Look back at all the cast reunions and table reads fans have enjoyed since stars have been stuck at home amid the coronavirus crisis.
As 2020 has brought its fair share of ups and downs, one thing has consistently kept our spirits up: Virtual reunions and table reads! The casts of several beloved TV shows and classic movies have been reconnecting to the delight of fans over video chat platforms, and it's brought some real light to a difficult year.
Actors, directors, writers and producers have teamed up to give us all that nostalgia hit we've been craving throughout this quarantined year with virtual table reads and lots of reminiscing.
Here's a look at the cast reunions -- posted to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or aired on TV -- that have given us tremendous joy throughout this challenging time.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
For Dane Cook's Feelin’ A-Live virtual table read of the classic teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the comic host didn't reunite the film's cast as much as he reunited Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston for one of the most memorable virtual moments of the entire year. The star-studded charity table read featured Jimmy Kimmel, Morgan Freeman, Henry Golding, Shia LaBeouf, Matthew McConaughey, John Legend, and Ray Liotta -- as well as Fast Times star Sean Penn, although not in the role of his iconic stoner character Jeff Spicoli. In fact, all the actors went into the read not knowing who they would be reading for. Aniston ended up playing Linda, and Pitt played Brad, lining them up for a spicy scene together that sent fans into a meltdown. The hour-long event highlighted beloved scenes from the cult classic film, and served as a fundraiser for CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), a humanitarian organization co-founded by Penn, and Reform Alliance in the fight against COVID-19.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
On the season finale of Will Smith's Snapchat original series, Will From Home, the 51-year-old actor reunited with Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Joseph Marcell and DJ Jazzy Jeff to reminisce about their time on the show, which aired from 1990 to 1996. The cast later all came together for a special that debuted on HBO Max in November.
The Office
During an episode of John Krasinski's webseries, Some Good News, posted on May 10, the actor welcomed a number of his former co-stars from The Office for a socially distanced reunion to celebrate a very special virtual wedding. Krasinski -- who got ordained for the occasion -- officiated a virtual wedding of two big fans of the celebrated sitcom, and then welcomed the cast for a big group dance party.
Scandal
Stars in the House hosts Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley welcomed the cast of Scandal for a reunion that was so massive, it had to be split up into two segments -- first speaking with the actors who played members of Olivia Pope & Associates, and then the actors who played characters that Olivia (Kerry Washington) interacted with in the White House. Washington was joined by Katie Lowes, Cornelius Smith Jr., George Newbern, Joe Morton, and series director Tom Verica. Later, Washington and Verica stayed on and reminisced with Tony Goldwyn, Kate Burton, Bellamy Young, Jeff Perry, Dan Bucatinsky and Norm Lewis.
During the reunion, the possibility of a Scandal revival was brought up. When asked about potentially stepping into Olivia Pope's shoes once again, Washington said the idea was "hard to imagine," adding, "But it would be very hard to say no to the opportunity to work with these people again."
Girlfriends
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the sitcom's debut back in September 2000, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jill Marie Jones, Golden Brooks and Persia White came together via Zoom to reflect on the beloved series and celebrate its lasting legacy. During the 27-minute virtual reunion, the cast looked way back to the start of the series, and reminisced about the early days of working together, going to photo shoots and getting to know each other. The cast got emotional as they discussed the impact of the show, and the reunion closed with some loving words from Ross, who shared, "I feel so proud of what we did together."
Veep
Just over a year after the acclaimed and highly awarded series ended, the cast of Veep reunited as part of a virtual fundraiser to benefit the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Sam Richardson, Tim Simons, Tony Hale, Clea DuVall and Matt Walsh -- along with executive producer David Mandel -- came together on the special evening and raised a total of $500,000 for the cause.
On Nov. 24, Louis-Dreyfus took to Instagram to reveal that the cast would be reuniting once again in December to raise money for America Votes, which seeks to increase political awareness and voter turnout for the upcoming U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia.
Lizzie McGuire
Hilary Duff and the entire Lizzie McGuire cast virtually reunited for a throwback table read on May 11. Jake Thomas, Adam Lamberg, Lalaine, Robert Carradine, Hallie Todd, Ashlie Brillault, Davida Williams and Kyle Downes, plus writers Nina and Jeremy Bargiel and Bob Thomas, all joined in on the fun, to read the season 1 episode "Between a Rock and a Bra Place."
