Why Friends Spinoff Joey Isn't Available On HBO Max

[CouldnoT]

Why Friends Spinoff Joey Isn't Available On HBO Max

 

 

HBO Max launched Wednesday without the inclusion of Friends spinoff Joey, which a spokesperson says hasn't been licensed by the streaming service.

 

HBO Max launched Wednesday without the inclusion of Friends spinoff Joey. The streaming service has the entire Friends series available to watch, but has not included the NBC comedy starring Matt LeBlanc, which ran from 2004 to 2006. Joey chronicled the life of Joey Tribbiani, LeBlanc's Friends character, as he moved from New York to Los Angeles to continue work as an actor.

 

HBO Max is a platform by WarnerMedia that bundles together all of HBO, from more recent shows such as Westworld and Game of Thrones, as well as shows dating all the way back to The Sopranos. Boasting 10,000 hours of content at-launch, HBO Max has included Friends as one of its principal streaming shows, along with South Park, The Big Bang Theory, and the Studio Ghibli collection. HBO Max offers everything HBO has, plus a wide variety of Warner Bros. content.

 

Variety has reported a spokesperson for HBO Max has confirmed Joey hasn't been licensed yet by the streaming service. The spokesperson went on to state, "we're always assessing available shows to see what will be a good fit and well received by subscribers." Since Netflix removed Friends from its selection in January, the ever-popular show has become one of HBO Max's main attractions. Not only did the site pay $425 million to acquire the exclusive streaming rights to the show, HBO Max had also been set to host the upcoming Friends reunion, which has been put on hold due to the pandemic.

 

The fact that HBO Max hasn't licensed Joey to stand alongside Friends may be due to the show's inability to stack up to its famous predecessor. Joey enjoyed decent ratings initially but, for a number of reasons, Joey's reviews declined during its 46-episode run, with the last eight episodes left unaired. LeBlanc himself has mocked the show in his better-received Showtime series Episodes, and producer-director Kevin S. Bright has publicly expressed that the Joey character was not the first choice for a spinoff and that he did not agree with all the choices made for the character.

 

Following up a culture-defining, ten season behemoth such as Friends is no small task, and a possible reason for Joey's failure to maintain its standing is several character differences fans perceived as to how Joey Tribbiani was portrayed on Friends versus on Joey. Although Joey was a lovable dimwit on Friends, his lack of intelligence was pushed even further on Joey, without the charm to set it off. In any case, fans who do not see the exclusion of Joey as a deal breaker can get HBO Max for $15 a month (or no added charge for HBO Now subscribers) and enjoy the variety of content the new streaming service has to offer.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Source

 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by CouldnoT

[CouldnoT]