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Nostalgia. It doesn't get better than that - which is probably why TV cast reunions are all the rage. You know that feeling when you see your favorite TV casts reassembled 20 years later? Part of you probably sighs, "Remember the good old days?" Meanwhile, another part thinks (with a smidgen of guilt, because you're 20 years older too), "Wow, they look... older." Ah, the beauty of TV show reunions.
It seems that at some point, every TV show cast is reunited. Whether it's to receive an award, pose for a magazine spread, or just relive old times and have a meal, there's no better marketing ploy than getting the team back together one last time.
Sure, cast members have often remained friends, but others have pursued their own careers (some not even in show business at all, like Paul Pfeiffer from The Wonder Years, who became a lawyer).
Here's a list of some of the most memorable and nostalgia-filled television reunions.
Before Will Smith was an A-list big-screen actor, he was a much-beloved small-screen actor in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (you are probably singing the theme song in your head right now), playing a kid from Philadelphia who goes to live with his rich aunt and uncle and their family in Bel-Air, CA.
Playing the title character, whose real name was Will Smith, too, he and the rest of the cast kept audiences entertained for six seasons from 1990 to 1996 with their upper-class antics.
Actors: Will Smith, James Avery, Daphne Maxwell-Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro, Janet Hubert
On September 10, 2020, the 30th anniversary of the airing of the first episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, series starWill Smith shared Instagram photos of the cast reunited for an HBO Max reunion special that will air "around Thanksgiving" 2020, according to a news release. He was joined by Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks), Karyn Parsons (Hilary Banks), Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey Butler), Daphne Maxwell Reid (Aunt Vivian Banks), Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton), and DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeff) to tape a one-time reunion show on the set of the Banks family home.
Smith's Instagram post also included a photo of him meeting separately with actress Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Vivian, who left the show after three seasons reportedly in part because she and Smith didn't get along. Also in the post, Smith said "RIP James," paying tribute to cast member James Avery (Uncle Philip Banks), who passed in 2013.
For three seasons, from 2013 to 2015, Hannibal aired on NBC, riveting audiences with its eccentricity and gore. The show is certainly one of the most shockingly gruesome for a network; nevertheless, the prequel to Thomas Harris's Red Dragon provides provocative insight into the titular character's true persona.
As Hannibal builds relationships with the FBI, Will Graham, and more, we get to see just how manipulative and interesting the infamous cannibal really is.
Just about five years after the show went off the air, Nerdist got the cast and crew of Hannibal back together for a behind-the-scenes reunion. On July 11, 2020, the reunion (recorded In June) will air on Nerdit's YouTube Channel, with Bryan Fuller, Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, Gillian Anderson, Caroline Dhavernas, and more reminiscing about their time on set.
Nerdist also teased a couple of special guests who aren't named on the roster who will appear live.
30 Rock is Tina Fey's satirical masterpiece, staring the famed comedy writer herself alongside Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer. From 2006 to 2013, the stars of 30 Rock parodied Fey's experience as a head writer for Saturday Night Live with their behind the scenes adventures of a fictional live sketch comedy show.
Actors: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer
On June 16, 2020, NBC announced 30 Rockwould return on July 16 for an hour-long special "upfront" event. Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer will reprise their roles for what chairman of Advertising & Partnerships at NBCUniversal, Siid Linda Yaccarino, described as an event that "reflects a new reality and celebrates our relationship with viewers and advertisers alike."
Executive producers Fey and Robert Carlock said, "We’re all happy to have this excuse to (remotely) work together again for NBC. To quote Kenneth the Page, there are only two things we love in this world, television and everyone."
