# Joey (TV series)
**Joey** is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 9, 2004, to 2006, starring [Matt LeBlanc](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-leblanc) reprising his *Friends* role as actor [Joey Tribbiani](https://www.edgepedia.org/joey-tribbiani), who leaves New York for Hollywood to advance his career. It was the only spin-off produced from *Friends*, and it ran for two seasons and 46 episodes before NBC canceled it two-thirds of the way through its second season, leaving eight produced episodes unaired in the United States.[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-11-24/joey-unseen-episodes-matt-leblanc-friends-spinoff)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | NBC, September 9, 2004 to 2006; two seasons, 46 episodes[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/) • [3](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/why-did-joey-get-only-friends-spinoff-anyway-no-from-jennifer-aniston-made-tv-history) |
| Creators | Shana Goldberg-Meehan and Scott Silveri, writers and producers on *Friends*; executive producers Kevin S. Bright, Silveri, and Goldberg-Meehan[4](https://www.friends-tv.org/joey/j-faq.html) |
| Premise | Joey Tribbiani moves to Los Angeles, lives with his sister Gina and her genius nephew Michael, and pursues stardom with his agent Bobbie[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/joey/s01) |
| Premiere ratings | 18.6 million viewers in the *Friends* Thursday 8 pm time slot[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/) |
| Cancellation | Season 2 moved to Tuesdays opposite *American Idol*; ratings fell; the show went on hiatus and was canceled in May 2006, with eight episodes never aired in the US[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/) |
| Critical reception | Season 1 holds a 50% Tomatometer from 26 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/joey/s01) |
| Later availability | All 46 episodes, including the eight never broadcast in the US, were released free on the official *Friends* YouTube channel in November 2025[6](https://www.thewrap.com/friends-spinoff-joey-releases-unaired-episodes/) |
## Premise and cast
The series picks up after the *Friends* finale, in which Joey's friends all settled into family lives while he remained single. On paper, a Joey spin-off made sense because he was the only friend who did not get married or have children by the show's conclusion.[7](https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/joey-20-years-later-why-the-friends-spinoff-failed) In the new show, Joey moves to Los Angeles to take his acting career to the next level, reuniting with his sister Gina, played by [Drea de Matteo](https://www.edgepedia.org/drea-de-matteo), and moving in with her 20-year-old son Michael, played by Paulo Costanzo, a genius character described as literally a rocket scientist.[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/) • [8](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-shows/the-lost-episodes-of-friends-spin-off-joey-are-finally-streaming-20-years-after-the-show-was-canceled/) [Andrea Anders](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrea-anders) played Alex, Joey's landlord and love interest, and [Jennifer Coolidge](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-coolidge) played his talent agent Bobbie.[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/)
**Season 2 additions.** Miguel A. Núñez Jr. joined as Zach, an actor friend of Joey's, and halfway through the season [Adam Goldberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-goldberg) appeared as Jimmy, a tightly wound childhood friend of Joey's who learns he is Michael's father; Joey later hires Jimmy at his new production company, named "Yes I Am a Bird Productions" because Joey imagines it is an anagram of Joey Tribbiani.[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-11-24/joey-unseen-episodes-matt-leblanc-friends-spinoff)
Although the show is a spin-off of *Friends*, no other main cast member from the original series makes an appearance, though [David Schwimmer](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-schwimmer) directed two episodes.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375355/)
## Development
NBC announced the spin-off in July 2003, before *Friends* had ended its ten-season run. NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker said LeBlanc was the only *Friends* star approached about a new series, and that "Joey" would take over the 8 p.m. Thursday time slot held by *Friends*.[10](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joey-the-last-friend-standing/) According to executive producer Kevin S. Bright, [Jennifer Aniston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-aniston) had been first in line when NBC considered which character to build a series around, but she wanted to do movies and was not interested in television; a Monica and Chandler series was also considered, but by the end the cast members did not want to keep playing those parts.[3](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/why-did-joey-get-only-friends-spinoff-anyway-no-from-jennifer-aniston-made-tv-history) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/1010497/)
The show was created by Shana Goldberg-Meehan and Scott Silveri, two *Friends* writers and producers, and aired on NBC Thursdays at 8:00 pm Eastern from fall 2004.[4](https://www.friends-tv.org/joey/j-faq.html) It was produced by Bright-San Productions, Silver and Gold Productions, and Warner Bros. Television, with "Sunny Hours" by Long Beach Dub Allstars featuring will.i.am as its opening theme.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375355/companycredits/) In the United Kingdom, where [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) had carried *Friends* for ten years, bidding for the rights was expected to begin at around £100,000 per episode, or £2.2 million for the 22-part first series; Channel 4 pulled out of the bidding war after a rival broadcaster made a knockout offer.[13](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/aug/12/channel4.broadcasting)
