“Friends” diehards can finally watch the conclusion of the short-lived spinoff series “Joey.”
The final eight episodes of the 2004 NBC sitcom, which starred Matt LeBlanc as the wisecracking Joey Tribbiani, never aired in the U.S. after the show was canceled in 2006 during its second season. But now, those eight installments are available to watch on the “Friends” YouTube channel, along with he 38 others that comprise the complete series.
Outside of LeBlanc, other cast members included Drea de Matteo, Paulo Costanzo, Jennifer Coolidge and Andrea Anders. The series followed Joey as he “leaves New York for Hollywood in order to take his acting career to the next level.” While in Los Angeles, he reunites with “his high-strung sister Gina (Matteo)” and “Michael (Costanzo), his 20-year-old genius nephew,” per an official description.
Created by “Friends” producers Shana Goldberg-Meehan and Scott Silveri, the show’s pilot debuted to an impressive 18.6 million viewers. However, hype quickly died down through the remainder of Season 1 and Season 2.
After “Joey” came to an end, “Friends” executive producer and director Kevin S. Bright gave his thoughts on why the spin-off failed to find an audience. He told The Age in 2006, “On ‘Friends’ Joey was a womaniser but we enjoyed his exploits. He was a solid friend, a guy you knew you could count on. Joey was deconstructed to be a guy who couldn’t get a job, couldn’t ask a girl out. He became a pathetic, mopey character. I felt he was moving in the wrong direction, but I was not heard.”
