...is it being canceled altogether? The media information about "Joey" being out on Thursdays and "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" being in doesn't make this clear.

Hiatus. Kiss of death.

It's not supposed to come back until after the Olympics (March). I guess by then they will have a better idea if there is a place in the schedule for it. (ie if that Four Kings show tanks.) Or they could plug it into a new night if their Thursday lineup performs better.

I read somewhere(in EW, I think) that NBC wants to cancel the show, but it'll cost them too much money in penalties if they do. So they're likely to air the rest of this season at some point and then let it die.

At worse, it'll come back on Tuesdays in March 2006.

Sad. I kinda liked the chocolate milk episode.

Eek...well, though it has it's moments, I gotta admit, it was a country mile from FRIENDS, so as much as I love the character, it won't be a great loss. I'd love to see guest appearances by the FRIENDS cast on the final episode, but that's likely a pipe dream...

That was indeed in Entertainment Weekly a few weeks ago. That in mind, they will probably film the rest of the contract and air it wherever there is a blank space instead of a rerun.

DVD Josh - a hiatus like this is somewhat typical (though no one often considers "repeats" a hiatus that IS essentially what is happening as the show has not stopped production like Arrested Development is rumored to be doing). Do you recall how Friends was like airing one or two new episodes during March-May in the last season?

There are only 24 episodes a season and by the end of December they will have aired 12 (half the season). A show with ratings like that certainly wont help NBC win anything in that cherry slot running repeats. More people would, however, try to catch up with reruns of Earl since it is getting good buzz and folks may not have watched it in the Tuesday slot.

I'll miss Alex the most.

poor joey.... never stood a chance... he needs to bring back one of his friends people and then it would stand a chance

I read that too. Time for a Friends reunion to get ratings up.

I read somewhere that is was being cancelled.

File this under the shouldnt have been made spinoff along with Flo, Florence from the Jeffersons and Joanie Loves Chachi.

And Jackee from 227.

...and AfterMASH.

I don't think it was quite as bad as those spinoffs. I enjoyed it for the most part.

Oddly enough I liked Matt LeBlanc's chemistry the most with Miquel Nunez, they're funny together. As for a love interest, I liked Paula Cale's work with LeBlanc too, but of course they were "enemies."

Friends wasn't technically on hiatus its last season. They only produced 16 (or was it 18) episodes that year... that accounts for so few new episodes during the time period you mention.

FYI: Don't bother making comments like this unless you can provide a source.

Yeah, I remember they finished filming the whole season by Jan. that year.

How can I forget Aftermash.

they should have made "Joey" into a single camera show with no laugh track/audience.
granted that's probably not LeBlanc's strength but it would have at least given it something to differenciate itself from Friends

Matt LeBlanc doesn't do well with spin-offs. Top of the Heap anyone?

But does any comedy shot like that (e.g. Scrubs, Arrested Development, Kitchen Confidential, The Office) prove to be a ratings blockbuster?