it with excitement.

“That’s a wrap!” read the caption to the post. “Cold we BE anymore excited!? Friends: The Reunion is coming to [HBO Max].” The post showed a massive scaffolding with lights and heaters pointed downwards, apparently set up outside. That’s all it revealed about the setting of the reunion special so far. The special is not a new episode or a narrative of any kind, but an out-of-character panel with the main cast.

Series co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane are also involved, and Ben Winston is directing. According to a report by Deadline, the shoot took place on the series’ original sound stage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California. Other producers include Kevin Bright, Emma Conway, James Longman and the original cast themselves.

The Friends reunion special was originally planned for last year and should have been one of the first big events on HBO Max. However, the coronavirus pandemic delayed the shoot for months, and gathering up all the cast and crew necessary for the production was no small task. In the meantime, fan outcry and expectations only got harder to manage.

Fans have gotten two other glimpses of the reunion special on social media so far, but both were taken down shortly after being posted. The first came from set designer Greg Grande, who shared photos of a couch, coffee table and chairs set up in front of a water fountain, as though the furnishings of Central Perk had been moved to the scene of the show’s opening credit sequence. He deleted the post, and many fans assumed that this would be the setting for the reunion itself.

Meanwhile, on Friday night, star Matthew Perry shared a photo of himself in the makeup chair as well. He wrote: “Seconds before eating a makeup brush. Not to mention reuniting with my Friends.” Both this and Grande’s post were deleted without explanation. However, the official HBO Max account has re-posted the Friend’s account’s post, indicating that it is approved.

HBO Max launched in May of 2020 and became the exclusive streaming home of Friends — one of the most binge-watched and re-watched shows in all of streaming media. There is no word yet on when the reunion special will be released.