‘TV’s Top 5’: Ben Winston Spills ‘Friends’ Reunion Secrets

Welcome to Episode 122 of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter‘s TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executive and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).

This week’s five topics are:

1. Merger mania, again.
Amazon is spending nearly $9 billion to scale up with the acquisition of the MGM film and TV library. A week after the WarnerMedia-Discovery deal, this segment explores why merger mania is only just getting started.

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2. The CW’s upfront takeaways.
Two new series orders, one surprising pilot pass and a weekend schedule filled with unscripted as the Mark Pedowitz-led network plots its return to business as usual in 2022.

3. Mailbag.
In this recurring segment, Dan and I answer listener questions. This week, we discuss the next possible merger, Kevin Reilly and our own streaming subscriptions. Have a topic you’d like to hear us discuss on a future episode? Email us at TVsTop5@thr.com.

4. Showrunner Spotlight.
This week, we’re joined by Friends reunion director Ben Winston, who takes us behind the curtain of the HBO Max special. How did the Kudrow-Gaga duet come together? What secrets from the hit show had to be left on the cutting room floor? How did he successfully get everyone to sign on to this after 17 years of passes? All that and more about the surprising reveals included in the nearly two-hour special.

5. Critic’s Corner.
As usual, every episode ends with Dan’s guide to what to watch (or skip) in the week ahead. This week, he offers reviews of the final season of The Kominsky Method, Why Women Kill and more.

Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like to be addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.