Back in 2002, an episode of TV show Friends saw the reunion record a video message for Rachel’s daughter Emma to watch on her 18th birthday… in the distant year 2020.
When the future came, it brought a global pandemic in real life – and audiences who were stuck in lockdown looked to the past for the familiar comforts of old TV favourites.
This was reflected in programming itself. Actor Josh Gad’s web series Reunited Apart, which launched last May amid the first Covid wave, brought old co-stars of fan favourite shows and films back together (originally through the magic of video calls) to reminisce.
The trend has continued this year. Following high-profile Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Friends reunion specials, streaming service Hayu picked up E!’s Reunion Road Trip – in which cast members from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Scrubs and All My Children travelled down memory lane.
The Kardashian clan even began a two-part look back at their reality behemoth on Thursday, a mere week after the final credits had rolled on Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
So, how can we explain the nostalgic rise of the reunion, and what makes one worthwhile?
The appeal of old TV programmes lies as much in the memories and feelings we connect to them as their storylines.
Never was this made clearer than during the pandemic.
Many viewers often chose to return to the past. A lockdown viewing survey conducted by Radio Times found 43% of readers said they turned to trusted series for comfort.
Despite The Sopranos concluding in 2011, Sky’s Now streaming service reported a 122% increase in UK views of the gangster series last year, while HBO recorded a 200% increase among US audiences.
Elsewhere, original Fresh Prince episodes made a popular return to BBC iPlayer alongside the reunion special, while shows like Midsomer Murders and Only Fools and Horses topped ratings on BritBox, the archive streaming platform from the BBC and ITV. On Netflix, the ever-popular Friends continued to hover around its trending chart.
