JOEY, MACH II

So I watched 'Joey' tonight. And how you doin?

You ever have one of those old 'Friends' you feel uncomfortable with when the rest of the gang isn't around?

I found parts of this spin-off cringe-worthy. First off, I don't like to watch people in really embarrassing situations - I had to leave the room when Mary Richards started singing "A Quarter To Three" as an audition for Lou Grant. And I imagine stupid people like Joey will often find themselves in such situations. (i.e. the 'Hollywood Minute' audition)

I've never liked any debut episode - except for 'The Prisoner'. But not even the first episode of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' was really enjoyable to me. And Mayr's show is second only to 'The Prisoner' in my esteem.

Watch the first episode of 'Friends' again - it has a very odd, disjointed feel to it. Maybe it's because all of the characters aren't that jelled yet. It's like they're still feeling their way (which is better than feeling your sister's artificially inflated breasts - now THAT was another cringeworthy moment!)

Drea deMatteo as the new version of Gina Tribbiani is fantastic and it's nice to see her doing some lighter material. (Luckily for this recasting, the original Gina wasn't memorable enough to make an impression - well, unlucky for that actress, I guess. Sorry, kid.)

And it wasn't until the end before Joey's nephew Michael showed some potential as a character, what with the stuttering and his ineptitude about women. It's not just the rocket scientist intelligence that separates him from his Uncle Joey.

My jury's still out on Bobby the agent and the girl who lives next door, but they both have potential.

And then there's Joey. Unfortunately Joey is fully realized from the start. We know him... and there's not that much to know. Of all the characters to be spun off from 'Friends', maybe he did have had the most options for possible plotlines. But like the old sitcom joke says, deep down he's shallow. There was plenty to explore when it came to spotlighting Frasier Crane once he left 'Cheers', but Joey Tribbiani?

We're gonna have to bring in more of his sisters....

Still, it made contributions to the TV Universe:

a new TV show called 'Nurses' (not to be confused with the one from the real world)

'Hollywood Minute' - a show similar to 'Entertainment Tonight' (and not to be confused with David Spade's )

BCnU!
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