Television

The Full Circle Moment for the Joey Series

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If you were a fan of Friends back in the day, you probably remember the buzz when the spin-off starring Matt LeBlanc launched in 2004. The show was called Joey, and it followed his character Joey Tribbiani as he made the big move from New York to Hollywood. But what you might not have remembered, or had the chance to see, is that its run included eight episodes that never aired in the U.S., until now.

A quick recap of the journey

When Joey premiered on September 9, 2004, it carried the weight of its parent show’s success, drawing in millions of viewers for its pilot.
But the show struggled to maintain its footing. By the end of its two-season run, ratings had plummeted and by 2006 the network pulled the plug.
The kicker: eight episodes from Season 2 were completed but never aired in the U.S., leaving fans with an incomplete story.

Why this matters now

Because as of November 2025, the entire series, all 46 episodes, including the so-long-hidden eight unaired ones, are available for free on the official Friends YouTube channel.
For die-hard fans, this means closure. For others, it’s a time capsule, revisiting (or discovering) what happens when a well-known character tries to reinvent himself outside his original setting.

What to look out for when you watch

The shift in character tone: On Friends, Joey was charming, confident and endearing. On Joey, some critics felt he became more floundering, which may have hurt the show’s relatability.
New relationships & setting: We get to see Joey’s life in Los Angeles, his sister Gina (played by Drea de Matteo), his nephew Michael (Paolo Costanzo), his agent (Jennifer Coolidge) – a whole new ensemble.

Unaired episodes finally released: These include storylines where Joey moves, deals with relationships, and ties up threads many American viewers never saw before.

What this release means

For fans: It completes the narrative arc. If you ever wondered “what happens after Friends?” this is your chance.
For pop-culture watchers: It’s a reminder that even big-name spin-offs can struggle, and that sometimes the missing pieces get filled in only decades later.
For streaming & archival purposes: It shows how content once considered “lost” or “unearthed” can become freely accessible.

Final thoughts

If you’re curious about revisiting Joey’s journey, or just want to watch a piece of early-2000s sitcom history, now is a great time. Whether you view Joey as a nostalgia trip, a cautionary tale of spin-offs, or simply a chance to see some missing episodes, the full series is out there.