It’s been seventeen years since a group of New Yorkers graced our screens with their coffee house hangouts, enviable apartments and those catchphrases – could they BE anymore unforgettable?!
Since then, news of an unscripted reunion has been floating around the net for a while, and now it’s finally here. If you’d like to know what its about and how to tune in, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know – so keep on reading to find out why no one told you life was gonna be this way.
Looking for other show rumours? We have similar roundups for The Witcher season 2 the upcoming Obi-Wan series on Disney+.
We also have a roundup of the best episodes of Friends to watch on HBO Max.
When will the Friends reunion take place?
The wait is finally over, as the Friends special is out now HBO Max for US viewers – you can sign up for an account if you don’t have one already, at $14.99 per month.
In the UK, the special will air tonight on Sky One on 27 May at 8pm BST, and will be available on the company’s streaming service Now from the same time – you’ll need to sign up to the Entertainment Membership to watch the reunion.
Now normally offers 7-day free trials for customers, but the company appears to have retracted this offer on its Entertainment Membership for the Friends reunion special. However, you can get two months for the price of one – which costs £9.99. You can read more about what’s on Now in our round-ups of the best TV shows and films on the service.
Not every country is likely to secure an official broadcaster for the special – but there is still a way to watch the Friends reunion outside the US.
Watch the Friends reunion trailers
HBO has finally released a proper trailer for Friends: The Reunion which reveals what we’re in for:
Before that we had a brief teaser trailer, though this doesn’t reveal as much:
What will the reunion episode of Friends be about?
Well first thing’s first, this won’t be a typical Friends episode. The actors aren’t likely to be in character, as it’s more of a ‘reminiscing and reflecting’ type of episode. David Schwimmer confirmed this in an interview, but did also hint towards a short scripted section:
Series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman have been confirmed to appear, so don’t expect to see any continuation of the story. Joining Crane and Kauffman will be the main six actors: Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
There will also be plenty of celebrity guests present, including: David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai.
The trailer reveals that a handful of iconic sets and props were recreated for the event, including Monica’s apartment and Central Perk. We’ll also see the gang quiz each other on their own memories of the show, and do a table read of one of the classic episodes.
How can I watch the Friends reunion?
The Friends reunion is exclusive to HBO Max in the US. HBO Max costs $14.99 per month, but existing HBO subscribers (including HBO Now customers) can get the service for free.
In addition, HBO Max is currently only available in the US. However, that doesn’t mean that international viewers will have to miss out.
As mentioned above, in the UK the special will air on Sky One and Now. If you’re considering subscribing to either of these, check out our comparison of Sky and Virgin, and the best TV shows on Now.
If you’re not willing to sign up to Sky, or live in another country where there is no official broadcaster for the reunion, there is still a workaround for watching HBO Max outside the US.
How to watch the Friends reunion on HBO Max in any country
HBO Max is currently only available in the US. However, you can still sign up for an account from anywhere in the world using a mobile and a VPN.
VPNs (virtual private networks) reroute your IP address so you can browse the web as if you’re from another country. To watch the Friends reunion special on HBO Max, you will want to connect to a US server.
For the best performance, speeds and pricing, we recommend either NordVPN or Surfshark. You can also check out our picks of the best VPNs for HBO Max for further recommendations.
Billing information for HBO Max
For the next step, you’ll need the HBO Max app. We have successfully tested this method using NordVPN and an Android phone.
Once you’ve signed up for your VPN of choice, you’ll need to download it on either your iOS or Android device. The HBO Max website currently only allows you to sign up if you have a payment card that’s tied to the US. If you don’t have that, here are the steps you should take:
- Launch your VPN on your iOS/Android device and connect to a US server
- Create a new Apple ID/Google Play account in your browser that’s tied to the US (leave the country blank)
- Register your new account on your iOS/Android device app store
- You should now have access to the US app store – download and install the HBO Max app
- Tap ‘skip’ if the app store asks you to add payment information to your iOS/Google Play account before you’ve installed HBO Max
- Create a new account in the HBO Max app with your email address and password
- Use PayPal as your method of payment (this can be a non-US account)
- Once your account is verified, you can sign in from any device
There have been reports of users not being able to install HBO Max on iOS as the app store forces users to register their payment details and doesn’t accept international PayPal if you try to register with this account.
To get round this, we recommend purchasing US App Store credit via a digital gift card – which can be added as a US payment option.
You can purchase this from places such as Amazon US, though there are other retailers available. You’ll need a website that allows you to pay with foreign bank details. The typical minimum amount available to purchase is $25 – enough to cover one month’s subscription of HBO Max.
When the site asks you to put in the recipient, enter your own email address and the code to redeem the money will be sent to your inbox. Then when you need to add payment information in the app store, select ‘redeem gift card or code’, and you should be able to add the money as credit on your account.
With this, you should then be able to sign up for an HBO Max account. Once your account is active, you can change your payment information back to your PayPal via the website to avoid having to pay for a new gift card every single time if you want to carry on your subscription.
We’d like to stress using a VPN is against HBO’s terms of service, so the company could cancel your account at any time. Proceed at your own risk.
This platform also features the Justice League Snyder Cut, HBO staples like Game of Thrones and a back catalogue of Warner Bros. content. You can check out the best shows and films on HBO Max for more information.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor's Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She's also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she's written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.