Some of the Friends cameos were spectacular: Robin Williams’ moment on the Central Perk sofa telling Billy Crystal his wound is ‘oooooozinig’; Brad Pitt’s Will high-fiving Ross for being co-creator of the ‘I Hate Rachel Green Club’. But that was then, when we had the padding of 236 episodes to fall back on if a cameo didn’t work and we wanted more from the six characters we know and love.
Now the Friends Reunion episode has been announced and it’s all anyone can think about (well, if you’re of a certain age and a bit basic like me – I had tears in my eyes watching the dramatic teaser clip yesterday. Could I BE any more of a cheugy millennial?)
Immediately, people started searching for ‘guest appearances’ and some of the cameo names we’ve been teased, like Malala Yousafzai, David Beckham, James Corden and Cara Delevingne.
We’ve also been promised Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and BTS as well as some of the classic, former castmate cameos, like Tom Selleck (Richard), Reese Witherspoon (Jill), James Michael Tyler (Gunther) and Maggie Wheeler (Janice).
Leave Gunther and Janice to pull at the nostalgic heartstrings, but do we really need to see the likes of Justin Bieber in our precious, one-off, reunion episode with the gang? Nah thanks.
We haven’t had the actual cast back together like this for years. The last thing we want is more cameos taking up precious airtime while a canned audience cheers as James Corden saunters on and delivers some mediocre quip, or BTS talk about what Friends meant to them. Sorry, don’t care. I can't fault Malala, but in Friends? Whaat!! Whyyy? Has anyone checked this cameo list wasn't released on April Fools' Day?
I want raw, unscripted Friends characters back together for a – probably awkward – attempt at a conversation, to bathe in the familiarity of their faces, study their chemistry and dissect every word they say. I want old references, ‘behind the scenes’ gossip about moments they loved and hated filming and their predictions about what their characters would be doing now. Obviously we’d prefer them all back in character but we’ve been told we’re not getting that.
If they weren’t involved in Friends originally, I don’t want to know.
Former castmates aside, these cameos have nothing to do with Friends. We live in the age of nostalgia - you can’t just throw some Gen Z pop star in the mix and assume it’s an easy recipe for a ‘big cultural moment’ purely because they’re A list in 2021. If they weren’t involved in Friends originally, I don’t want to know.
Bieber was born the year Friends started and Cara Delevingne was only two. If Gen Z can mock us millennials about our basic tastes and love of Friends, I reckon we’re within our rights to say: if you weren’t old enough to turn the TV on when it aired or you can’t remember waiting for a new episode each week, this moment’s not for you. Remember Black Friday – an emotional night on Channel 4 when the final episode aired followed by the launch night of Big Brother 5 in 2004? (I’ve got goosebumps).
Like a Blood Moon or solar eclipse, these things only come around every few years/decades. This one may never happen again. Please don't eclipse the nostalgic reunion by bringing out a string of irrelevant celebs. I don’t need the added suspense of wondering which one is going to steal or ruin the show. I want undivided attention on the six stars we haven’t seen for so long.
Let us basics have this moment with the cast - it’s a special time for us. You wouldn’t invite a load of randoms to a reunion between close friends. The same rule applies. Original Friends only please. We miss you!
Read More: Were No Black People Available For The Friends Reunion?