Friends fans, rejoice! Episodes of the beloved series' sole spin-off are now available to stream for the first time since the show's conclusion.
"Joey" came out in 2004, four months after the end of "Friends." The series follows the character of Joey Tribbiani, played by Matt LeBlanc, one of the main characters of the series.
The sit-com continued his story following his move to Hollywood and the continuation of his acting career, as he made new friends and lovers in a new environment. The cast was rounded out by Jennifer Coolidge, Drea de Matteo, Paulo Costanzo, Miguel A. Núñez Jr, and Ben Falcone.
The series was cancelled in 2006, midway through its second season, resulting in eight episodes that were never seen by audiences. Those episodes are now available on the "Friends" YouTube channel, prompting an excited fan reaction.
"To the person that runs the Friends YouTube channel, thank you," wrote a fan. "I never got a chance to watch this series and the fact that you kept with it is amazing."
What happened to the show?
"Joey" was developed by Shana Goldberg-Meehan, one of the producers of "Friends," and Scott Silveri. The series came out in the success of "Friends," taking over the prized Thursday slot and hoping to continue the franchise's success.
While the show aired with plenty of viewership and interest, it steadily decreased, moving out of the Thursday slot until it was eventually canceled.
LebBanc has spoken about his success and his career, shedding light on why he's taken on fewer roles as the years have passed. "My plan was, I did 10 years of Friends, then two years of Joey, and then I said: ‘Right, I’m gonna take a year off, I wanna take a year off and just relax,'" he said on the show Skavlan in 2018.
“I had such a good time, I said: ‘I’m gonna take another one,’ right? And then that one was even better, so I said: ‘Maybe one more!’ And then it turned into five or six years," he said, laughing.
“My favorite thing in the world to do, like my absolute favorite thing in the world, is to do nothing,” he continued. “I’m great at it. I should be a professional nothing. Because it’s so easy, there’s no rules! What are you gonna do today? I’ll tell you: Nothing, pretty simple.”
This clip of him sharing his approach to life and work went viral earlier this year on TikTok, with fans praising his attitude and approach to fame.
“He is describing freedom," wrote a viewer.