How to watch the Friends reunion: Stream The One Where They Get Back Together anywhere in the world
Watch Friends: The Reunion for free online from anywhere in the world
It’s been 17 long years since one of the most popular TV shows of all time, Friends, concluded its decade-long run. But it feels much shorter because Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe continue to grace TV screens across the world and gain new followers who can relate to their everyday lives.
Friends – that ran from 1994 to 2004 – gave us iconic quotes like “We were on a break!”, “How you doin’?” and of course, “Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!”. Almost immediately, fans began clamouring for a return, eager to check in on their beloved characters, and see if their lives finally got out of second gear.
For viewers in the US, Friends: The Reunion aired on HBO Max on Thursday, 27th May. In the UK, Sky One aired the special the same day at 8pm. Those who have a Sky TV Box can now download the episode via Sky on demand.
If you don’t have Sky, you can watch Friends: The Reunion by getting a Now Entertainment Membership (free seven-day trial for new members). If you’re not in the US or the UK, you’ll still be able to get in on the fun: you just need to use a good VPN service to access the content in your chosen country.
What can we expect from the Friends Reunion?
The first thing to get out of the way – and this may sting some viewers – is that this reunion is not a continuation of the story in the vein of recent revivals such as Fuller House or The X-Files. Rather, it takes the form of a one-hour, unscripted special, with the cast returning as themselves to chat, reminisce and take us all along on their trip down memory lane.
The brief 40-second trailer teases several clips that give you some idea of how the special plays out. The gang are seen playing a trivia game together, reminiscent of the hilarious contest in The One With The Embryos – often remembered as one of the show’s gleaming highlights. We also see a table read of iconic scenes, including Phoebe seeing Chandler and Monica kiss for the first time, as well as some emotional moments as the cast express their appreciation for one another.
The special takes place on the iconic comedy’s original soundstage, Stage 24 on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, California, with the original sets. The whole main cast returned for this special, marking the first time they’ve all been back together on screen, so expect to see plenty of banter between Jeniffer Aniston (Rachel), David Schwimmer (Ross), Matthew Perry (Chandler), Courtney Cox (Monica), Matt Le Blanc (Joey) and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe).
A number of special guest stars also appear, and “rare behind-the-scenes footage” is included in the special, cementing this as the definitive Friends event that fans have been waiting for. Could we BE any more excited?
Who are the special guest stars?
Friends: The Reunion pulled out all the stops when it comes to special appearances, with a long list of former cast members returning, including:
- Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles (Jack and Judy Gellar)
- James Michael Tyler (Gunther)
- Larry Hankin (Mr Heckles)
- Maggie Wheeler (Janice)
- Tom Selleck (Richard Burke)
- Reese Witherspoon (Jill Green)
- Thomas Lennon (Joey’s hand-twin)
As if all those familiar faces weren’t enough of a treat already, a number of huge stars also make a guest appearance, ranging from musicians, to Game of Thrones alumni, to a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
Apart from host James Cordon, the special features:
- David Beckham
- Justin Bieber
- BTS
- Cindy Crawford
- Cara Delevingne
- Lady Gaga
- Kit Harrington
- Mindy Kaling
- Malala Yousafzai
How to watch the Friends reunion in the UK: Sky TV
Far from just being popular in its home country, Friends was a worldwide sensation, and thankfully for us fans in Old Blighty, we don’t have to hop a plane to watch the much-loved TV show. The easiest and best way to watch Friends: The Reunion in the UK is on Sky One, for a number of reasons. For one, with much of the country already owning a Sky box in their home, this option is as convenient as opening up on-demand and clicking play.
The other big advantage of watching on Sky One is that customers who have already upgraded to Sky Q will be able to use some specially included voice controls on their remote – including “I’ll be there for you”, “we were on a break”, and “Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!”, to switch over and enjoy The One Where They Get Back Together. It’s a fun, silly inclusion, and the perfect way to tap into your nostalgia before digging into The Reunion.
How to watch the Friends reunion for free in the UK: Now Entertainment Membership
For those of you who don’t have Sky, you may not get all the fun of yelling Friends quotes at your TV remote, but that doesn’t mean you should miss out on this landmark special. Luckily, you too have options. Now (formerly Now TV) added Friends: The Reunion onto their streaming service on 27th May, the same time it went on demand for Sky viewers.
Now has multiple subscriptions for the various groups of content it offers, but for this you only want to be looking at the Entertainment Membership. This costs £9.99 per month, but it does include a seven-day trial period for new members, so if you time it right and cancel before the subscription charges your account, you can watch Friends: The Reunion without spending a penny.
How to watch the Friends reunion in the US: HBO Max
As this special is their project – and one that they’ve been endeavouring to get across the finish line for over a year now – it will come as little surprise that HBO Max has exclusive streaming rights for Friends: The Reunion in the US. So as things stand, US viewers have to log on to HBO Max to watch Friends: The Reunion.
The only snag here is that HBO Max doesn’t offer any kind of free trial, so if you want to watch Friends: The Reunion here, you’ll need to sign up for a subscription – currently $14.99 per month. The good news is that you’re only locked in for one month, so the worst-case scenario is you buy the subscription, and then cancel after a month or until the next iconic special comes out.
How to watch the Friends reunion abroad: use a good VPN service
While most of us are still land-locked due to the pandemic, you may still find yourself abroad when the hankering to watch Friends: The Reunion hits you, and unable to access Sky or Now TV if you’re from the UK, or HBO Max if you hail from the US. In this situation, your best option is to use a good VPN service.
Short for “virtual private network”, a VPN will shield all your traffic from everyone – including your ISP and any potential hackers – and allow you to access content from other countries, no matter where in the world you are. Both of the VPNs we mention below have thousands of servers dotted across the globe, offering you plenty of choice when travelling abroad.
Once you have installed the VPN, simply choose a US server (if you want to watch on HBO Max) or a UK server (if you want to watch on Sky or Now) and then load up the app or website as you normally would. You may need to create a free account before gaining access to your desired content, but once that’s out of the way, you’re good to go.
READ NEXT: Best VPN service
ExpressVPN: Among all the VPNs we’ve reviewed, ExpressVPN is the fastest and safest, promising lag-free streams to Sky, Now and HBO Max, regardless of where in the world you’re browsing from. Its 24/7 customer support team are on hand to answer any streaming questions and you can even get your money back within the first 30-day if the service doesn’t meet your expectations.
Surfshark VPN: One of the best features of Surfshark VPN is that a single VPN subscription covers unlimited devices, making it a great option for your entire family or even a group of friends. You’ll find that long-term plans are much cheaper and even though it’s one of the newer VPN services on the block, it has features we’ve come to love from established names, including a no-logs policy, 24/7 customer support and even a money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy with it.