
Matt LeBlanc is returning to sitcoms. After incredible success with Friends, then the failure of Joey, he's taking the plunge again. After playing the character of Joey for 12 years (10 on Friends, 2 on Joey) LeBlanc will now play a character that he is even more familiar with, himself.
Showtime has ordered six episodes of "Episodes", a comedy about recreating a UK comedy in the United States. Here is the official description of Episodes:
When a successful British husband-and-wife comedy team are lured by Hollywood to produce a new version of their hit series for a stateside audience, they're initially thrilled at the prospects. But they soon realize what the American execs have in store for their precious show – including replacing the erudite British lead with the quintessential comedy star, Matt LeBlanc – and begin to sink deeper into the quicksand that is the TV business. Before long it's clear that not just the couple's show is at stake, but perhaps even their marriage.
"Episodes" will be co-produced by Showtime and the BBC and will air on both in 2010. TV series about the television industry tend to do much better on cable stations than on network TV. That and the fact that David Crane, executive producer of Friends, is behind "Episodes" bodes well for the success of this new Matt LeBlanc comedy.
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