'Why mess with it?' David Schwimmer shuts down Friends revival rumours

Friends star David Schwimmer has dismissed rumours of a revival of the famous sitcom.

Speculation that the hit show could return mounted after the cast – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and Schwimmer – reunited following its 25th anniversary.

Schwimmer, 53, who played Ross Geller, told the Guardian that while he would be open to an unscripted, chat-show style reunion, he does not want to resurrect the characters for more episodes.

“I just don’t think it’s possible, given everyone’s different career trajectories,” he said.

“I think everyone feels the same – why mess with what felt like the right way to end the series?

“I don’t want to do anything for the money. It would have to make sense creatively and nothing I’ve heard so far, presented to us, makes sense.”

He confirmed that he is still in touch with all of his fellow cast members, telling the paper: "We all had a little reunion dinner at Courteney's house recently.

"Everyone drifts and everyone has families and gets on with it so there are different relationships among the cast, but I'm probably closest to LeBlanc on a regular basis."

Last year, reports emerged that the stars were in talks for an "unscripted reunion special" slated to debut on HBO's streaming platform HBO Max.

Earlier this month, however, Kevin Reilly, the service's chief content officer, told the Television Critics Association that the project is "unfortunately still a maybe."

"There's interest all the way around, and yet we can't get interest all aligned to push the button on it," he said.

Friends has been a hit for a new generation after old episodes aired on Netflix, and Schwimmer believes that this renewed interest is because Friends was made before the age of social media.

“It was six people who actually sat and talked to each other,” he said.

He dismissed complaints from some millennials that parts of the show were transphobic, homophobic and sexist.

“The truth is also that show was groundbreaking in its time for the way in which it handled so casually sex, protected sex, gay marriage and relationships,” he said.

“The pilot of the show was my character’s wife left him for a woman and there was a gay wedding, of my ex and her wife, that I attended.

“I feel that a lot of the problem today in so many areas is that so little is taken in context. You have to look at it from the point of view of what the show was trying to do at the time.”

With additional reporting by ​Press Association.