Mean Girls
In one of the most comprehensive and surprising reunions of the year, the cast of the beloved teen comedy came together -- appropriately on Oct. 3, also known as Mean Girls Day -- for the first time since the movie's 2004 premiere. Katie Couric virtually reunited Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, Jonathan Bennett, Daniel Franzese, Rajiv Surendra, as well as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Ana Gasteyer.
While the cast kicked things off by reminiscing about their time together, roles and iconic moments, the reunion was in support of voter registration and voting plans -- an effort created in partnership with HeadCount and #GoodToVote. During the fun and revealing chat, Chabert shared what her favorite line was, Seyfried touched on playing a "dumb blonde," while McAdams said what lines are most quoted to her. Lohan, on her end, revealed that she initially wanted to play Regina George.
Hamilton
John Krasinski seriously made a young Hamilton fan's day during the second episode of his web series, Some Good News. The actor Zoomed with a 9-year-old girl named Aubrey, who was disappointed when the tour performance of Hamilton that she was supposed to see got canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a surprise, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda joined their chat as well. Aubrey was clearly shocked and delighted to virtually see the Tony winner, but he took things one step further when he and the rest of the original Broadway cast reunited via Zoom to perform "Alexander Hamilton" for her.
Community
The Community cast reunited for a virtual table read on May 18, and things at Greendale were just as hilarious as ever! Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong, as well as creator Dan Harmon, came together via Zoom to read the season 5 episode "Cooperative Polygraphy," a bottle episode in which the study group gathers in the library after Pierce's (Chevy Chase) funeral to hear what he's left them in his will, courtesy of an eccentric estate executor. The role was originally played by Walton Goggins, who was unavailable for the read, so The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal stepped in for the special event.
The Goonies
The cast of The Goonies reunited for the first time in more than 30 years, courtesy of Frozen star and Goonies superfan Josh Gad, during the debut episode of Gad's new web series, Reunited Apart. Castmembers Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, Josh Brolin and the rest of the gang were joined by "surprise guests" Cyndi Lauper (who sang the movie's theme song), screenwriter Chris Columbus, director Richard Donner and executive producer Steven Spielberg.
Back to the Future
For the second installment in Josh Gad's YouTube series, Reunited Apart, the actor and host brought together almost all the famous faces from the Back to the Future trilogy, including Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Mary Steenburgen and Elisabeth Shue -- as well as the franchise's creators, Bob Gale and director Robert Zemeckis. There was even a special appearance from the film's composer, Alan Silvestri, and rock legend Huey Lewis -- who wrote and performed two of the most iconic songs from the film's soundtrack, "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time."
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives stars Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, Vanessa Williams, Dana Delany and Brenda Strong reunited for the web series Stars in the House on April 12 to raise money for The Actors Fund -- and the group had a lot of love for their former co-star, Felicity Huffman, who wasn't present for the reunion. Stars Teri Hatcher and Nicollette Sheridan were also notably absent from the reunion.
The Nanny
For this special gathering, the video of which was released on April 6, the cast of The Nanny came together to stage a table reading of the show's pilot episode -- which first aired in November 1993 -- and included the entire original cast, including Fran Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy, Lauren Lane, Daniel David, Nicholle Tom, Benjamin Salisbury, Madeline Zima, Renee Taylor and Rachel Chagall. They were also joined by musician Ann Hampton Callaway, who performed the show's instantly recognizable theme song from her piano at her home, as well as the show's executive producer and co-creator, Peter Marc Jacobson.
Melrose Place
Melrose Place fans got their dream reunion when the show's stars -- including Amanda Woodward herself, Heather Locklear -- came together for the first time in eight years for a virtual reunion as part of the Stars in the House web series, benefiting The Actors Fund.
That Thing You Do!
All four original Oneders -- Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn and Ethan Embry -- as well as Colin Hanks, participated in a livestream watch party, where they watched along with fans and commented on the film.
