Fans of Friends are getting a wave of nostalgia as the long-lost final episodes of its spin-off Joey have finally been released nearly 20 years after the show went off air.
According to Variety, the last eight episodes of the 2004 NBC sitcom — starring Matt LeBlanc as the lovable Joey Tribbiani — are now available on the show’s official YouTube channel. These episodes never aired in the United States before the series was cancelled in 2006.
The series also featured actors Drea de Matteo, Paulo Costanzo, Jennifer Coolidge and Andrea Anders.
Joey followed the character’s move from New York to Hollywood to pursue his acting dreams, where he reconnects with his sister Gina and her 20-year-old son Michael.
Created by Shana Goldberg-Meehan and Scott Silveri, the series opened strong with 18.6 million viewers, but interest faded over the first two seasons. Although NBC brought the show back briefly in March 2006, it was pulled again after only one episode aired.
Looking back on the spin-off’s struggles, Friends executive producer and director Kevin S Bright told Variety that Joey’s character shifted too far from what made him a fan favourite. “On Friends, Joey was a womaniser, but he was also loyal and dependable. In Joey, he became someone who couldn’t get a job or ask a girl out. He became a mopey character moving in the wrong direction,” he said.
Source: NDTV