Update (June 24): Box art for Friends: The Complete Series on Blu-ray has been added below. In addition, use the following link to pre-order the set at Amazon.com.
Click here to pre-order Friends: The Complete Series on Blu-ray for $195.99 at Amazon.com with free shipping, 30% off the $279.98 list price.
Original article (June 19): Warner Home Video is bringing the hit NBC series Friends to Blu-ray in a big way this November.
Rather than dink around with individual season box set releases, Warner has announced a November 13, 2012 release date for Friends: The Complete Series on Blu-ray. The 21-disc set will include all 236 original broadcast episodes and 20 hours of bonus features – three of which are all-new and exclusive to this set.
The new bonus features include a “retrospective documentary with new interviews looking back at the influential 10 years of the series, never-before-released cast appearances, un-aired footage, a new gag reel and more.” Packaging will consist of a lenticular box cover that houses the discs in a hardcover book, as well as a 32-page episode guide.
Here is a more robust breakdown of the all-new bonus features:
- True Friends: Documentaries: Retrospective documentaries with new interviews looking at the influential 10 years of the show and how it changed the cultural landscape of the 90’s and first half of the new millennium
- Friends From the Start: Learn how the show was created and the challenges of finding the perfect cast and capturing “lightening in a bottle”
- When Friends Become Family: Enter the Writers Room and hear about the inspiration and development of some of the most iconic episodes and favorite moments from various seasons
- Legacy of Friends: Learn why the show had to come to an end, its influence on pop culture, and the legacy that it left behind
- The Original Producer’s Cut for ‘The One Where Rachel Tells Ross’: ‘The One Where Rachel Tells Ross’ is re-assembled back to its original form. An introduction by Kevin Bright will set up the episode and explain why it was ultimately edited before air.
- The Original Script for ‘The One Where Rachel Tells Ross’
- Friends On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2005)
- Friends Visit The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2004)
- The Ones With More Friends: The original extended broadcast episodes
- The One with the Never-Before-Seen Gags: Originally for the cast and crew, this never-before-seen gag reel has all the laughs that were too funny to include on the DVD
- The Rembrandts – “I’ll Be There For You”: Official music video featuring the cast of Friends
Every episode of Friends: The Complete Series will be presented on Blu-ray in 1080p 1.78:1 1080p video and 5.1 audio (presumably DTS-HD Master Audio).
Friends stars Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, and David Schwimmer as Dr. Ross Geller.
Warner has set an SRP of $279.98 for Friends: The Complete Series on Blu-ray. I will check back with Amazon pricing and cover art when available.
