10 TV Shows With Massive Budgets That Failed
9. Joey
Spin-offs are always tricky to pull off, and that is especially true when the original show was so beloved. Joey never came close to the heights of Friends.
When Friends finally came to a close after ten seasons in 2004, NBC were not ready to completely give up on their cash cow. Matt LeBlanc was immediately contracted for a spin-off that would follow his character's life after he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
Joey premiered four months after the Friends finale in the exact same time slot on NBC's schedule and initially attracted a viewership of over 18 million, but that number would steadily decline as the episodes went on. The writing simply wasn't as good and the characters weren't as engaging as in the parent show, so people eventually stopped tuning in.
It was moved to a different time slot when the second season began, which meant that it had to compete with ABC's hugely popular American Idol. This did not help the show's already dwindling audience numbers, and it was eventually cancelled after the season ended.
While it's difficult to pinpoint the exact cost of the show, it's probably enough to mention that LeBlanc was earning a reported $15 million per season.