Matt LeBlanc Opens Up About "Joey" Struggle - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 05-07-2012, 02:05 PM

LeBlanc Opens Up About "Joey" Struggle
Monday, May 07, 2012

Matt LeBlanc battled with frustration shooting his "Friends" spin-off "Joey" because he felt his lovable character was "emasculated" in the show.

The funnyman starred in "Joey" after "Friends" went off the air in 2004, but the sitcom failed to win over viewers and critics and was cancelled after just two seasons.

LeBlanc insists he has no regrets about joining "Joey", but admits the series might have been more successful if the scripts had stayed true to his most famous character.

He tells Britain's The Guardian, "I would do that again; I thought that it was a good show. I just think that we were telling stories that emasculated the character. They wrote a guy who became very doubtful of himself in this new place, in Hollywood, no friends, can't meet girls - and that's not who Joey was. He was always, always, always, the consummate optimist. Always.

And that's not who they wrote. That was very frustrating for me."

LeBlanc had pushed for "Friends" creator David Crane to take charge but the TV guru turned down the job and studio bosses forged ahead with new scriptwriters.

The actor adds, "I guess if I could go back in time... I would have put my foot down and said, 'I'm not doing it without David.' That's the one thing I would do differently... but I made a f--king s--tload of money so call it a failure all you want."

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/07...-joey-struggle

ryan423 · 05-20-2012, 09:23 PM

Very interesting read. Thanks!

robby76 · 05-21-2012, 11:15 AM

Despite Joey being my least favourite character from Friends, I loved Joey the tv series. The supporting cast were great and the comedy was fine by me (at least in the first season).

Nyan · 05-21-2012, 02:14 PM

This was just a very strange, oddball show from what I saw of it. Considering when it came out, television was in a transitional period where a lot of shows were ending, many were beginning and there were heaps of experimentation. Much of what came out in 2004-2005 didn't live for very long including Joey.

TMC · 07-06-2022, 09:29 PM

8 Actors Who Knew Their TV Show Was Doomed On Day 1

Quote:

1. Matt LeBlanc Knew Joey Was Doomed From The Start

Trying to follow-up arguably the biggest sitcom ever to grace the world's TV screens is a tall order, whatever way you slice it. Trying to do so just a few months on from its highly emotional finale being taken in by over 50 million passionate fans around the globe was downright insane.

And sure enough, the ill-advised Friends spin-off that was Joey didn't exactly manage to recapture lightning in a bottle despite boasting one of the most loveable elements of that NBC game-changer front-and-centre.

But clearly feeling as though the burden of having to carry an entire episode on his back was "a lot of responsibility" and "the pressure was so much", Matt LeBlanc himself has since confessed to Radio Times:

Quote:

"It was doomed from the start. In Friends I was sharing a 22-minute episode with six other characters. In Joey the script was all me,"

Going further, LeBlanc would also allude to the showrunner, who had also just finished up on Friends, and himself likely benefitting from taking a year off instead of diving straight into the spin-off.

In the end, though, Joey was savaged by the critics and didn't live past its second season before being canned. LeBlanc would also take a much-needed five-year break from the acting world not long after Joey's cancellation before rocking up in BBC Two and Showtimes' Episodes and eventually winning a Golden Globe in 2011 for playing a fictionalized version of himself.

TVSCREEN2015 · 07-07-2022, 01:14 AM

I watched a few episodes on Dailymotion and this show was an unfunny pile of garbage. This should have never been greenlit. This was NBC trying to milk the Friends franchise to the last drop.

TMC · 08-28-2022, 04:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVSCREEN2015

I watched a few episodes on Dailymotion and this show was an unfunny pile of garbage. This should have never been greenlit. This was NBC trying to milk the Friends franchise to the last drop.

A Joey centered show was never going to work out was it? Joey Tribbiani was probably too one-note of a character. He was when you get right down to it, just a middling actor who occasionally tasted success.

What made Friends as a show so interesting was the relationship between the six main characters and how they all made up for each other’s faults. In Joey's case, he was arguably, most interesting when it pertained to his relationship with Chandler. Chandler always made sure that Joey was taken care of. Conversely, the notoriously guarded Chandler found that the naturally outgoing Joey made it easier for him to deal with other people.

05-07-2012, 02:05 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 56,956	Matt LeBlanc Opens Up About "Joey" Struggle *LeBlanc Opens Up About "Joey" Struggle* Monday, May 07, 2012 Matt LeBlanc battled with frustration shooting his "Friends" spin-off "Joey" because he felt his lovable character was "emasculated" in the show. The funnyman starred in "Joey" after "Friends" went off the air in 2004, but the sitcom failed to win over viewers and critics and was cancelled after just two seasons. LeBlanc insists he has no regrets about joining "Joey", but admits the series might have been more successful if the scripts had stayed true to his most famous character. He tells Britain's The Guardian, "I would do that again; I thought that it was a good show. I just think that we were telling stories that emasculated the character. They wrote a guy who became very doubtful of himself in this new place, in Hollywood, no friends, can't meet girls - and that's not who Joey was. He was always, always, always, the consummate optimist. Always. And that's not who they wrote. That was very frustrating for me." LeBlanc had pushed for "Friends" creator David Crane to take charge but the TV guru turned down the job and studio bosses forged ahead with new scriptwriters. The actor adds, "I guess if I could go back in time... I would have put my foot down and said, 'I'm not doing it without David.' That's the one thing I would do differently... but I made a f--king s--tload of money so call it a failure all you want." http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/07...-joey-struggle

05-21-2012, 11:15 AM	#3
robby76 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jul 18, 2004 Posts: 949	Despite Joey being my least favourite character from Friends, I loved Joey the tv series. The supporting cast were great and the comedy was fine by me (at least in the first season).
	__________________ Edison Twins * Automan * Whiz Kids Vote @ tvshowsondvd.com

05-20-2012, 09:23 PM	#2
ryan423 Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 15, 2007 Posts: 1,829	Very interesting read. Thanks!

05-21-2012, 02:14 PM	#4
Nyan Be The Rainbow! Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 29, 2011 Location: Land of Pop Tarts Posts: 141	This was just a very strange, oddball show from what I saw of it. Considering when it came out, television was in a transitional period where a lot of shows were ending, many were beginning and there were heaps of experimentation. Much of what came out in 2004-2005 didn't live for very long including Joey.

07-07-2022, 01:14 AM	#6
TVSCREEN2015 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 27, 2015 Posts: 136	I watched a few episodes on Dailymotion and this show was an unfunny pile of garbage. This should have never been greenlit. This was NBC trying to milk the Friends franchise to the last drop.