HBO Max Will Include ‘Friends’ Reunion Special
Launching in May, new streaming service also will have previous episodes
The new HBO Max streaming service will include a special reunion of the TV show “Friends” and all of the sitcom’s previous episodes when the service launches in May, WarnerMedia said Friday.
The company said that all six of the show’s main stars will be a part of the show’s celebration. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Warner Bros. was finalizing agreements with the cast of the show. Executive producers from “Friends” will also be involved in producing the special, WarnerMedia said.
HBO Max will be free for HBO subscribers. For those who don’t have HBO, it will cost $14.99 a month. HBO’s current service will be a part of HBO Max as well as other Warner Bros. content.
“Friends” was on the air for 10 seasons, spanning from 1994 through 2004. Netflix Inc. previously had the rights to stream the show.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The Journal had reported that each of the six stars of “Friends”— Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer —will receive between $2.25 million and $2.5 million for the show, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said.
The stars shared the news via social media on Friday with pictures captioned, “It’s happening” and tagged HBO Max.