Secret Talks for 'Friends' 30th Anniversary Reboot 'Scrapped Due to Matthew Perry Drug Death Tragedy': 'Even Their Writers Couldn't Make That Funny'
Matthew Perry's passing has ended plans for a Friends reboot to mark the show's 30th anniversary.
Sept. 23 2024, Published 2:05 p.m. ET
Plans for a 30th-anniversary reboot of the hit sitcom Friends have been axed in the wake of Matthew Perry's death.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the remaining cast members were in secret talks for a big-money return – but network execs felt Perry's passing was so tragic the show's writers would struggle to make the show funny.
A source told RadarOnline.com: "Without Matthew, there's no way a proper reboot will happen.
"The deep tragedy around his death would just be too hard to reference in the context of a comedy.
Iconic sitcom Friends ran for ten seasons and was a hit worldwide.
"The writers and network bosses have held talks about doing a reboot, but it's been decided it would be far too poignant with Matthew.
"There were always bittersweet plots with Friends, but this would just be a step too far."
Perry, who played the wise-cracking Chandler Bing, died in October of last year at the age of 54.
An autopsy found a high concentration of ketamine in his blood and determined the "acute effects" of the controlled substance had killed him.
Perry, famous for playing Chandler Bing, died in October of last year at the age of 54.
In May 2021, Perry joined cast members David Schwimmer, 57, Jennifer Aniston, 55, Courteney Cox, 60, Lisa Kudrow, 61, and Matt le Blanc, 57, for a reunion special hosted by James Corden, which sparked talk the comedy could one day return.
Cox, who played Monica Geller and who had a relationship on the sitcom with Perry's character, recently opened up about her love for the comedy which ran for ten seasons on NBC after premiering in September 1994.
The New York-based pals were linked with a big-money return 30 years after the show's debut episode.
The actress says she still watches the show when "she comes across it" because she "can’t help but (watch)".
She told People: "That show is incredible. Every joke holds up, all the characters are just so amazing, and we (had) the best writers in the world. I'm lucky that it continues on through all the generations. And that's very fortunate."
Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry had a close relationship both on and off the TV screen.
When quizzed about a reboot, Cox explained she "can't imagine" it happening considering the lasting legacy the original series had.
The actress said: "It's hard to try to redo anything.
"Anything with 're' in front of it with this group… I think it's so special."
Friends creator Marta Kauffman says Perry's death makes the show's 30th anniversary "fraught".
Speaking to Today, she said: "It's a huge loss and it does make the 30th a little fraught."
On Perry speaking openly to cast and crew about his addiction struggles, producer Kevin S. Bright added: "He'd been fighting the good fight for so long, and it really did feel like, from the (2021 cast) reunion on, that he had finally found some peace."
Perry died two years after the Friends cast got back together for a reunion special hosted by James Corden.
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Recurring cast member Aisha Tyler, who played Charlie on the show, has also reflected on sharing the screen with Perry.
She told the Independent: "On my first live show, Matthew Perry said to me, 'Get ready for your life to change.'
"And it was just those little moments of kindness that came very easily for them, but really made a difference for me – because it's very hard to be funny if you're frightened."
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