While Friends remains one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, its spin-off and follow-up show Joey lasted only two seasons, with the final eight episodes of the second run never even airing in the US after it was cancelled.
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Now, finally, 19 years after Joey was cancelled in 2006, all of the episodes, including the final eight, are available to stream, with all of them having been made available to watch on the Friends YouTube channel.
Originally, the show's broadcaster NBC pulled the show from its Thursday night slot in December 2005, before airing a further episode on a Tuesday in March. After this, the eight remaining episodes went unreleased, although they were broadcast through other networks internationally.
The series saw Matt LeBlanc reprise his role as Joey Tribbiani, with the character seen leaving New York and heading to Hollywood, in order to take his acting career to the next level.
Carmen Electra as herself, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani and Paolo Costanzo as Michael Tribbiani in Joey. Justin Lubin/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Other key characters the show introduced included Drea de Matteo as his highly-strung sister Gina, and Paulo Costanzo as his 20-year-old genius nephew Michael.
After the show was cancelled, Friends executive producer and director Kevin S Bright explained why he thought the spin-off failed.
He told The Age: "On Friends, Joey was a womaniser but we enjoyed his exploits. He was a solid friend, a guy you knew you could count on.
"Joey was deconstructed to be a guy who couldn’t get a job, couldn’t ask a girl out. He became a pathetic, mopey character. I felt he was moving in the wrong direction, but I was not heard."
Following the end of Joey, LeBlanc went on to have roles in series including Episodes and Man with a Plan, while he was also one of the presenters of Top Gear for four seasons.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
