Among the successful series, Friends still holds a special place twenty years after its cessation. The American sitcom, which broke audience records for ten seasons and was exported to the four corners of the world, has enjoyed success which is not limited to the period 1994-2004, since it continues to be very regularly broadcast on streaming platforms or on television.
Merchandising is also still in full swing, with a long range of products stamped with the legendary logo and partnerships with other major brands for various applications. Probably one of the most telling recent examples is le set Lego du Central Perkthe famous café from the series, which had a small commercial success. As for the episode “The Homecoming”filmed and broadcast seventeen years after the farewells of the six friends to their fans, he had no trouble to conquer the public.
But if Friends is undoubtedly part of the restricted circle of productions that have entered the history of the global audiovisual landscape, it is difficult to say the same for Joeythe spin-off series centered on the character played by Matt LeBlanc, whose existence everyone seems to have forgotten.
A new beginning
After nine years of success, the producers of Friends decided to close this glorious chapter with a final season broadcast in 2004. The last episode of the series attracts more than 50 million viewers in the United States alone, a near record for a final.
New Yorkers even have the chance to see it live on a giant screen in Times Square while several bars organize special evenings for the occasion in many American cities. Almost everywhere, tears flow down the faces of fans during the last sceneas the actors leave Monica’s empty, purple-walled apartment.
A page is definitely turning, except for Hollywood which has already been working on the sequel for some time. A first spin-off centered on Rachel is considered, but Jennifer Aniston declines the proposal. The offer is then sent to Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox, who do the same. Finally, an agreement was reached with Matt LeBlanc for a renewable season, with several tens of millions of dollars at stake.
If most architects of Friends are not in the game, just like the other five main actors, Joey has everything to achieve success and ride the wave of his predecessor. The synopsis is indeed quite enticing: Joey Tribbiani leaves New York to move to Los Angeles, where he will reunite with his sister and his nephew. The latter will accompany him in his search for success in Hollywood, because it is time for him to give a second wind to an acting career which until now has never really taken off. On the program: a new setting and new characters, while keeping a link with the history and humor of the parent series. Something to delight fans, on paper at least.
A flop and a disappearance
The hearings of the first episode broadcast in September 2004 were encouraging, with more than 18 million viewers, but the machine gradually stalled until NBC, the broadcaster, withdrew the series from its program schedule in May 2006, in full swing. middle of season 2. What was supposed to be a success turned into on a flop which only attracted an average of 7 million viewers.
By deconstructing the main character, the new producers created a lot of disappointment and weariness. Indeed, Joey from Joey isn’t really Joey anymore Friends. He struggles to make friends, or even to seduce girls – the exact opposite of what he was in New York – and this brings out in him an almost depressive appearance which does not correspond to him. His previous life has little place in this new adventure and his faithful companions of yesteryear make no appearance. The silly, optimistic, lovable Joey was somehow forced into adulthood too quickly.
It is currently impossible to watch the series on television or find it on a legal streaming platform.
This spin-off therefore lacks the key elements that made the success of Friends and a common thread with the past. Perhaps he was also a victim of greed, as often happens when studios force fate to maximize profits. In any case, American viewers who remained loyal to this new program will never have the chance to know the end of season 2 due to its abrupt end. Abroad, it will be broadcast until the end, without much success either.
As soon as it disappeared from the screens, the series quickly fell into oblivion, never to be released again. So much so that it is impossible today to watch it on television or find it on a legal streaming platform – which, at a time of the proliferation of TV channels and video on demand services , constitutes almost an achievement in its own right.
If we trust the chaotic journey of Joeyit is quite easy to guess that the amount of broadcasting rights for this series must be very low today. Wouldn’t the time have come for a major French audiovisual player to give a piece to Warner Bros to give a second life to this spin-off of Friends? Given the nostalgia that fans of the sitcom are currently experiencing, and the probably ridiculous price of its sequel, the game is worth it. Especially since we are no longer one failed series broadcast away. Hello TFX, can you hear us?
Source: www.slate.fr
