“Friends” fans can finally catch the conclusion of the short-lived spinoff series “Joey.”
The last eight episodes of the 2004 NBC sitcom, which starred Matt LeBlanc as the quick-witted Joey Tribbiani, never aired in the U.S. following the show’s cancellation in 2006 during its second season. Now, however, those episodes are available to stream on the “Friends” YouTube channel, alongside the 38 episodes that make up the full series.
Outside of LeBlanc, the cast 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 reconnects with “his high-strung sister Gina (Matteo)” and “Michael (Costanzo), his 20-year-old genius nephew,” according to the official description.
Created by “Friends” producers Shana Goldberg-Meehan and Scott Silveri, the pilot episode drew an impressive 18.6 million viewers. However, interest waned as the first season progressed and continued to decline through Season 2.
After the series ended, “Friends” executive producer and director Kevin S. Bright shared his thoughts on why the spin-off struggled to attract 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.”