There has been a surge in cast reunions lately, due at least in part to unfortunate real-world circumstances. While not every reunion has featured the cast in the same room, audiences have had the chance to revisit some of their favorite television characters to date.
Furthermore, it seems like this trend is not going away. From the creative continuation of Punky Brewster and Dexter to outright reboots like Walker, the industry is finding new and exciting ways to mine familiar territory. But here are the most exciting recent cast reunions that have made waves in the hearts of fans who've missed them.
Community
Dan Harmon's cult hit Community got together for a digital table read in May of 2018. Bringing back the entire study group (save for Chevy Chase), the reunion serves as a reenactment of the season 5 Walton Goggins-starring episode "Cooperative Polygraphy".
In the original episode, Goggins plays an estate executor who is divvying up the possessions of the deceased Pierce Hawthorne (Chase). All the cast members who are there give the same impression: that not a thing has changed in their collective friendship.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Like many celebrities, Will Smith operated a podcast in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Smith did something unexpected with his and brought on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air stars Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, and DJ Jazzy Jeff for an impromptu reunion.
The makeshift reunion was so well-received that a 2020 HBO Max reunion was released. This 75-minute special featured the cast reminiscing about the making of the show as well as the inevitable mourning of James Avery's (Uncle Phil) passing.
The West Wing
Beloved Aaron Sorkin brainchild The West Wing was another show to have a special reunion on HBO Max. It was also one of several reunions created just to increase voter turnout ahead of the controversial 2020 presidential election.
While the special was more of an updated rendition of a season three episode, it included the entirety of the main cast's living members. Richard Schiff, Rob Low, Bradley Whitford, and Oscar-winner Allison Janney all made appearances. Even Martin Sheen came back for another round as President Josiah Bartlet.
Happy Days
The stars of Happy Days reunited back in October of 2020 as part of a fundraiser. Happy Days cast members Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Don Most, and Anson Williams got together online to read the manuscripts of two third-season episodes in an effort to raise money for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
Some celebrities, including D'Arcy Carden and Josh Gad, stopped by to participate as well.
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation's was just one of many casts from popular shows and movies to reunite over Zoom in 2020. This fun special crammed in all of the audience's favorite characters for a warm "hello" to the world in the middle of a trying time.
Unlike 30 Rock's (which felt like an advertisement, not a reunion), the Pawnee crew's reunion genuinely felt like a bit more time with the same great characters who haven't changed since the last episode.
The Nanny
The cast of this Fran Drescher-led '90s staple came together for a virtual table read of the show's pilot episode. The entire cast was able to appear: Fran Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy, Lauren Lane, Daniel David, Madeline Zima, Renee Taylor, and more.
Drescher figured it would be, according to ET, "...a really sweet gift to all of the fans around the world...And so, you know, nobody is getting paid or anything. It's just from our living rooms to yours." Thus far, over two million people have enjoyed the gift.
Veep
As the most recent series on the list, Veep wasn't exactly itching for a reunion. Furthermore, with a perfectly executed series finale that satisfyingly wrapped up every character established back in the first episode, it didn't seem at all necessary. It was like most of this recent glut of television reunions: no new content, but a chance to see a group of people who genuinely enjoyed working with one another pal around.
But, in line with its political subject matter, the virtual reunion was really another fundraiser to benefit the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Returning were Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, Sam Richardson, Reid Scott, and Tim Simons.
Friends
As one of the biggest television series of all time, Friends' reunion on HBO Max was never going to be anything less than an iconic event. In fact, according to Variety, an estimated 29% of U.S. streaming households watched the reunion on May 27 alone.
Hosted by James Corden, fans were invited in and allowed to hang with the cast as they revisit the series' various main sets. Watching the cast hug and chat and visit Central Perk was enough to draw tears to millions of viewers' eyes. With both Fresh Prince and Friends, it seems that HBO Max is somewhat of a TV reunion stomping ground.