Friends: The Reunion

There is something sweet about seeing all six in the same room together for the first time in years, as their affection for each other is obvious. ... The problem is, for such a well-loved (and well-examined) series, there is very little new info here.

Originally intended to help launch HBO Max, "Friends: The Reunion" finally hits the streaming service, in big, slightly bloated, unapologetically nostalgic form. A valentine to fans, the nearly two-hour special is inevitably hard-pressed to justify the hype, working best when it lets the cast casually reminisce, while getting carried away with cameos, some of which, well, couldn't be more random.

What’s clear beneath all the adulation, and the genuine bond shared by six young actors who grew up together on TV, is that “Friends” was very much a creature of its times. ... “Friends: The Reunion” is a fond look back for those who couldn’t get enough the first time.

“Friends: The Reunion” is a special made to be as broad as possible, and it too often ignores or steps on the intimate connections fans already have with their favorite fictional friends.

You have to power through a whole lot of standard reunion rickrack – the present-day table reads of memorable scenes, the clapter-ginning cameos from the likes of Tom Selleck, Thomas Lennon and Cara Delevingne – to get to these interesting flashes, along with a couple of pieces of truly gasp-inducing, previously unrevealed dish.

It was the kind of show when Corden asked safe, dull, teen magazine questions such as: "Were Ross and Rachel on a break?". It was better when the cast were allowed to wander round the set alone but there was never any danger of a major revelation.

Its reunion special spends nearly two hours frantically arguing that the ubiquity is deserved. ... Friends offered a world devoid of the world. The show’s reunion has now continued the tradition. The special is fan service that also attempts to rationalize the fandom itself. It is trying its best to have it both ways—the enforced intimacy of the sitcom and the market imperative of the global franchise. It is a telethon guided by a tautology.

I didn’t learn anything interesting, and I wasn’t left with much to think about. The special is curiously empty, aside from some touching moments of camaraderie and affection between the cast members, and the potential discomfort of realizing we’re all getting older.