Creators of the iconic show Friends have broken their silence on whether there are any plans for a reboot after years of rumors, ahead of the sitcom’s 30th anniversary on Sept. 22.
While there doesn’t appear to be an immediate proposal to make a new series, there have been several discussions on what a reboot might look like, almost 30 years on from when the show first aired on NBC in 1994.
Kevin Bright, Martha Kauffman and executive producer David Crain, all spoke to Today on Friday and revealed that a rebooted version of the beloved series has been talked about after receiving interest from a new generation young fans thanks to steaming.
‘When you have pre-teens coming up to you, telling you how much they love your show and asking you, “Will there be more episodes?”‘ Bright said, on being tempted by the idea of a reboot.
Kauffman then interjected saying there has been an idea for a reboot floating around – and it has been suggested to them by the younger fans of the show.
‘We get that a lot. I get emails about it all the time. And everybody has a great idea. And the great idea is their kids grown up doing a Friends show,’ she revealed.
Almost all of the six characters had become parents when the show ended in 2004, making the fan request for a reboot about their grown-up children a possibility.
Ross had a son with ex-wife Carole and a daughter Emma with Rachel, while Phoebe had her brother’s triplets, and Monica and Chandler adopted.
Pondering the idea, Crain remarked: ‘I would imagine it’s kind of what it must feel like when your kid turns 30 and you’re like, ‘How did that happen?’
But sadly, Crain then appeared to put a dampener on the plans, cutting in with: ‘Oh, no, no, no, no.’
Warner Bros. TV Group chairman Channing Dungey also said earlier this year there needs to be a ‘reason’ for the reviving a show.
While there doesn’t appear to be any concrete plans for a Friends reboot as of yet, the cast did reunite for HBO Max in 2021.
The show creators also spoke about the devastating loss of Matthew Perry who died last year at 54 from what a medical examiner said was the acute effects of ketamine.’
‘He’d been fighting the good fight for so long, and it really did feel like, from the reunion, that he had finally found some peace,’ Bright said, while Kauffman added: ‘It’s a huge loss, and it does make the 30th a little fraught.’
Bright said: ‘He made us laugh every day.’
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer all paid an emotional tribute to Perry following his tragic passing.
‘We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,’ they said last year.
