''Reunited Apart'' is a ongoing web series created by

Josh Gad Joshua Ilan Gad (born February 23, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for voicing Olaf in the '' Frozen'' franchise, playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical ''The Book of Mormon'', and playing Le Fou in the live-action adap ...

, first streamed in April 2020. Created during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, each episode reunites the cast, crew, and related celebrities from a fan-favorite film using video conferencing as Gad interviews them about the film and projects they have done since. Though Gad had initially stated that the series would end with six episodes, he launched a second season in December 2020. The series is aimed to raise money for various charitable efforts.

Production

Gad created the series as a result of being stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he turned to watching films from his childhood which had influenced his own life with his own children. While watching ''

The Goonies ''The Goonies'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on a story by Steven Spielberg. In the film, kids who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astori ...

'', he got the idea of trying to reuniting the cast, and started reaching out to the film's original stars. They were interested and they further were able to reach out to others related to the film such as

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

who had sung the film's theme song, and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

who had produced the film. Gad considered that many of these films would not be possible to make in the current period of Hollywood and were inventive at their time, and thus worthwhile to explore through this series. Further, Gad felt many of these films lack the cynicism that had built up due to the coronavirus and would help alleviate viewers' morale. He stated "I thought, 'How great would it be, at a time when people are longing for simple nostalgia, to bring together casts from some of the iconic films that were part of my journey?'" Since the first episode, Gad has made efforts to try to get all principle casts for the films, but these efforts don't always pan out, such as lacking

Crispin Glover Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for portraying eccentric characters on screen, such as George McFly in ''Back to the Future'' (1985), Layne in ''River's Edge'' (1986), Andy Warhol in ''The Doors'' ...

for the ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...

'' reunion or

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six AACTA Awards, Australian Academy of Cinema and Tel ...

for ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

'' episode. After the sixth episode featuring the ''

Ferris Bueller's Day Off ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer Grey ...

'' reunion, Gad had stated that was the final episode of the series. However, Gad released the second season's first episode, featuring ''

Wayne's World "Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main characte ...

'', as a surprise in December 2020 and promising more episodes to come.

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Reception

''Reunited Apart'' has been compared favorably to '' Some Good News'', another web series created by

John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom ''The Office''. He also served as a producer and occasional director of the series throughout its nine ...

that was aimed to raised spirits during the pandemic. Each episode has seen views typically around two to five million, and have generally each raised more than for the individual charities; the ''Lord of the Rings'' episode raised more than .

References

External links

Episodes on YouTube
* {{The Lord of the Rings 2020 web series debuts 2020s American television talk shows 2020s YouTube series American non-fiction web series English-language television shows Television shows about the COVID-19 pandemic 2020s American television news shows