Two decades after its untimely cancellation, the final eight never-before-seen episodes of the Friends spinoff Joey have finally been made available to stream in the United States.
All episodes of Matt LeBlanc's ill-fated sitcom are now on the official Friends YouTube channel, marking the first time American audiences can watch the complete series. NBC began rolling out the show earlier this year, concluding with these lost instalments.
The Rise and Fall of a Friends Spinoff
The series first premiered on NBC in September 2004, just four months after the iconic ten-season run of Friends concluded. The show followed LeBlanc's beloved character, Joey Tribbiani, as he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career.
Ironically, within the show's narrative, Joey's own sitcom gets cancelled, forcing him to reconnect with his sister, played by Drea de Matteo, and his nephew, portrayed by Paulo Costanzo. The cast also included Jennifer Coolidge, Andrea Anders, Ben Falcone, and Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
Joey aired from 2004 to 2006 but was cut short in the US due to plummeting ratings. NBC pulled the plug midway through its second season, leaving eight produced episodes unaired on American television, though they were broadcast to international audiences on other networks.
From Promising Start to Rapid Decline
The show launched with considerable promise. The pilot episode attracted a strong 18.6 million viewers in the US. It also won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy in 2005, with LeBlanc taking home the award for Favorite Male TV Star.
However, viewer interest quickly dwindled. The first season averaged 10.2 million viewers, and the second season saw a further drop to an average of just 7.1 million. The last broadcast episode in the US drew a meagre 4 million viewers.
Following the show's demise, executive producer Kevin Bright publicly criticised NBC for the show's failure to find its footing. He argued that the core of the Joey character had been altered for the worse.
"On Friends Joey was a womanizer but we enjoyed his exploits," Bright told The Age in 2006. "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."
A New Lease of Life for Nostalgic Fans
Despite its flaws and short run, the YouTube release has been met with celebration from nostalgic fans of the original Friends series, who are finally getting closure on the spinoff's story.
In the comments on the YouTube channel, one viewer expressed their gratitude, writing, "To the person that runs the Friends youtube channel, Thank you. I never got a chance to watch this series and the fact that you kept with it is amazing."
Another fan commented, "This was a gem of a show. Wished I could have seen it back then when it was airing. But still glad I was able to see this and enjoy it with everywhere on YouTube. Thanks Joey and everyone. Thanks Matt and the crew."
