HBO Max release date: Service to launch in May for US viewers but Friends reunion won’t be available for months

‘Friends’ reunion special and new originals will be added through summer and fall

HBO Max now has a release date in May. (YouTube / HBO Max)

HBO Max officially has a release date.

The service will launch on 27 May for US viewers, its parent company WarnerMedia announced on Tuesday.

New originals, including a highly anticipated Friends reunion special featuring all six stars, will follow through summer and fall.

Some originals will also be available from day one of the launch.

Those include Love Life, a scripted comedy starring Anna Kendrick; a #MeToo feature documentary called On the Record; and Legendary, an underground ballroom dance competition series.

From 27 May, HBO Max will offer 10,000 hours of content, including the entire HBO catalogue (with programmes such as Game of Thrones, Westworld, and Big Little Lies) as well as titles from Warner Bros.

The Friends reunion special was originally supposed to be available for the launch of the service, but had to be delayed due to the coronavirus crisis, which caused production shutdowns across the entertainment industry.

When the special was announced in February, it was described as an unscripted programme, to be filmed in Burbank, California on the original Friends soundstage.

The programme will feature Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry – marking the six original cast members’ first reunion in front of the cameras.