Who would be cast in Friends today?

As Friends celebrates 25 years since its premiere, let’s imagine the 2019 cast of the best sitcom of all time.

It’s a tall task to take a beloved masterpiece and remake it, yet it seems to be all that Hollywood has been doing lately. With Friends‘ 25 year anniversary on Sept. 22, why not make it the first of the major popular sitcoms to be remade for today’s young audiences.

The new cast has to be realistic. We can’t be casting Ryan Reynolds as Joey or Gal Gadot as Monica because it’s inconceivable that either of them would play these roles in a TV sitcom, let alone a previously wildly successful sitcom being remade. The list has to include actors and actresses who could believably be cast for this project in 2019, which is why we’re going young. A fresh start on our new Friends.

This is easily the most contentious thing I’ve personally written. After going through the list, writing it and rewriting it countless times. This is what I’ve come up with. This post has taken years from my life. In fact, in the time it took me to write this paragraph, I’ve gone back and changed three cast members.

You know what would be easier? Recasting Friends with six Joeys.

[Theme song plays.]

Friends, featuring Zac Efron as Joey, Adam Devine as Joey, Dave Franco as Joey, Skyler Astin as Joey and Shawn Mendes as, you guessed it! Joey!

Anyway. Let’s kick the list off with the actual choice for Joey.

Joey Tribbiani: Joe Keery (Stranger Things)

Joe Keery plays one of the most universally well-liked characters on Stranger Things. He proved he can be goofy, lovable, good looking and funny so it wouldn’t be a stretch to give him Joey’s role. In fact, there might not be a more perfect time to reboot Friends with Keery on board. He was born for this role. Keery killed it as Steve Harrington, a handsome guy lacking any sort of self-awareness. This would definitely translate to his Joey. How you doin’?

Keery has plenty of time in his work schedule between two-year breaks in Stranger Things seasons.

Here’s a somewhat unrelated question: If they remade Friends today, would they use a laugh track? They would have to, right? But laugh tracks in 2019 don’t translate as well as they did in the ’90s when the original Friends came out. Worth pondering.

Monica Gellar: Zendaya (Euphoria, Spider-Man: Far From Home)

Zendaya is the type of person who is not only ridiculously talented with a microphone, but will end up with an Oscar nomination at some point. She’s only 23, but seems to have everything in her life together, which is ridiculous to even think of if you are old enough to look back on your own life at 23. Every 23-year-old thinks they have it all figured out. Every 30-year-old knows they definitely did not have it all figured out. Zendaya seems immune to this right of passage.

She’s coming off of massive success on both Spider-Man: Far From Home and Euphoria, and while these are both massive, she doesn’t feel too “big time” to play a role on Friends. Zendaya can play any role, including the role of Monica in the new-look Friends.

Chandler Bing: Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far From Home)

Tom Holland joins his Spider-Man co-star Zendaya in our Friends remake because there isn’t a better actor out there to reprise this role. Holland is also flat-out hilarious. He possesses Matthew Perry’s dry wit and a healthy dose of sarcasm so there’s no doubt he’d fit into the role of Chandler on the new Friends. He’s also an extremely talented actor currently holding some massive name recognition, which would help the show get off the ground.

Holland is a massive star, but surely he can make the time to film Friends between Spider-Man movies, especially now that he’s out of the MCU and doesn’t have to commit to the Avengers’ busy schedule.

Ross Gellar: Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu)

He’s nerdy enough to be a paleontologist but cool enough to be the coolest guy on the show. (Yeah, that’s right — I’m a big Ross guy.) Ross has to be a bit of a dork and Smith nailed that role alongside Ryan Reynolds (kind of) in Detective Pikachu. Just look at the picture. It’s entirely believable that he’s droning on about dinosaurs to Good Morning America host Robin Roberts.

It also has to be believable that whoever plays Ross has an on-again, off-again relationship with Rachel Green. Smith toes this line perfectly. He’s a good looking dude who could easily pass as someone you wouldn’t want to get caught on a Central Perk couch alone with (unless you’re really into dinosaurs).

Rachel Green: Lili Reinhart (Riverdale, Hustlers)

Lili Reinhart, so hot right now. Co-starring in the highly-anticipated Hustlers and building on her Riverdale fame, Reinhart would make a splash if she was cast as Rachel Green in the new Friends sitcom. It helps that she has many of the same features Jennifer Aniston had when she first took on the iconic role.

For what it’s worth, Jennifer Aniston could probably play herself in this role. She looks exactly the same. That said, Reinhart would flourish as new Rachel, which would also get her out to more of an audience. With a solid Riverdale fanbase and having recently showcased an edgier side in Hustlers, it’s time to get this talented actress into a mainstream role.

Phoebe Buffay: Cardi B (Hustlers, is Cardi B)

Speaking of Hustlers! Please, hear me out on this choice. Cardi is different, funny, quirky, musically talented (but probably secure enough to make fun of herself in this regard) and comes with a variety of strange I-don’t-know-what-isms that make her a perfect new-school Phoebe. Okurrr!

2019 Phoebe has to be funny, loud, different, out there and likable and Cardi checks all of these boxes. If you aren’t sold or only know her from her music career, watch how funny she is in a different setting.

The added bonus to casting Cardi would be that you just know her version of “Smelly Cat” would be straight fire.

Bonus: Gunther and Janice

Gunther: David Schwimmer (Friends)

What a perfect ode to the original Friends. Gunther always had a creepy obsession with Rachel, which makes this casting even more perfect. Every good remake needs some sort of throwback to the original and this one just makes the most sense.

Janice: Melissa Villaseñor (Saturday Night Live)

Villaseñor would knock this role out of the park with ease. The current SNL cast member even looks like Chandler’s annoying (but endearing) on-again, off-again girlfriend Janice. She’s hilarious, could likely mimic the nasally laugh and would be a fun addition to the cast.

Apologies to anyone I may have personally offended by creating this list.

Please send us your version of a new Friends cast on Twitter @FanSided_ENT. Regardless of how you feel about mine, it isn’t as bad as this one. (Liam Neeson would make an incredible Ross, though.)