They will always be there for you. The cast of "Friends," that is. Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Phoebe will always be there to entertain you over and over again on a lazy Saturday afternoon when you decide to Netflix and chill. Yes, they will be there for you when someone asks what your favorite show is, and you just smile and say, "You'll see." All six of them will be there for you when you are out having sushi and someone orders unagi. You will laugh and explain to everyone who is looking at you like, "Why is sushi so funny?" That unagi is not an eel and that it is a total state of awareness. The list goes on and on because the fact of the matter is that "Friends"was justgreat television (plain and simple). It has been more than 10 years since its final episode aired on NBC, and yet the notion that there might be a "Friends" reunion has been blowing up social media for weeks. And the latest addition to the conversation is that Matthew Perry will not be present at the “reunion.” As a huge "Friends" fan, I was outraged when I learned of this information, because Chandler was the one I identified with the most. However, I kept reading.
Many people have been freaking out about this "Friends" reunion, but they seem to have misinterpreted what event is going to happen. Yes, the cast of "Friends" will be reunited. But it is not the kind of reunion show that fans have been waiting for. And as much as that just breaks my heart, I too had to face reality.
Reality: NBC is in the process of planning a special to pay tribute to director James Burrow. Burrow directed not only 15 episodes of "Friends" but also episodes of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Seinfeld," "Taxi," "Laverne and Shirley," "Will and Grace," "Cheers," and "Frasier." The cast of "Friends" are expected to appear on said special except for Matthew Perry, who is currently working on a play in London. So, instead, he we will be doing an introduction virtually from England. It will still be awesome to watch great friends see and interact with each other once again. However, it is not what mega fans like me had in mind. But that is OK.
I know I have been hanging on to my friends at Central Perk for a long time. I actually have a wooden Central Perk sign that I painted myself. As much as we fans love the show and cherish each and every moment of every season, we do not need a reunion. We have hours and hours of memories; those are never going anywhere. They will always be there for us. Yes, it would be cool to see them all together again. However, a reunion will never recreate 10 seasons of laughs, love, and memories that will last a lifetime.
So, personally, I am looking forward to watch "Fuller House" -- not because I want to recreate "Full House" but because it is a chance to see what comes next. A chance to see what comes after the final bow. Jennifer Aniston will always be Rachel, but she is also so much more than that. In the same way, "Friends" will always have a special part in our hearts. But there has to come a point where we let other shows into our hearts too. 1990s television was great, but so is the television that lies in our future.
We don’t need a reunion because no matter what, "they will always be there for you."
Check out these two articles for further reading about the "Reunion" from CNN and the Guardian.