High School Musical
Zac Efron made a special appearance during The Disney Family Singalong on April 16 to introduce his former High School Musical co-stars -- Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel -- as they reunited to sing "We're All in This Together."
The West Wing
The cast of the acclaimed political drama came together for a special reunion, which premiered on HBO Max, aimed at promoting civic engagement and voter turnout ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Martin Sheen returned as President Josiah Bartlet, and was joined by Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill and Janel Moloney. The special -- directed by Thomas Schlamme and executive produced by Aaron Sorkin -- was a recreation of the acclaimed season 3 episode "Hartsfield's Landing," which first aired in 2002.
Splash
More than 36 years after Disney's romantic fantasy comedy Splash hit theaters, the cast and creators came together as part of Josh Gad's ongoing web series, Reunited Apart, to share their memories of the project. Among those who joined the reunion were stars Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah -- who dished on the challenges of the movie's iconic underwater kiss -- as well as director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, and comedy icon Eugene Levy.
Parks and Recreation
While not a traditional reunion special with the actors filming from their respective homes, Parks and Rec did its best to show where every main character has ended up in the five years since we said goodbye to them. The special, which aired April 30 on NBC, included all the members of the original cast, as well as a number of recurring guest stars, including Paul Rudd, Jay Jackson and Mo Collins, among others.
Good Luck Charlie
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Disney Channel series' debut, Disney brought the Duncan family together for a virtual cast reunion over Zoom with ET, where the stars took a trip down memory lane as they reminisced about their time on the comedy series, which ran from 2010 to 2014. Stars Bridgit Mendler, Bradley Steven Perry, Jason Dolley, Leigh-Allyn Baker, Eric Allan Kramer and a grown-up Mia Talerico -- who was only 11 months old when the show started -- reconnected as they shared their fondest memories of their time on set, working with baby Talerico and whether they'd be open to a reunion movie.
Scream
Almost 24 years since fans first encountered the infamous Ghostface killer in Scream, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich and screenwriter Kevin Williamson virtually reunited on Looped for a good cause. The cast and creator reflected on some of their favorite memories from the production of the first film, which characters they thought deserved to still be alive, and they touched on the recently wrapped fifth installment in the franchise.
Cheaper by the Dozen
The stars of the 2003 family comedy Cheaper by the Dozen offered a unique take on the virtual reunion trend, opting to shoot individual vignettes which were cut together into a nostalgia-packed video. Several stars from the film, including Hilary Duff, Piper Perabo and Bonnie Hunt, to name a few, recreated a few scenes and still shots from the movie, giving fans a look at how much the actors have grown over the past 17 years.
My So-Called Life
Most of the major actors came together for a video chat -- including leading lady Claire Danes, Bess Armstrong, Tom Irwin, Devon Odessa, Mary Kay Place, Devon Gummersall, Paul Dooley and Rayanne Graff -- as well as the show's creator, Winnie Holzman. Actor Wilson Cruz took to Twitter to share a screenshot of their group Zoom call, and fans couldn't help but notice one big star wasn't on hand for the get together: Jared Leto, who played Danes' crush on the teen drama.
Happy Days
Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Don Most and Anson Williams all came together -- along with series writer Lowell Ganz -- to read two episodes from the third season of the beloved and wildly influential sitcom as part of a special event held to raise money for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. The reunion also got some help from a number of other celebrities -- who are also fans of the show -- including Josh Gad, Yara Shahidi and D'Arcy Carden, as well as Howard's daughter, Paige Howard. Carden stood in for Happy Days star Marion Ross, who was originally slated to participate but was unable to attend because, according to Winkler, she wasn't feeling well. Meanwhile, the other guest stars stepped in to read parts played by other actors who were also unavailable or who have sadly died.
Dazed and Confused
Director Richard Linklater and the cast of Dazed and Confused came together to raise money for initiatives aimed at increasing voter turnout in Texas. Matthew McConaughey reunited with many of his original co-stars, including Rory Cochrane, Parker Posey, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp and Joey Lauren Adams -- as well as director Linklater. Several excited celebs also signed on to fill in for different characters, including Eiza Gonzalez, Ricky Whittle, Ashton Kutcher, Zachary Levi and Jensen Ackles.
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