Friends: The Reunion (NC16)

103 minutes, now on HBO and HBO Go/4 stars

So it finally happened. This was always going to be The One With Stuff For The Fans.

As it turns out, for the first 15 minutes at least, this has to be The One Where You Have To Get Used To How They Look Now.

Once one recognises the heroic efforts of the make-up team - only Matt LeBlanc looks comfortable in his own middle-aged skin - the going becomes more pleasant.

There is a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes information here, enough to engage even those with an interest in the workings of show business and who don't binge on the show as comfort food or have memorised entire episodes.

As expected, a majority of this special's running time is devoted to fan service. There are call-outs to classic scenes, secondary characters and catchphrases, as well as heaps of self-congratulation, though it must be said that it's a lot nicer to hear it from the mouths of celebrity fans like football icon David Beckham and actress-producer Mindy Kaling than from its producers.

At one point, actor David Schwimmer mentions how much he hated working with a monkey, a pet named Marcel in the show. Fans will already know that because he has said as much in interviews years ago, but as producer Marta Kauffman says, line delivery is everything, and Schwimmer sells the anecdote like a pro.

In fact, you find yourself nodding along when the producers say bad casting could have ruined the magic. Seeing the actors relax on the couch before host James Corden, the casting perfection is brought home - LeBlanc is as relaxed and sweet as his character Joey and Schwimmer does have a tendency to pontificate, as Ross does. Matthew Perry's dry delivery is just like Chandler's, and Lisa Kudrow deals with an insect that lands in her hair during the interview in a most Phoebe-like way. Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston project the aura of women with stunning looks whom you could be pals with.

When it was around, from 1994 to 2004, the show was polarising. Those who loved it thought it was funny, romantic and relevant. Others were turned off by its emphasis on likeability, if not adorability.

If you liked Seinfeld, another New York-based sitcom with seasons that overlapped that of Friends for a few years, it was likely you found Friends too cute.

As if to tell its detractors they are wrong about the show's fluffiness, actor Kit Harington does a scene breakdown in the manner of a YouTube explainer video, which feels needlessly defensive.

This show is at its best when the audience and the reunited cast are seated together, watching clips and bloopers, laughing - as you would, with friends.

The Friends reunion special is available exclusively on HBO Go, with a same-day broadcast on Thursday (May 27) at 9pm on HBO (StarHub TV Channel 601 and Singtel TV Channel 420).