‘Friends’ was a giant in the TV realm, and it was a collective heartbreak when the sitcom bid us goodbye in 2004 after ten seasons. Even if the actors were ready to hang their hats, fans were not ready to see the last of Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey. It seems the network was keen to continue with a spinoff, too. And, a forgettable ‘Joey’ spinoff was launched. It’s okay if you have heard about it, much less seen it.
Of course, it wasn’t a terrible show, but it was doomed to fail for a number of reasons, not just because of the shadow of its predecessor. Despite NBC’s high expectations, ‘Joey’ was cancelled after just two abysmal (yeah, we went there) seasons. But what exactly went wrong? Was the plot irredeemable? What happened to Joey in the end? We have the answers.
‘Joey’: The Move To Hollywood
While New York City in itself felt like a character on ‘Friends,’ its spinoff took Joey Tribbiani to Los Angeles. It was never indicated that he wanted to move to Hollywood full-time; even the sitcom’s finale didn’t provide this segue, yet it happened.
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In ‘Joey,’ our goofball Italian was no longer an aspiring actor. He chases stardom. We see Joey living with his super-intelligent nephew, Michael (Paulo Costanzo), who is an aerospace engineer studying applied thermodynamics at Caltech. Yeah, the same place where Sheldon Cooper from ‘The Big Bang Theory‘ taught. So, obviously, Michael keeps mouthing off science stuff, which is beyond Joey. But the one subject where Joey triumphs is women, so Michael tries to get those pearls of wisdom from him. You know, Joey is quite “wisdomous.”
Then there’s Joey’s older sister Gina (Drea de Matteo), who is trying to be a helicopter parent to Michael. But in her own life, she keeps making the worst decisions. Maybe it’s a Tribbiani trait. But she is nowhere as charming as Joey, albeit sweet. In fact, being around her makes Joey seem annoying, too. There should be some limit to the obliviousness in one show.
As for Joey’s endless string of dates, that comes to a halt. Only his hot blonde landlord who lives next door, Alexis “Alex” Garrett, crushes on him. She is a lawyer who is not too bright. This is where a frustrating will-they-won’t-they angle starts. Alex’s husband is a musician who travels for work and is barely around. Joey finally realizes he has feelings for her as well, and they get together.
One more familiar face from ‘Friends’ appears on Joey. His new agent is Roberta “Bobbie” Morganstern, played by Jennifer Coolidge, who had a cameo in the OG show. In ‘Joey,’ she has a cringeworthy crush on Michael, who is so much younger than her.
If you are wondering who becomes Joey’s friend in all this crowd, it’s a fellow actor,
Zach Miller, portrayed by Miguel A. Núñez Jr. He is Joey’s new best friend. Could Chandler BE any more upset? They were going to be best buds forever.
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Maybe, on paper, these characters and their interactions seemed hilarious, but what ensued was a sorry excuse for ‘Friends.’ If the nostalgia factor hadn’t been there and Joey had a clean slate as a fresh show, it might’ve worked. But it had little chance of working, and ultimately, it didn’t.
‘Joey’ Forgot The Character’s Real Charm
Joey Tribbiani won hearts on ‘Friends’ due to his adorable nature – which swung from laughable cluelessness to admirable selflessness. He might’ve been a ladies’ man whose dating life raised eyebrows, but he was the greatest friend who would do anything for the people he loves. Be it forgiving Chandler for kissing his girlfriend and accepting their relationship, proposing marriage to Phoebe when he thought she was pregnant, or keeping his feelings for Rachel to himself for Ross’s benefit. Joey was always kind, warm, and funny. He was also slow on the uptake, often misinterpreting jokes or taking too long to reach the obvious conclusion. But this harmless ignorance and lack of general knowledge made him seem innocent and endearing. It seems the show ‘Joey’ forgot all these dimensions to his character. They tried to portray a mature Joey, and it fell flat. How the serious plotline of Joey romancing Rachel on ‘Friends‘ received backlash should’ve been a hard lesson. Yet, in the spinoff, he gave in to loneliness, ditching his old “Man About Time” charisma coupled with cute childishness.
Friends co-creator Kevin S. Bright tried to voice his concerns, but at the time, fervour was too high over the spinoff. In retrospect, 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.”
Joey Without The ‘Friends’ Ensemble Was Odd
People loved to watch Joey play off the other characters of ‘Friends,’ and in Hollywood, he just didn’t find that kind of dynamic with anyone. The new cast was nothing compared to the ‘Friends‘ ensemble. Joey’s naivety was balanced out by the other characters – be it Chandler’s sarcasm or Phoebe’s antics. Without them, Joey’s affable nature seemed just dumb and dumber. He was isolated, constantly second-guessing himself and desperately trying to recreate what he had shared with his New York friends. He even throws a party to make some friends, and while it’s realistic after moving to a new place, it’s just so not Joey. When did he ever have trouble striking up a conversation or picking up a woman? But mostly, what he has for company is his 20-year-old nephew. And that’s not the friendship fans were hoping for.
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Bright also had the same concerns: “I think we tried to present to the audience a Joey they didn’t know. Trying to develop a relationship and hang out with nerds. Even I don’t know what Joey was doing in that show, but it wasn’t what the fans were familiar with so it was not successful.“
NBC pulled the plug on Joey due to low ratings, but the truth is, the show forgot what made Joey special.
Why Only Joey Tribbiani Got A ‘Friends’ Spinoff
After millions tuned in to watch ‘Friends’ say farewell, NBC was determined to make a spinoff. Their first preference was to take Rachel Green’s story forward. But Jennifer Aniston wasn’t keen on it. She wanted to make her mark on the big screen. So, once the allure of movies stubbed that spinoff, the next idea was to build on Monica and Chandler’s relationship. But once again, they were shot down. Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry, while thankful for ‘Friends,’ were ready to move on. The last stop was Matt LeBlanc, who loved the idea of following up on Joey Tribbiani’s journey. After all, his conclusion was open-ended.
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By the end of ‘Friends,’ all the main characters’ stories were rounded off. Rachel and Ross decide to give their relationship another shot; after all, they had a daughter together. Monica and Chandler are also ready to start a family after adopting twins and moving out of the city. Phoebe marries her dream man, Mike. Only Joey remains the bachelor he had always been, with a big heart where his friends resided. So, his own spinoff show seemed like a good idea, but maybe that was the biggest mistake. Fans wanted to remember ‘Friends‘ for how all of them were together, for their electric chemistry, their family-like bonding. Joey as a lone wolf without any of his friends to hug him was too much, even if Hugsy went to LA with him. Joey trying to be someone he was not will be a sad chapter that’s best wiped from memory.
