Just watched this weeks episode. on't read if you haven't seen it yet. I'll remove the spoilers after it has aired in the US.

Random thoughts on the episode:

A Howie Long/Teri Hatcher reference? How old is that? Do they still even do commercials together?

The List Of Why Hot Girls Don't Know They Are Hot Girls was pretty funny: has a hotter sister, went to a girls school, used to be fat, and blind.

Good to see Howard again. Joey's universe really needs to expand. Without adding the agent again.

Good to see Danny Nucci again as well. I didn't like him originally in 10/8, but he eventually won me over.

Well, I think I have about all of Joey I can take. I think he has overstayed his welcome. Someone needs to put this show out of its misery.

I don't believe I saw anything funny tonight.

Howard is fun in small doses. He's so eager.

I liked the hot girl bit a lot more than the main plot.

I agree with that, it's really too close knit right now. More regulars are needed.

Me too. It was the best part of the show. Too bad they couldn't do more with it.

Yep, Hot Girl was the only funny bit of the episode, the rest was labored and uninvolving. They need to lay off the oepidal crap between Michael and his mother. It's already old and we're not even 10 episodes into the season.

I could not believe I found myself sitting in front of the TV last night watching this awful mess.
I should really know better.

Would someone please come over here next week and if I try it again, please please physically stop me.

Great episode. Loved the hot girl stuff and Michael's continued attempts to be cool.

What I'm looking forward to most is when all the haters stop watching the show. I'm all for being critical, but I don't watch shows I don't like.

Amen!

I liked it when Joey was going to grab his cape before fighting for the girl, and also towards the end when he mentioned being the "smartest person in the room".

I just found that pretty funny!

What I didn't like about this episode was Joey's storyline as well. Why is the Joey character the only one not allowed to be funny? That was two episodes wasted on a go nowhere storyline/guest spot. I was more of Joey vs. Brian Michael David Scott!

Some of the scripting was really bad last night too. In addition to the Hatcher/Long joke (which was dated 5 years ago), the whole thing where Joey tries to keep Donna (Kelly Preston) from looking at her cell phone to see who'd called made no sense. Joey let Ron use his own phone to call Donna so the caller ID would have only showed Joey's home number. Sloppy writing.

I have enjoyed this show for the most part up to now, but this was by far the weakest installment. Come on guys! Do some comedy!

Yep.

Call me crazy, but I enjoy the show.

You're Crazy!

Seriously, it is not that it is the worst sitcom on the air, it is just that it does not live up to the expectations of Friends fans for the most part. Realistically speaking, Friends was not very good in the last couple of seasons either, IMO, so this pretty much carries on from that. From when Friends peaked creatively (somewhere around the middle of their run), both the last couple of seasons of Friends and so far this season of Joey fall far below it. It is not that they don't have any laughs - they just don't have as many, nor are they as funny.

But that's what I don't get, and we go through this in these threads time and time again.

I don't WATCH shows that I don't think are great. I already record like 15 shows a week, so if something isn't interesting to me I just don't watch it.

If a person doesn't find the show funny or worthwhile, for what possible reason would they keep watching?

I think it works on a sliding scale. I for one am so lukewarm for the show, that I desperately wanted to love, that I didn't sweat it when I was unable to record it. I am in that lot that will watch it if I'm home but won't go out of my way. However I am not those that wish a show cancelled when "They" no longer like the show. I am not so self-centered that I believe the networks programming should revolve around my likes and dislikes. Once I no longer like a show I 'Simply Change the Channel'(*cough* trekkers *cough*).

The hotgirl story was pretty good. And she did look hot in that opening outfit

Howard is good for a few laughs too.

I definitely thought this was one of the better eps (and that's really not saying much).

I didn't say that I didn't find the show funny - I just don't find it as funny as I did with Friends in its prime.

The Train-Wreck Syndrome-- to keep watching a show that either;

1) has high expectations because it's a spin-off of a wildly successful show even though it wouldn't last 6 episodes on its own (i.e. Joey)
2) it used to be a wildly successful show on it's own and no one had the common sense to pull it off the air two years ago (i.e. Will & Grace)

I understand rubbernecking. I mean, if you are driving down the interstate and see a horrific accident on the other side of the road it's hard not to look.

But I have to make a concious effort to both record and watch television, so if I don't like it I'm not going to bother watching it.