Almost two decades on, NBC is finally offering fans of Matt LeBlanc’s Friends spin-off Joey some long-awaited closure, reports Deadline.
Following its two-season run from 2004 to 2006, which was cut short in the US due to low ratings, the show’s final eight episodes are now available to watch in the US for the very first time. All episodes of Joey are now accessible on the official Friends YouTube channel, after NBC began uploading the series earlier this year.
The sitcom premiered on NBC just four months after the conclusion of Friends’ monumental ten-season run. It followed LeBlanc’s character Joey Tribbiani as he relocated to Los Angeles. After his new sitcom is cancelled, Joey moves in with his sister Gina (Drea de Matteo) and his exceptionally bright nephew Michael (Paulo Costanzo).
Created by Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan, the series also featured Jennifer Coolidge, Andrea Anders, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. and Ben Falcone.
Joey debuted to strong ratings, attracting 18.6 million viewers for its pilot episode in the coveted Thursday-night slot previously held by Friends. However, audiences dwindled over time, with the first season averaging 10.2 million viewers and the second just 7.1 million.
In December 2005, NBC removed the show from its Thursday-night schedule. It briefly returned on Tuesdays in March 2006, only to be pulled again after a single airing.
The network officially cancelled the series in May 2006 after two seasons, leaving eight episodes unaired domestically, although they were broadcast internationally.
