http://planet6oclock.com/images/joey-spin-off-sequal-friends.jpg

Do you think perhaps, a backdoor pilot on 'Friends' would've helped Joey get more attention AND viewers? OR Was Joey doomed to fail no matter what?

Yes, and I am really surprised they did not have one. The last season of Friends I kept waiting for Joey to announce he was moving to California. I think it would of helped the show.

...nobody had any idea that Matt LeBlanc would be "spun-off" into his own series. But NBC (and their chief executive, Jeff "I'm Brilliant" Zucker) was desparate to keep viewers tuned in at 8pm(et) on Thursdays the season after "FRIENDS" ended, deciding a "sequel" was in order- just as the series ended production. Therefore, there was no "transition" episode that would have established Joey moving to California, and "getting acquainted" with his new surroundings, before his series began that fall.

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