Friends: What other films and shows have the cast members been in?

From blockbuster films to failed sitcoms

Twenty seven years after the show first aired, the cast of Friends are reuniting for a TV special for HBO Max.

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer are all coming back together for the non-scripted reunion episode, which will air in Thursday (27 May).

It will also feature a number of their former co-stars, such as Tom Selleck and Reese Witherspoon, as well as many of their celebrity friends and fans.

During the final two seasons of Friends, the cast were famously all earning a whopping $1m (£705,000) per episode to star in the show, making them some of the highest-paid TV actors of all time.

Aside from Friends, the cast have appeared in a number of other projects over the years, ranging from blockbuster films to failed TV sitcoms.

Below, we look back over some of the Friends cast’s most notable TV and film appearances.

Jennifer Aniston

Leprechaun (1993)

1993’s Leprechaun (Trimark Pictures)

There are definitely some clunkers among this list, but Aniston’s pre-Friends debut, in the horror-comedy film Leprechaun, is one of the worst. Starring Warwick Davis, the film was a critical disaster but has gone on on to achieve something of a cult status.

Marley & Me (2008)

With Owen Wilson in Marley & Me (Moviestore/Shutterstock)

Aniston has starred in many box office hits in her time – and Marley & Me is among them. Released in 2008, and starring Owen Wilson as Aniston’s fellow pet owner, this tearjerker is basically the reason the website doesthedogdie.com was invented.

Cake (2014)

2014’s Cake (Moviestore/Shutterstock)

While Cake, a film about a woman living with chronic pain, received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office flop, Aniston was lauded for her leading performance. She received a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination for the role.

The Morning Show (2019-present)

(Apple TV+)

Aniston returned to TV for her first main role since Friends alongside Witherspoon in this Apple TV+ #MeToo-era drama. She went on to win a SAG Award and receive Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role.

Courteney Cox

Family Ties (1987-1989)

With Michael J Fox in Eighties sitcom Family Ties (Ubu Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Pre-Friends, Cox appeared in seasons six and seven of this NBC family sitcom as Lauren Miller, staying on until the show’s end in 1989.

Scream (1996-present)

Parker Posey, Courteney Cox and her infamous fringe in Scream 3 (1999) (Dimension Films/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Cox starred in the first Scream film in 1996 as journalist Gail Weathers, reprising the role in films two to four. She will reprise the role once again in 2022’s fifth Scream film, imaginatively titled Scream.

Dirt (2007)

In Dirt (Moviestore/Shutterstock)

Having had her fair share of tabloid exposure over the years, Cox was the perfect choice to play the editor-in-chief of a glossy magazine in this FX TV series. The show was given two seasons, but its latter run of episodes was cut short by the writers’ strike.

Cougar Town (2009-2015)

Cougar Town ran until 2015 (Moviestore/Shutterstock)

In comedy series Cougar Town, Cox plays a recently divorced 40-something woman who begins dating younger men. The actor earned a Golden Globe nomination during the show’s first season, with it eventually running for six years.

Lisa Kudrow

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)

(Touchstone Pictures)

Kudrow starred opposite Mira Sorvino in this chick flick with a cult following about two women who pretend to be successful business women when they attend their high school reunion. Alan Cummings also stars.

Mad About You (1992-1997)

Playing Phoebe’s twin Ursula (NBC)

In a Friends crossover, Kudrow played the role of Phoebe Buffay’s twin sister Ursula, a waitress, in award-winning NBC sitcom Mad About You. Ursula also appeared in a number of Friends episodes.

The Opposite of Sex (1998)

Kudrow and Christina Ricci (Sony Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Starring Christina Ricci and Martin Donovan, The Opposite of Sex is a romantic comedy in which Kudrow plays Lucia De Lury, a young woman whose brother dies of Aids.

The Comeback (2005-2014)

The Comeback is often considered to include Kudrow’s greatest performance. The actor created and starred in the series as sitcom star Valerie Cherish, with the show first airing in 2005 and returning nine years later in 2014.

Matt LeBlanc

Joey (2004-2006)

As Joey in Joey (Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock)

After Friends, there was Joey – or “The One We Don’t Talk About”. This critically panned spin-off series still achieved decent ratings, but was cancelled after two seasons.

Episodes (2011-2017)

(BBC/HatTrick)

Post-Joey, LeBlanc took a four-year hiatus from acting, returning in 2010 with British-American comedy Episodes, in which the actor played a version of himself. Green Wing co-stars Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig play the writers of his fictional new sitcom Pucks.

Top Gear (2016-2018)

Former Top Gear hosts Rory Reid, Matt LeBlanc and Chris Harris (BBC WorldWide)

Having previously appeared on Top Gear as a guest – during which he set the record for Star in a Reasonably Priced Car – LeBlanc was named as one of the show’s permanent hosts in 2016. He remained on the show until 2018, leaving after three series.

Man with a Plan (2016)

CBS sitcom Man with a Plan (CBS)

From 2016 to 2020, LeBlanc played a contractor on the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan. It was eventually cancelled after four seasons.

Matthew Perry

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-2007)

Perry and Bradley Whitford (Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Set behind the scenes on a fictional TV series similar to Saturday Night Live, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was a short-lived Aaron Sorkin comedy series and starred Perry, Amanda Peet and Bradley Whitford.

17 Again (2009)

2009’s 17 Again (Offspring Ent/Kobal/Shutterstock)

A teen movie that will always hold a special place in a certain generation’s collective hearts, 17 Again followed a 37-year-old man (Perry) who ends up turning back into his teenage self (Zac Efron).

Mr Sunshine (2011)

With Alison Janney in Mr Sunshine (Adam Larkey/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Perry was creator, writer, executive producer and star of this short-lived ABC sitcom about a man in the middle of his mid-life crisis, which ran for just one season in 2011. Ratings were so low towards the end that the show’s final four episodes never aired.

The Odd Couple (2015-2017)

(CBS via Getty Images)

Having previously worked together on 17 Again, Perry and Thomas Lennon reunited for this TV spin-off of the 1968 film. Perry developed the show’s premise and had been pitching it to networks since the early 2000s when the series finally made it to air. It ran for three seasons.

David Schwimmer

Madagascar (2005)

Schwimmer voices Melman (far right) in Madagascar 3 (Moviestore/Shutterstock)

Schwimmer voiced Melman the giraffe in Madagascar alongside a cast including Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith. He returned for its two sequels in 2005 and 2012.

Run Fatboy Run (2007)

Schwimmer, Pegg and Newton (Jss Images/BEI/Shutterstock)

Not technically an acting performance, but Schwimmer made his directorial debut with this Simon Pegg British comedy about a man who decides to run the London marathon to win his former fiancée back. Thandiwe Newton also stars.

The People v OJ Simpson (2016)

(BBC/Fox)

The first of Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story anthology series, The People v OJ Simpson saw Schwimmer give an uncanny portrayal as lawyer Robert Kardashian. The actor received his second Emmy nomination for his turn in the series.

Intelligence (2020)

Returning to the UK once more, Schwimmer starred alongside Nick Mohammed last year in comedy series Intelligence. The show aired on Sky, and a second outing is on the way.

Friends: The Reunion airs on HBO Max on Thursday 27 May. Find details on how to watch in the UK here.