Cast of 'Friends' reuniting for one-off 25th anniversay special

The show's stars posted on their Instagram accounts a Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring the cast from the sitcom's early days, with the caption "It's happening.....". – Instagram/Jennifer Aniston

It's finally happening! The cast of the hit US sitcom Friends is reuniting for a 25th anniversary special, much to the delight of fans.

A celebration of the beloved show which ended its run in 2004, stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer will return to the comedy's original soundstage on the Warner Bros. Studio lot for an exclusive unscripted special on streaming platform HBO Max.

Variety said each actor is expected to receive US$2.5mil for taking part in the special, which will be available when HBO Max launches in May.

"Guess you could call this the one where they all got back together -- we are reuniting with David, Jennifer, Courteney, Matt, Lisa and Matthew for an HBO Max special that will be programmed alongside the entire Friends library," Kevin Reilly, chief content officer at HBO Max, said in a statement.

"I became aware of Friends when it was in the very early stages of development and then had the opportunity to work on the series many years later and have delighted in seeing it catch on with viewers generation after generation," he added.

"It taps into an era when friends -- and audiences -- gathered together in real time and we think this reunion special will capture that spirit, uniting original and new fans."

The show's stars posted on their Instagram accounts a Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring the cast from the sitcom's early days, with the caption "It's happening.....". Aniston's post attracted nearly 4.8 million likes in three hours.

Though the last episode aired 15 years ago, the show's popularity hasn't waned, with market researchers saying it is among the most-watched shows on Netflix. The sitcom, however, was reclaimed last year by WarnerMedia's HBO Max, which will offer all 10 seasons of the show. Friends, seen on US television from 1994 to 2004, won dozens of awards and garnered global celebrity for Aniston and her co-stars. – AFP

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It’s happening... ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ @hbomax⁣ @courteneycoxofficial⁣ @lisakudrow⁣ @mleblanc⁣ @mattyperry4⁣ @_schwim_ A post shared by Jennifer Aniston (@jenniferaniston) on Feb 21, 2020 at 2:04pm PST