Reunions from some of your favorite film, TV casts

Published 1:45 am Thursday, October 15, 2020

When the coronavirus kept everyone home earlier this year, many people took to the streaming sites to find comfort in their favorite TV shows and movies. Since the stars (they’re just like us!) also had to hunker down in their homes around the world, many of them reunited via Zoom and video chats and streamed them online for their fans to see, reminisce with them and get another dose of joy that we all needed. Others provided commentaries or just got together to read or recreate a film or television show. With so many of these virtual reunions occurring, there’s no way to list them all here. But chances are good that your favorite TV show from the 90s or later and a few cult-favorite film casts did some kind of reunion this year.

“That Thing You Do!” — One of the earlier entries in the virtual reunion, the main cast of the 1996 film, Tom Everett Scott, Steve Zahn, Johnathon Schaech and Ethan Embry got together with some special guests and provided a commentary for the film. The event was to raise money for MusiCares COVID Relief Fund and was done in memory of the songwriter behind the eponymous earworm Adam Schlesinger, who died in April from COVID-19. Watch the reunion on YouTube while watching the theatrical cut of the film by streaming it on HBO Max or renting it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

“The West Wing” — Not technically a reunion, but rather a restaging, creator of the series Aaron Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme adapted the episode “Hartsfield’s Landing” for the stage and most of the original cast (Sterling K. Brown will play Leo McGarry whose original actor John Spencer died in 2005) has reunited to do the word-for-word reenactment supporting When We All Vote a nonpartisan, nonprofit that works to increase voter participation. The special drops on HBO Max Thursday and will include guest appearances by Michelle Obama, Samuel L. Jackson, Lin Manuel Miranda and more. You can stream the whole original series on Netflix

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” — A proper reunion for the now 30-year-old show will air sometime around Thanksgiving on HBO Max, but for now fans can get their dose of the Prince with a mini-reunion that star Will Smith hosted on his Snapchat channel “Will From Home” in April. In it, he gathers co-stars Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton), Tatyana Ali (Ashley), Karyn Parsons (Hillary), Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey), DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jazz) and Daphne Reid (the second Aunt Vivian) to reminisce quickly about the series and react to clips Smith plays. There is also a touching tribute to James Avery who played Uncle Phil in the series. Watch the short reunion on Snapchat or find clips of it on YouTube. Stream the original series on HBO Max.

“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” Table Read — A-listers gathered for a virtual table read of the 1982 comedy benefitting Community Organized Relief Effort, a nonprofit organization co-founded by the star of the original film, Sean Penn (who also participates in the reading). The cast assembled for the reading includes Ray Liotta, John Legend, Henry Golding, Dane Cook, Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Jimmy Kimmel and Shia LaBeouf taking on the role of Spicoli (who gets very into character by hotboxing in his car). It’s really worth watching just for the other actors’ reactions to LaBeouf. After the reading, screenwriter Cameron Crowe gives a little insight into the film. Watch the table read on YouTube and stream the original film on Starz.

“The Lord of the Rings” — Josh Gad hosted several virtual reunions on YouTube under his Reunited Apart series, each episode highlighting different charities that viewers could donate to. In May, he brought together some of the original cast members and co-writer/producer Philippa Boyens and co-writer/producer/director Peter Jackson to raise money for No Kid Hungry. Gad guides the reunion with the cast diving fully into remembering their epic time creating the trilogy with behind the scenes anecdotes and trivia. Watch the reunion on YouTube or stream the trilogy on HBO Max.

“The Sandlot” — Hosted by Ham himself Patrick Renna alongside Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and his wife Kourtney, the cast, writer/director David Mickey Evans along with some special Major League Baseball guests discuss the movie and their own favorite moments, even recreate a few. The video was made as a benefit for the Justin Turner Foundation which supports homeless veterans, children and their families battling illness as well as youth baseball organizations. Watch the reunion on YouTube and stream the original film on Starz.

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