It should come as no surprise that the sticom Friends enjoyed a surge of renewed interest leading into its long-awaited, oft-delayed reunion special Thursday. What is surprising, however, is how confused the internet appears to be over where to watch the highly-hyped reunion. According to Google Trends search traffic, a large segment of U.S. audiences aren’t entire surely how they can access the nostalgia-rich trip down memory lane.
So here’s what you need to know about the one-off reunion special if you’re interested in watching this weekend.
Friends: The Reunion release date
Friends: The Reunion was released on HBO Max Thursday at 3am ET. It is currently available to watch right this very second. Finish this article so we can get that sweet, sweet engagement and then go watch it. Your boss won’t mind if you kick off work several hours early—just don’t sue us when you get fired.
The reunion special reunited the entire original cast: Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Matthew Perry (Chandler), and David Schwimmer (Ross). It isn’t a new episode of Friends set 17 years after the finale. It’s a largely unscripted talk show full of reminiscing, interviews, bloopers, celebrity cameos, and silly bits. The reunion special is hosted by James Corden (apologies).
Where to watch Friends: The Reunion
Friends: The Reunion is ONLY available on HBO Max. Not Netflix (NFLX), not Hulu, not Amazon Prime Video, not Disney+. It can only be watched on HBO Max. However, there is a small caveat within that declaration which we’ll get to in a moment.
Unfortunately, HBO Max did away with its free trial offers shortly before the release of December’s Wonder Woman 1984. That means you’ll have to sign up for an HBO Max subscription at $14.99 per month, or wait until the platform’s ad-supported tier arrives later this summer at $9.99 per month. But, you can opt for the ultra sneaky new Hulu offers that affords consumers a 7-day free trial of Hulu and HBO Max together. But if you don’t cancel, it’s going to cost you an additional $14.99 per month on top of what you’re already paying for Hulu. Otherwise, you’re not watching the Friends reunion special any time soon, pal. Sorry.
HBO Max is currently only available in the U.S., but will be rolling out to more than 40 overseas markets beginning in June.
How to stream Friends: The Reunion online
A sliver of existing AT&T (T) customers are still eligible for free HBO Max subscriptions with their phone, internet or TV plan. This includes customers who pay for AT&T Unlimited Elite wireless, AT&T Fiber Internet 1000, and the AT&T TV Choice plan. If you subscriber to any of those services, you can hop into HBO Max at no extra charge for all of the Friends shenanigans. If not, well, better luck next time.