After nearly two decades in limbo, the final eight episodes of the short-lived Friends spin-off Joey are finally set to reach American audiences.
The show, which followed Matt LeBlanc’s lovable character Joey Tribbiani as he chased acting dreams in Los Angeles, ran for two seasons between 2004 and 2006.
Initially, Joey seemed destined for success, airing in the same Thursday night slot that had been Friends’ home for years and boasting a strong supporting cast.
Jennifer Coolidge played Joey’s eccentric manager, while Sopranos breakout star Drea de Matteo appeared as his sister, giving the show star power fans expected to deliver a hit.
But trouble hit fast: critics were harsh, ratings fell, schedule changes piled up, and NBC ultimately pulled the plug during the second season, leaving the final eight episodes unaired in the US.
Now, fans can finally see the long-lost episodes, with the full series—including all 46 installments—set to stream on the official Friends YouTube channel for the first time in America.
After nearly two decades in limbo, the final eight episodes of the short-lived Friends spin-off Joey are finally set to reach American audiences; (Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller in 1994)
The show, which followed Matt LeBlanc ’s lovable, hapless character Joey Tribbiani as he chased acting dreams in Los Angeles , ran for two seasons between 2004 and 2006
International audiences weren’t entirely in the dark, however, as British fans were able to catch the entire second season, including the ‘lost’ episodes, on Channel 5 back in 2007.
The first season of Joey focused on the character’s struggles to find work in L.A. after his new sitcom flopped.
The pilot drew big numbers, but the audience quickly thinned.
The first season averaged just 10.1 million viewers, partly because it was competing against the hugely popular Survivor on CBS.
NBC renewed the show for a second season but moved it from the coveted Thursday night spot to Tuesdays.
This put it up against American Idol, another ratings juggernaut and viewership plunged further, hitting a dismal 4.1 million.
By March 2006, Joey was put on hiatus, and in May the network officially cancelled it, citing poor ratings.
Looking back, LeBlanc admitted the show was ‘doomed from the start.’
Initially, Joey seemed destined for success, airing in the same Thursday night slot that had been Friends’ home for years and boasting a strong supporting cast
Jennifer Coolidge played Joey’s eccentric manager, while Sopranos breakout star Drea de Matteo appeared as his sister, giving the show star power fans expected to deliver a hit
But trouble hit fast: critics were harsh, ratings fell, schedule changes piled up, and NBC ultimately pulled the plug during the second season
‘In Friends I was sharing a 22-minute episode with six other characters. In Joey the script was all me,’ he told Radio Times in 2015.
‘It was a lot of responsibility. The pressure was so much, I remember feeling like an elephant had sat on my head.’
LeBlanc was also critical of the storytelling.
‘The writing and the jokes were OK but the conflict and the obstacles in the stories were not valid enough,’ he said.
‘In Friends, Joey was always glass is half full. In Joey, he was glass half empty. And that was sad. It was the same showrunner as Friends, and I think we should have taken a year off.’
Even with the show’s struggles, LeBlanc stood out, carrying the series with his comedic timing and charisma.
Coolidge and de Matteo also impressed, with Coolidge’s manic energy and de Matteo’s grounded presence balancing his antics.
In 2021, LeBlanc reunited with the Friends cast for the highly publicized reunion on HBO Max, a reminder of the enduring appeal of the original show.
Now, fans can finally see the long-lost episodes, with the full series—including all 46 installments—set to stream on the official Friends YouTube channel for the first time in America
The series ran for ten seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2004, totaling 236 episodes, and continues to enjoy massive global popularity through syndication and streaming platforms.
It followed six close-knit friends living in New York City—Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller and LeBlanc as Joey.
The show was a bona fide hit, dominating ratings, winning awards, and cementing its place in pop culture history.
Now, with the full Joey series finally streaming in the US, fans can revisit the spin-off and complete the story.
It’s a bittersweet moment, however, as the late Perry, who passed away in 2023, won’t be here to see his Friends legacy fully celebrated.
