Seinfeld Reunion is Must See HBO

There were the rumors that Friends would do a Thanksgiving reunion show a few years ago and the stars denied that. If I’m NBC or the potential new owners of NBC I would be kicking the tires to see if the Friends cast or The Cosby Show cast is interested in doing something. Heck, how about Family Ties? Republican Congressman Keaton? NBC could do a week of reunion shows. Chances are it would get better ratings than most of their current lineup.  NBC needs any good PR after canceling Southland before it aired (if you haven't already, NBC thought the new episodes were too dark for 9PM, so Dateline will stay at 9PM).

Not that Southland had made a real impact in their short first season, it’s just the latest in an almost decade long list of dumb moves by NBC. It’s also a stupid move of telling producer John Wells we’re not going to air any of the six episodes we ordered. Is Wells going to take his next project to NBC? It’s going to scare away writers/producers from even pitching a show to NBC. Though they may have to because CBS has very little room for new shows and a drama on Fox is likely to get stuck with a Friday timeslot. Oh wait there is cable...

A Friends or Cosby Reunion gives them a one night boost in the ratings and a chance to advertise the shows on their lineup that audiences may not be familiar with like Chuck or Community. Then have the cast show up on Leno right after...

The Seinfeld Reunion has started on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.  All four stars were back together, Jerry’s apartment was updated and the President of NBC gave Larry horrible seats for a Lakers game. So Larry told the President of NBC to go “**** himself” and then almost let him die. Wonder how NBC felt about that?

That’s like having a Friends reunion and airing it on Showtime’s upcoming Matt Le Blanc comedy Episodes. Le Blanc will play an exaggerated version of himself, just like the cast of Curb. Hey, it could happen. If I’m Le Blanc, I’m pitching it to the writers and Friends cast. Do a fictional reunion in the second season where the expectations are lower and they can have more fun. Just last season 30 Rock was home to a fictional Night Court reunion where half the cast appeared to wed Harry and Christine.

This is not the first time NBC had a popular cast reunite on another network. Most of the Cheers cast appeared on an episode of The Simpsons where Homer was looking for a new bar. NBC did have the episodes of Frasier where Lilith popped in and then episodes with visits from Sam, Diane, Woody and the best one with Cliff, Norm, Carla and Paul back in Boston.

After the Seinfeld Reunion finishes in the season finale of Curb, the next great reunion will occur with the Arrested Development feature film. Hopefully it films sometime in 2010, if everyone’s schedules can match up. The script is being written while Mitch Hurwitz also develops Will Arnett’s new TV comedy for Fox.

If That 70’s Show hadn’t cratered a reunion set in the 80s or early 90s could be appealing. Will & Grace plus Mad About You killed any chances of a reunion show with their serious jumps to the future series finales. Futurama came back with four direct to DVD movies that disappointed but gave life to new episodes. Maybe if Kelsey Grammar went to cable or away from network shows a Frasier reunion of some kind would be appealing.

Any show you would like to see have a reunion or have the cast appear in a current show?