Cast reunions became a ubiquitous cultural form during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of the shutdown of in-person production, actors had even more free time and fewer resources than during writers’ strikes. Zoom became a popular way to organize charity events and look back fondly on the network era of television. HBO Max released two elaborately produced and highly publicized cast reunion specials to promote their newly acquired NBCUniversal properties, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996), and Friends (1994-2004) which were meant to establish Warner Media and AT&T as legitimate stewards for the legacy of these classic sitcoms.

We discuss the ways these reunions function from a corporate strategy perspective and what they represent as works of art constructing nostalgic narratives around the production of 90s sitcoms. What are the tropes common to the two reunions? Are they fake or real?

Tweet at us if you have a different take on these reunions @talkingTropes
Special thanks to our editor Logan Mcbride
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