The show's set-up is relatively simple. A guy who wants to propose to his childhood sweetheart decides it might be nice to have a party with as many of their third-grade compatriots as he can gather together. So he tracks them down, invites them to the party and before you know it, a motley collection of 27-year-olds who all knew each other 20 years previously is assembled in the front room.

That's pretty much the premise for the show: a minor school reunion that ends up with everyone staying in touch and becoming sort-of friends again. The hook is in how much they have (or haven't) changed, what old romances might re-ignite and so on.

It's actually pretty good. I laughed and most of the characters were at least intriguing and not utterly off-putting - always a good sign.

Most of the cast are unknowns, apart from another Joey-escapee, Andrea Anders, who'll probably be one of the main focuses for the show. Most of them aren't great, but given something less sit-comy to do, they may turn out good in later episodes.

As for the Friends d?ɬ©j?ɬ† vu, it's directed by Cheers-creator James Burrows, who did an awful lot of work on Friends as well. It's also the work of David Crane, one of the co-creators of Friends. All in all, with the slight exception of The Loop, it's actually the most promising US sitcom I've seen since, well, Friends.

Definitely one to watch should a UK channel pick it up. For more info, check the CBS web site.