Did you know that Matt Leblanc’s spinoff, Joey, was canceled after two seasons? Here’s the behind-the-scenes drama that led to his downfall

NBC announced Joey before Friends ended. Network president Jeff Zucker stated that Joey has become “a figure that America roots for.”

Expectations were high, but the show never captured the magic of Friends. The film followed Joey leaving New York for Los Angeles to pursue acting, living with his nerdy nephew Michael (Paulo Costanzo) and reuniting with his sister Gina (Drea de Matteo). New town, new cast, but same Joey. On paper it sounded like a hit.

But things started to go south quickly. First hiccup? Joey wasn’t the original plan. Although Zucker claimed that LeBlanc was the only “Friends” star approached about the spin-off, executive producer Kevin Bright later revealed that this was not true. NBC initially pitched the idea of ​​a Monica and Chandler spin-off (Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry declined), and Jennifer Aniston was even approached, but she chose movies over television. By the time they reached Joey, he was the last man standing.

Then there was the matter of Joey himself. On Friends, Joey’s lovable, goofy charm worked because it was balanced by the rest of the cast. His goofy yet sweet personality fits the team perfectly. But in Joey’s case, the character didn’t evolve. In fact, Bright admitted, “We tried to portray a Joey they didn’t know… even I don’t know what Joey was doing on that show.” Without the Friends crew to ground him, Joey’s antics began to seem dated and over the top.

Another problem was that Joey didn’t have a clear setup. On Friends, Joey never once mentioned that he wanted to leave New York for Los Angeles. The sudden change came out of nowhere and fans weren’t buying it. Plus, let’s face it – Joey moves to a fancy apartment in Los Angeles after having trouble paying the rent in New York? Big stretch.

Ultimately, Joey suffered the same fate as most spin-offs that featured bands and solos. It’s hard to recreate the magic of a beloved group when only one character is the center of attention. While Frasier managed to do this after Cheers, Joey just couldn’t find his footing. Joey’s character lost its spark without the dynamic interactions of the original cast.

When Joey ended after just two seasons, the show became a cautionary tale in the world of TV spin-offs. Fans moved on, and Joey’s character – at least in this version – became one that no one recognized.

Today, Joey is not available for streaming, but Friends still has its place on Max, reminding us of the good old days when Joey Tribbiani was the scene-stealing wizard we all rooted for.

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