Choosing between the uncut episodes and the modern streaming versions involves a trade-off between and quality .

“The reason your file freezes on Ross’s stopwatch,” she said, leaning in, “is because the prop master made a mistake. That wasn’t a prop watch. It was the personal Heuer Autavia of the director’s assistant. And on the back of that watch, engraved, was the exact time and date that the network censor demanded we cut the scene. 7:42 PM, November 12th, 1996. The moment the show became a lie.”

Streaming services optimized for binge-watching use the fastest cuts. The uncut versions feel more like theater — slower, richer, less like a machine-gun of punchlines.