Is the time finally right for a Friends reboot?
- Published
The one where they all come back and make another series.
Friends fans have been calling for it since the final episode aired in 2004 but now we hear the cast have all met up at Courtney Cox's house.
Add to that the fact that for a second year it's the most streamed show in the UK.
And Friends merchandise is selling in big numbers in high-street stores. Does this mean it's time for a comeback?
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There is no denying there could be a market for a Friends reboot right now.
We have just had the 25th anniversary and Netflix's hosting of the series has brought it to a whole new audience. Hello to those who were too young get the jokes first time round.
Even the fact that certain aspects of the show haven't aged so well, hasn't done much to dent its enduring popularity.
In the UK it gets more streams than any other show, and earlier this year a British survey named it as the most popular programme for young people.
Scott Bryan, TV critic and co-host of BBC Sounds Must Watch podcast, says there is a huge appetite for it.
"The timing can't be any more right," he says. "The multi-million pound deal Netflix signed for it showed just how much interest there is."
But Warner Brothers TV studios who made Friends told Radio 1 Newsbeat "this isn't really a revival for us" as "the show's been consistently on air in the UK, first with Channel 4 and E4, then with Comedy Central".
'A big seller'
So if the viewing figures aren't enough to convince the producers, how about the sales of Friends merchandise?
On the high street you can hardly move for How You Doin? hoodies or The One Where It Seemed Like A Good Idea To Buy This T-shirt t-shirts.
H&M is the latest in a long line of fashion chains selling Friends-branded clothing. They told us it's been a "big seller" for them.
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Chloe Collins is a retail analyst at Global data. Her job is to look at what is trending in clothes shops.
She says a lot of retailers are jumping on the trend for all things Friends.
"H&M do it, I think Topshop has done it, ASOS has also done stuff before."
"People still watch it every day. It shows that it doesn't really age."
A rare reunion
So, the big question is - might the cast be up for it?
Hopes were raised when Courtney Cox shared a picture of of herself on Sunday with Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc, alongside the caption: "A rare night and I love it."
The excitement peaked when Jennifer Aniston revealed , externalthe next day in an interview with US radio legend Howard Stern that actually all six of them had met up.
"We just had dinner this week, on Saturday night," she said. "The whole gang. Everyone was there."
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Could it BE anymore exciting? Turns out yes it probably could.
Jennifer Aniston went on to downplay the idea that the reunion could mean a reboot.
"It's just Schwimmer was in town," the actress explained, "and we all happened to have a window of time so we all got together."
Asked directly if she would be prepared to do a reunion show where everyone is older, she quickly dismissed it.
"I really think there is an idea that if there is a reboot of a show it wouldn't be even close to being as good at what it was... It would ruin it."
To be fair it wasn't a straight-up "no" but TV critic Scott Bryan thinks it is still unlikely to happen: "The biggest issue is the stars," he says.
"They have spent their careers trying to move on. You never want to be known as a one trick pony."
The Friends cast as they were during the show's original heyday
He also thinks a reboot would be a big risk.
"If a show returns, it can't survive on nostalgia alone. That will dry up pretty quick. It has to have storylines and characters that reflect 2019."
Ultimately it is down to the creators of the show to decide whether they make any new episodes and it seems they haven't been persuaded by this Friends revival.
When Marta Kauffman and David Crane were asked their thoughts at the Tribeca TV festival, external in September the answer was still the same.
"We will not be doing a reunion show, we will not be doing a reboot."
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- Published20 September 2019
