On January 13, NBC announced a Friends reunion in part of a two-hour special honoring TV director James Burrows. This news seemed too good to be true, especially after Friends co-creator Marta Kaufman said a reunion would "never happen" as recently as last spring.

However, as announced today, there is a catch: Matthew Perry will not be at the Friends reunion, due to rehearsals in London for his new play The End of Longing.

"NBC executives were aware of this prior to [the Television Critics Association] announcement yesterday," his publicist says, though she adds that he may tape a segment for the special.

Friends ended its decade-long run in 2004. More than 52.5 million viewers tuned in to the final episode, making it the fourth most watched finale of all time behind M*A*S*H, Cheers and Seinfeld.