Joey

It's the writing, it's the writing, it's the writing.

Whenever Hollywood sees a success (like, f'r instance, "Friends"), the hacks in suits try to figure out what makes it a success:

"Hmmm...we need a show with attractive young people bantering"
"We need a show with 3 boys and 3 girls in apartments."
"Get me 6 unknown actors!"

"Friends" was not funny because of the premise, such as it was. "Friends" was just funny. Funny is funny -- and it's the writing!

Doesn't seem that hard to grasp, but apparently it is. The character of Joey Tribiani was funny when the scripts were funny. It's okay, moving the character to California, giving him a quirky sister and a quirky nephew and quirky neighbors and a quirky agent and quirks abounding....it'd be more okay if those quirks were actually funny. And they would be if the writing were funny!

Hmm....maybe I'm being redundant and repetitively redundant -- but "Joey" could be funny if....well, you know. The fact that it isn't is largely because, um....well, you know that, too.

I wish it were funny. Matt LeBlanc was pretty darned humorous on "Friends". Too bad that they didn't bring that quality to this vehicle.