Friends reunion special delayed again amid pandemic surge

HBO Max's Friends reunion is pivoting away from another planned filming date.

The highly-anticipated unscripted special, which will reunite the NBC comedy's six main cast members on screen for the first time, has been pushed back indefinitely due to the ongoing pandemic. Originally planned to debut on HBO Max on the streaming service's May launch date, the special has faced multiple delays amid health and safety concerns. As California has become a hotspot for the coronavirus over the past month, taping an in-person reunion no longer seems possible in the immediate future.

Star David Schwimmer told EW last month that the hope was to film the special in August, but acknowledged there was no telling when taping might be feasible. "The truth is, we'll do it when we all determine it's safe to do so," Schwimmer said at the time. "There's no question we want to do it and it's going to happen. It's just really a question of when will be the safest time to do it."

Stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry, as well as series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, are set to participate along with Schwimmer. The cast and creators will reunite on the series' original soundstage to reminisce, share behind-the-scenes footage, and more.

"From what I understand, they're going to be building all the original sets again, down to the smallest detail of props and other things," Schwimmer told EW. "I'm excited just to walk on that stage again and see everyone and just experience what it's like to be on those sets again with the cast."

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