Many successful TV shows have launched popular spin-offs – like Better Call Saul from Breaking Bad, The Jeffersons from All in the Family, and Young Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. It’s surprising, then, that Friends, considered one of the greatest sitcoms ever, only led to one spin-off, Joey, which didn’t last. However, things might have been different if Jennifer Aniston hadn’t turned down another potential series.
Though Joey, with Matt LeBlanc, debuted just four months after Friends ended in 2004, Jennifer Aniston was actually NBC’s first choice for a spinoff. Executive producer Kevin Bright revealed to Collider that they initially considered centering a new show around her character.
Initially, they had a clear idea of who they wanted to star in a series, and Jennifer was their top pick. However, she preferred making movies and wasn’t interested in working on television.
If the show were to revisit Rachel’s story, it would likely need to include David Schwimmer, since Ross and Rachel ended up together in the final episode. However, it’s also possible Rachel still took the job in Paris, with the story mentioning Ross caring for their daughter, Emma, back home.
We’ll file that in the “what could have been” category.
Looking back, Matt LeBlanc was the most logical choice to star in a spin-off series. Joey’s story didn’t really tie into the main plot of the Friends finale—unlike the others. Ross and Rachel rekindled their relationship, Monica and Chandler unexpectedly had twins (which always felt a bit far-fetched), and Phoebe and Mike were planning to start a family.
After Jennifer Aniston declined a potential spinoff focusing on her character Rachel, the producers considered other ideas before ultimately deciding on Joey. Kevin Bright explained that:
Honestly, a spin-off focusing on Monica and Chandler always sounded amazing to me. But it’s kind of sad – and surprising! – to hear that the actors themselves, while thankful for Friends, just weren’t interested in revisiting those characters. They’d moved on, and I totally respect that, even if I would’ve loved to see more of them.
It’s not surprising, considering it represented a decade of their lives. Ultimately, they decided on a show centered around Joey Tribbiani’s life and career, as the executive producer explained:
Matt loved Joey, and he didn’t mind playing Joey.
The announcement doesn’t sound very excited about a potential Friends reunion, but I might be overthinking it since I know how the story ended.
Despite receiving a lot of criticism from both reviewers and viewers, the sitcom Joey still managed to last for two seasons and 46 episodes before NBC cancelled it. Interestingly, none of Matt LeBlanc’s former Friends co-stars ever made a guest appearance on the show – a bit ironic considering the show’s famous theme song! And aside from the Friends reunion in 2021, the six actors haven’t performed together since.
It’s interesting to wonder what might have happened if Rachel had been the show that first aired in 2004. We can’t know for sure, but thankfully we can still enjoy Friends anytime with our HBO Max subscription. Plus, the first two episodes of Joey are available to watch on YouTube.
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