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TL;DR:

  • Lisa Kudrow doesn’t want to reprise the role of Phoebe Buffay but she’s not against a reboot of Friends
  • Kudrow would want to see a brand new cast come in to relive the show’s concept if a reboot were to happen
  • Phoebe Buffay remains the second most popular ‘Friends’ characters
Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay and David Schwimmer as Ross Geller sit on a couch while filming 'Friends' in 1996
‘Friends’ stars Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay and David Schwimmer as Ross Geller | Gary Null/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

Friends was among the most popular shows of the 1990s and early 2000s. Many shows from the time have been rebooted, whether with the old cast, ala Will & Grace and Sex and the City or with a new cast of characters, like Gossip Girls. Friends has, thus far, avoided it. While the original cast did come together for a reunion, they opted not to revisit their old roles. Lisa Kudrow, the actor who portrayed Phoebe Buffay, is comfortable with that. Kudrow recently revealed that while she’s not interested in reprising her famous role, she’s all for a reboot. 

Lisa Kudrow says she’s all for a ‘Friends’ reboot, but she won’t be in it

Kudrow isn’t interested in returning to Phoebe Buffay to figure out where her life would be today. Still, she insists, she isn’t against the idea of a reboot. In fact, Kudrow said she’d be pretty excited to see the concept revisited with a whole new cast. 

Lisa Kudrow is photographed at the premiere of 'Better Nate Than Ever' in Hollywood
Lisa Kudrow | Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

Where is the Buzz caught up with Kudrow at the premiere of Better Nate than Ever and asked her about potentially reprising the role of Phoebe. Kudrow said she’d like to see how Friends would play out now, but with a new cast. She insisted that she, personally, would not act in it.

Phoebe Buffay was one of America’s favorite ‘Friends’ characters 

Lisa Kudrow is adamant that she is done with playing Phoebe. Her thoughts have been echoed by the other cast members, too, and it all makes sense. Still, hearing Kudrow verbally opt-out of playing the quirky masseuse again kind of stings. 

There is a reason it hurts more to hear Kudrow say no than, say, David Schwimmer. YouGov asked fans to vote for their favorite Friends character back in 2021. The poll results made it clear who the favorite and least favorites are. While Rachel Green, portrayed by Jennifer Aniston, was the overall winner, Phoebe was a close second. Ross Geller, played by Schwimmer, was the least beloved. 

A ‘Friends’ reboot could utilize the kids to connect it to the old cast

Lisa Kudrow might be interested in seeing a new cast enter Monica and Rachel’s apartment for a new spin on the classic sitcom, but fans want to know how that would work. To be a true Friends reboot, some link to Phoebe and the gang would need to exist. While there are no public talks to reboot the series, there is one easy way we can see to make it happen. 

The cast of 'Friends' poses for a promotional photo
The cast of ‘Friends’ | NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
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If a Friends reboot were to be a thing, we’d like to see the show’s kids reside inside Monica and Rachel’s old place. Ben Geller, Ross Geller’s son with Carole Willick, and her life partner, Susan Bunch, would be 27 years old now. That’s around the same age Ross was when the series began. 

In season 4 of the series, Phoebe served as a surrogate for her brother and his wife. The triplets that Phoebe gave birth to would be 24 today. Emma Geller would be 20 years old. Seeing Ben, Emma, or the triplets return to the apartment to figure out their 20s could be an interesting premise. It would also give the original cast the option to appear on occasion if they wanted to.

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