Joey

After leaving New York, Joey Tribbiani moves to Los Angeles to give his acting career another shot. He reconnects with his younger, high-strung sister Gina, a hairstylist, and moves in with her 20-year-old son Michael, a graduate student who actually studies rockets. The show shifts the focus from tight friend groups to a family-inflected sitcom, setting Joey's people skills and optimism against auditions, odd roommates and family obligations. He rarely nails academic topics, but his warmth and social instincts make him a mentor and friend to Michael while he chases auditions and learns to deal with Hollywood's unpredictability.

Joey premiered in 2004 on NBC. It was created by Scott Silveri, Shana Goldberg-Meehan and David Crane, spinning off the character from Friends and centering on his move to Hollywood, and ran for two seasons.

The series extended a beloved Friends character into a different setting, keeping interest among fans though it never matched its predecessor's reach. It often comes up in discussions about spin-offs and the challenges of moving a single character to a new ensemble. Its presence influenced later attempts at sitcom spin-offs.

Critical response was mixed, and audience ratings showed moderate enthusiasm, reflected in a 6.249/10 user average from 342 votes. The show mixes sitcom humor with themes of family, career ambition, and the contrast between street smarts and formal education. LeBlanc's charm kept viewers engaged despite uneven scripts and family dynamics.

Joey did not receive significant awards recognition during its run. It ran for two seasons before cancellation, and compared with its parent show it drew little major industry attention or award nominations, with industry coverage focused more on its relation to Friends than on the show itself publicly.