Friends Fans In The UK Have Had A Distressing Realisation About The Upcoming Reunion Episode

If HBO Max isn't coming to the UK, could that mean the Friends reunion isn't, either?
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Friends fans have had a rather disappointing realisation about the upcoming one-off reunion special, more specifically those that live in the UK.

On Friday night, all six members of the main Friends cast confirmed simultaneously that they’d be appearing in a new one-off “celebration” looking back at the classic sitcom, 16 years after it was last on our screens.

The special is set to debut on the new streaming platform HBO Max in May, alongside all 10 series of Friends.

However, while British fans of the Emmy-winning series were initially thrilled to hear that the cast were reuniting for the first time since the show ended, others quickly pointed out that because HBO Max isn’t launching in the UK, there’s every chance we won’t actually be able to watch the show here.

Oh. 

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The cast of Friends at the height of the show's success
NBC via Getty Images

Understandably, many fans were disappointed by this, many of whom have been voicing their upset on social media…

However, some have also pointed out that Sky Atlantic regularly show HBO content in the UK – including Game Of Thrones, Girls and Westworld – suggesting it could end up being the UK home of the Friends reunion, even though they don’t show the series itself.

HuffPost UK has contacted HBO Max for more information.

The unscripted special will see the show’s cast returning to the soundstage on which Friends was filmed, reflecting on the sitcom’s global impact and best moments.

It will be directed by Ben Winston, best known for his work alongside James Corden on The Late, Late Show.

Friends is currently airing on Comedy Central in the UK, as well as streaming on Netflix, following its debut on the streaming platform in 2018, gaining the classic sitcom a new generation of fans.

This led to many younger viewers watching Friends for the first time, many of whom quickly began pointing out more problematic aspects of the show, namely a distinct lack of diversity and homophobic jokes about the character Charles Bing.