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Friends: The One We Can’t Reboot
It’s a pattern we’ve seen repeated for over a decade. A network needs a hit show and they want a guaranteed success. How do they ensure this happens? They reboot something familiar.
Netflix has given us shows like Fuller House and Arrested Development. ABC had a hit with its reboot of Roseanne, then The Conners when Roseanne Barr got fired. CBS has given us Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I. A new generation has been exposed to 90210 and Archie (via Riverdale). This list could go on and on.
In a world of syndication and streaming, one show stands out among the rest. After decades, this show has become the fattest cash cow in the pasture, and we haven’t gotten a reboot yet. Of course, the show I’m referring to is Friends.
When HBO Max launched, they obtained exclusive streaming rights to the show for $425 million dollars. The show has become the top performer on on the service despite sixteen years without a new episode. It still pulls in viewers, but HBO Max is also trying to give us new content with a reunion episode.
The One on HBO Max
Obviously, there is still a lot of money in this franchise. So much that HBO will pay roughly $20 million ($3–4 million each) to bring the six main actors together. This is for a single one-hour episode.
