Ahem. Joey Tribbiani has moved to Los Angeles and, like many a traveller, his belongings didn't quite make it with him. Stupid Movers & Shakers. Tee-hee-hee...
Alright, so the first episode of Joey was only about one-sixth as funny as the average Friends episode. It wasn't for lack of trying. There were some funny bits (look for blood soaked shirts, Dallas cabbies and difficulty with red lights), and some bad (some agents should remain secret). Also noticeable was the requisite overkill of references to fake breasts. Geez, you'd have thought Dow Corning was a sponsor.
As for the old show, there was some mention. While you can take the Joey out of Friends, you can't completely take Friends out of Joey. For those who didn't see it, I won't give away the whole episode. But I will let one cat out of the bag — there was at least one "Chandler is gay" reference.
The casting seems solid enough. Drea de Matteo (The Sopranos) is both tough and saucy as Joey's sister Gina. Paulo Costanzo is her son Michael, a young rocket scientist (no joke) who would like nothing more than to become Uncle Joey's roomie. Andrea Anders is the alluring neighbor across the hall who may or may not end up dribbling Joey's heart like a basketball.
But you can't win 'em all. The series' creators added one more character designed to resemble the sound of fingernails on a blackboard. It seems that while Joey escaped from the slightly warped grasp of the late Estelle, his New York agent, he's found an able, but somewhat manic replacement in Bobbie, overplayed to the hilt by Jennifer "Bend and Snap" Coolidge.
Ms. Coolidge is listed in the opening credits as a regular. But her character is more than a little one dimensional — and annoying. Downgrade her to recurring and she might have a future that doesn't involve me reaching into my TV and choking the life out of her.
So there you have it, the first episode of Joey in all its ambiguity. If you missed the premiere, so be it. It could have been better and it could have been worse. But it was decent enough, and with several Friends alumni on the writing and production side of things, here's hoping it finds itself real soon.
Article comments
1 - Jim Carruthers
I never intend to watch "Joey" because I never liked "Friends", but I wonder, did Drea DiMatteo take her role because Adriana got killed on "The Sopranos" or was Ade offed because Drea was going to do lesser work.
Oh, and she pads her bra, which is kinda puzzling since her character on "Joey" is just her boobs.
2 - Lono
I enjoyed the show last night. however, that agent character was the worst actress I have ever seen. I mean, her lines here even funny, but she was some kind of frightening botox overacting nightmare.
true - her alone could possibly sink the show. and... looking at Drea for half an hour a week isn't such a bad proposition either.
3 - Jim Carruthers
Hey, that's Stiffler's Mom you're dissing!
4 - Tom Johnson
I was actually surprised that Joey was even remotely funny. I wouldn't say it was "1/6th as funny as the average Friends episode," however. At best it was as funny as Friends was in the last two seasons. At its worst, it was as unfunny as Friends was in its last season, too. In other words, it's not a real change from Friends, overall. If they can keep it moderately funny like last night's episode was, it'll probably do well. I predict it'll be a modest hit for NBC, but it most likely won't soar to Friends-heights.
5 - Morgaine Swann
I loved it. I'm sorry, but I did. I didn't expect to laugh out loud the way I used to with Friends. My expectations were low, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I liked Drea a lot - I thought she seemed very much like a sister of joey's. The rocket scientist nephew was a cute twist, I thought. I'm going to give the agent a chance. The neighbor is a little bland, but other than that, I'm happy. I have my Thursday nights back.