## Ratings and cancellation
The premiere drew 18.6 million viewers in *Friends*' usual Thursday slot, and NBC renewed it for a second season. Ratings then dwindled, and a season 2 move to Tuesdays opposite *American Idol* was, in TVLine's words, basically a death sentence. The show went on hiatus and was officially canceled in May 2006, with eight produced episodes never aired in the United States, though they did air overseas.[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/) The Los Angeles Times describes the series as having been canceled in 2006 two-thirds of the way through its second season.[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-11-24/joey-unseen-episodes-matt-leblanc-friends-spinoff)
Bright later said NBC and Warner Bros. had overruled his ideas for what he called "the real version of the spinoff" in favor of a storyline of which he was not a fan.[11](https://www.tvinsider.com/1010497/)
## Critical reception
Season 1 holds a 50% Tomatometer from 26 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes; the site's critics consensus reads that Matt LeBlanc adds a welcome layer of maturity to his iconic character's goofball charm, but that there is a nagging sense that Joey was funnier when playing off his friends.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/joey/s01) Metacritic's sampled reviews ranged from praise for writing that sets up running gags and delayed payoffs with precision, much as *Friends* did, to the judgment that the show is lame, hollow, and utterly unoriginal.[14](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/joey/critic-reviews/) Retrospective commentary has treated the series as a cautionary tale about spin-offs, with the Indian Express noting that the character was given development that looked as if it had been written for someone else.[15](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/tv-rewind-joey-the-cautionary-tale-for-sequels-and-spin-offs-7135247/)
## Afterlife
For nearly two decades the series was largely unavailable: Warner Bros. Television retained the streaming rights and offered it for license, but it had not been sold to any streaming service, including Max, which streams all ten seasons of *Friends*.[1](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/) In March 2025 the official *Friends* YouTube channel began uploading full episodes, and by November 2025 all 46 episodes, including the eight never broadcast in the United States, were available free on the channel.[16](https://www.tvline.com/news/friends-spinoff-joey-episodes-streaming-online-1235418264/) • [6](https://www.thewrap.com/friends-spinoff-joey-releases-unaired-episodes/) Reviewing the newly seen episodes, the Los Angeles Times' Robert Lloyd called it a pleasing, funny show and a reminder that you cannot judge a show by its ratings.[17](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/joey/s02)
LeBlanc's later comedy *Episodes*, in which he played an exaggerated version of himself, took digs at the spin-off.[15](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/tv-rewind-joey-the-cautionary-tale-for-sequels-and-spin-offs-7135247/)
## References
1. [Joey Turns 20: Why Isn't The Friends Spinoff Streaming Anywhere?, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/features/joey-tv-show-streaming-friends-spinoff-matt-leblanc-1235327329/)
2. ['Joey's' unseen episodes remind us not to judge a show by its ratings, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-11-24/joey-unseen-episodes-matt-leblanc-friends-spinoff)
3. [Why Did Joey Get The Only Friends Spinoff Anyway? How A No From Jennifer Aniston Made TV History, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/why-did-joey-get-only-friends-spinoff-anyway-no-from-jennifer-aniston-made-tv-history)
4. [Joey Frequently Asked Questions, friends-tv.org](https://www.friends-tv.org/joey/j-faq.html)
5. [Joey: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/joey/s01)
6. [Canceled Friends Spinoff Releases Unaired Episodes After Almost 20 Years, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/friends-spinoff-joey-releases-unaired-episodes/)
7. [Joey 20 Years Later: Why the Friends Spinoff Failed, WatchMojo](https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/joey-20-years-later-why-the-friends-spinoff-failed)
8. [The lost episodes of Friends spin-off Joey are finally streaming 20 years after the show was canceled, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-shows/the-lost-episodes-of-friends-spin-off-joey-are-finally-streaming-20-years-after-the-show-was-canceled/)
9. [Joey (TV Series 2004–2006), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375355/)
10. [Joey: The Last 'Friend' Standing, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joey-the-last-friend-standing/)
11. [Remembering 'Joey,' 15 Years After the Maligned 'Friends' Spinoff Ended, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1010497/)
12. [Joey (TV Series 2004–2006) - Company credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375355/companycredits/)
13. [C4 drops out of Joey bidding war, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/aug/12/channel4.broadcasting)
14. [Joey critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/joey/critic-reviews/)
15. [TV Rewind | Joey: The cautionary tale for spin-offs and sequels, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/tv-rewind-joey-the-cautionary-tale-for-sequels-and-spin-offs-7135247/)
16. ['Friends' Spinoff 'Joey' — Episodes Streaming Online For Free, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/friends-spinoff-joey-episodes-streaming-online-1235418264/)
17. [Joey: Season 2, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/joey/s02)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2000s network sitcoms*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license