The cast of Friends Photo: Sina Weibo

Friends, one of the most-watched iconic US sitcoms, has long had a huge following in China, so it is no surprise that the show began trending on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo after the trailer for its 2021 reunion special was recently released. 

The new trailer left the show's fans in China bubbling over, with many of them expressing their excitement and anticipation for the show, which many called it their "entrance to Western culture."  

"I will stay up all night for it like what I've done before when I was at college even if I have to get up seven for work," Fan Ni, a 31-year-old US TV drama fan who has been a fan of Friends for nearly ten years, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Some other netizens shared their nostalgic moods and touching feelings over the show. 

"My eyes are wet when I saw them all getting old and Richard is back, but can burst into laughter the next second when I hear Janice's 'OMG'," posted a netizen on Sina Weibo.    

"By watching this for god knows how many times, I always remembered the first time I watched the show with lots of confusions on the 'openness' of the US culture, and later find the US English language and culture are interesting and charming," Fan Ni explained. 

Friends: The Reunion, also known as "The One Where They Get Back Together" is an unscripted special design for the successful TV comedy that first aired nearly 30 years ago. It will see the main cast, now middle-aged, come together and revisit their experiences on the show. 

While the return of the original cast is a highlight, fans seemed even more excited because the reunion will also bring in hot international stars as guests such as BTS, one of the world's most popular K-pop boy bands. 

"I think it was more of a strategic move for BTS to appear on the show, as I recall that their new album will be released just before the show releases in May. So the two sides collaborating with each other can bring good publicity," Xiong, a K-pop insider, shared his opinion with the Global Times on Thursday. 

The show is set to debut on May 27 on HBO Max.